Smoked rib roast is the crowning jewel of every holiday table. Slow-smoked for amazing flavor and then flash-roasted for a rich exterior crust, this method for smoked rib roast ensures perfect results every time!

Ingredients

• 10 pound Bone-In Rib Roast (5 bones)
• 1859 Colorado Gold Mustard Sauce (to taste)
• High Elevation Salt Pepper and Garlic Rub (to taste)

What Grade Rib Roast Should I Buy?

The grade of beef makes a difference in your final product, with Prime grade has additional marbling over the other grades, this means more flavor, tenderness, and moisture from that rendering fat. It also means a big difference in the final price of your roast. If you have a big budget and are willing to pay the extra cash, the Prime grade and will be a great treat for yourself and your guests!

If you purchase a Choice grade rib roast, you will still have outstanding results, so don’t fret or overthink it. The magic of this recipe is in the method and the final product will still be amazingly delicious and tender. Choice-grade rib roast will still give you a delicious roast and will not cost you as much the prime cut. At my local grocery store, the price difference between prime and choice is about $8.50 per pound. For a 10 pound (5 bone) rib roast, a prime will cost you approximately $85.00 more.

Getting the Rib Roast Ready

Remove the rib roast from the packaging and rinse it with cold water and than pat it dry with paper towels. Move the rib roast to your cutting board and remove any excess fat. Do not remove the entire fat cap in the trimming process, try to leave it about a quarter-inch thick. Once all of the fat and any excess meat has been removed it is time to season the roast.

I only trust one seasoning brand when I am cooking an expensive cut of meat like this. For this recipe I will be using High Elevation Salt, Pepper, and Garlic rub from Willow Seasonings & Blends. This is not your traditional SPG, it has other ingredients added in that give it a unique flavor profile and separates it from other SPG rubs.

If you want to use a binder for this meat, I would highly recommend using Willow Seasonings & Blends 1859 Colorado Gold Mustard Sauce. This mustard sauce will had another layer of flavors to your rib roast. Apply a liberal amount of the mustard sauce to the entire surface of the rib roast and then season to your liking with the High Elevation SPG. Let the rib roast set while getting the smoker ready.

It’s Smoke Time!

Preheat your smoker to 225° F. I use Lumberjack pellets when smoking on my Traeger 780 Pro. For this smoke I will be using the Lumberjack “Competition” pellets which is a blend of Maple, Hickory, and Cherry woods that will give you the richness of hickory wood, a touch of sweetness from the maple wood, and the cherry wood adds in a hint of that oh so desirable mahogany color.

The rib roast is going to render down the fat during the cooking process, if you can place a drip pan under the roast you will be able to preserve the drippings to make a delicious gravy to serve with your dinner. If you do not have a two shelf setup in your smoker, you can place an ovenproof rack inside of your drip pan and set the roast on top of it. Place your rib roast into your smoker rib side down.

To cook your rib roast to a rare (120-125° F) to medium-rare (130-135° F) internal temperature plan on smoking for 35-40 minutes per pound. I like to pull my rib roast when it is about 10 degrees cooler than the desired internal temperature as we will be searing it to create a crust on the outside. Once the roast has reached your desired pre-sear temperature remove from the smoker and let rest while increasing the temperature of the smoker. At this time you will also want to remove your drip pan so you do not burn the rendered fat during the searing process. Increase the temperature of your smoker to 450° to 500° F.

Once your smoker has reached searing temperature return the rib roast to the smoker. You are only going to sear long enough to create a nice crust on the outside. Once a nice crust has formed, remove the rib roast, loosely cover it with foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

While the roast is resting it is a perfect time to make a gravy from the drippings and any finish up any sides that you want. Yorkshire Pudding is a side that goes great with smoked rib roast.

The Moment You Have Been Waiting For!

To carve the rib roast, place it on your cutting board bone side down. With a sharp carving knife, cut close to the bone to separate the meat from the ribs and maintain a consistent thickness for each slice, typically around 1/2 inch thick.

Enjoy!

A red wine will pair nicely with this meal.