The Key Differences In Cooking Bone-In Vs Boneless Prime Rib
Nothing turns heads and revs up appetites at a dinner party quite like the sight of the caramelized crust of prime ribs in a hot roasting pan. But before you get carried away with the thought of wowing your guests with an amazing dinner, there's one crucial choice you'll need to make that affects everything from how you'll cook the ribs to how they'll taste: Do you want them to be bone-in or boneless?
To understand why this choice matters so much, we asked chef K.C. Gulbro, owner of FoxFire in Geneva, Illinois, and Chef Ambassador for Certified Angus Beef, to weigh in on the key differences between the two. "Bone-in prime rib tends to have more flavor and retains more juiciness, as the bone acts as a natural insulator, keeping the meat tender. However, it can take up more space in your oven and require slightly longer cooking time," he said. "On the other hand, boneless prime rib is easier to carve and cooks a bit faster, making it a more convenient option for smaller ovens or limited time."
One more thing to keep in mind: Since prime ribs are sold by weight, those beautiful bones will add a few extra dollars to your total. As such, make sure you know exactly what you want before you even leave your home for the butchery or the store. That way, you'll walk out with exactly the right cut for your upcoming dinner.
Onto preparing your beautiful set of prime ribs
So you've brought home your perfect cut of prime rib — now what? No worries, as cooking this majestic hunk of beef is easier than you might think. If you went with the bone-in version, a classic recipe that rarely fails is to slow-roast the ribs in the oven with a blend of spices, including aromatic ground seasonings and tangy sumac, plus some fresh herbs. After a couple of hours, you'll have a gorgeous roast with an irresistible crust and juicy center that's ready to impress. If you want to take it up an extra notch, grate some fresh horseradish on top to pair with your prime rib and you've got an incredible dinner in the making.
If you picked the boneless route with the hope of saving some cooking time, a pretty foolproof (and more importantly, fast) method is making Instant Pot prime rib. After seasoning it well with salt and pepper, plop the entire thing into your pressure cook with some beef broth and let the appliance work its magic. In less than two hours, you'll have an incredibly tender roast that basically melts in your mouth the instant it hits your tongue.
Each cut, as you can see, has its own special charm. With some TLC and attention, you'll have people asking when you're making prime ribs again once the plates are empty!