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A slice of prime rib on a tray with a knife and fork on a wooden table.
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5 from 1 vote

Smoked Prime Rib Recipe on a Pellet Grill

Want to smoke a prime rib on your pellet grill? Our step-by-step recipe makes it easy to achieve the perfect smoked prime rib, complete with a savory crust and rosy center that everyone loves.
Ready to create the most flavorful, tender prime rib you've ever tasted? Let's start with that game-changing dry brine and make some magic.
Prep Time2 days
Cook Time2 hours 30 minutes
Resting Time15 minutes
Total Time2 days 2 hours 45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 people
Calories: 1007kcal
Author: Kita Roberts

Ingredients

For the smoked prime rib

  • 7 - 8 lbs prime rib roast ask your butcher to secure the roast with twine, or use butchers twine to secure the roast between each bone to help it maintain it’s shape and even cooking.
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 2-3 tbsp Roast seasoning SPG Blend (Salt pepper garlic), or your favorite steak seasoning

For serving

Instructions

Dry brine the prime rib:

  • Start by removing the prime rib from the package and pat it well with paper towels.
  • If the fat cap is over ¼”, trim off any unnecessary fat with a sharp knife.
  • Then season the prime rib liberally on all sides with kosher salt.
  • Set the prime rib on a wire rack over a baking sheet and place it in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours.
  • The color of the meat will get dark red and dry on the outside of the beef as it rests in the fridge.

Prep the pellet grill:

  • When ready to smoke, remove the prime rib from the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
  • Meanwhile, add pellets to the auger of the pellet smoker.
  • Preheat your pellet smoker according to the manufacturer's directions, allowing it to smoke, and then preheat to 250 degrees F.

Season the prime rib:

  • Rub the rib roast with oil and sprinkle a coating of the roast seasoning all over the prime rib.
  • When the pellet grill has preheated to 250 degrees, place the prime rib on the grill grates and close the lid.

Smoke the prime rib:

  • Allow the prime rib to cook on the smoker until it reaches an internal temperature of 130 - 135 degrees F, for medium, with a digital meat thermometer in the thickest part of the roast, about 2 ½ to 3 ½ hours.

Rest, Slice, and Serve:

  • When the roast reaches your desired internal temp, carefully remove it from the grill and transfer it to a rimmed wooden cutting board.
  • Top it with the compound butter and tent with foil.
  • Let it rest for 10 minutes, and remove the butcher's twine
  • Using a long, sharp knife, cut the roast from the bones, using the curve of the bones as a guide for the blade of your knife.
  • Then slice the roast into individual servings, about ½ to 1” thick, depending on your desired serving size.
  • Serve the smoked prime rib immediately with creamy horseradish sauce on the side for topping.

Notes

  • Cook to temp, not time: Use a meat probe with ambient temp like the Thermoworks RFX for the most accurate internal temp on your prime rib. Make sure the meat probe is inserted into the thickest part of the roast and that the thermometer isn’t touching the bones.
    • Account for carryover cooking: as the prime rib rests, it will continue to rise in heat about 5 to 7 degrees. 
  • How to get more smoke flavor on a pellet grill: Because pellet grills never get as much smoky flavor as traditional grills, we use Jack Daniel’s charcoal pellets in our Traeger grill and place a couple of hickory chunks in the back hot corners of the grill to produce more smoke flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 1007kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 91g | Saturated Fat: 38g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 39g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 204mg | Sodium: 178mg | Potassium: 740mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 6mg