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Welcome back to the best grilling blog on the Internet! For this post I am featuring a Snake River Farms 4-bone ribeye roast grilled on my Big Green Egg. At the time I am posting this it is closer to Spring than it is Winter but I wanted to focus this recipe on delivering the best centerpiece for your holiday meal. Using a special herbed butter on the outside of this roast, this prime rib comes out as beautiful as it tastes. Now sit back, grab your favorite glass of Malbec, and enjoy this post for Grilled Bone in Prime Rib Roast on the Big Green Egg.
Table of Contents
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dry brine the roast
When preparing for the Grilled Bone in Prime Rib Roast on the Big Green Egg, you’ll want to take it out of the packaging a day before you plan to cook it and dry the exterior off with paper towels.
Get kosher salt ready (1 tsp per pound) and tie your roast with butcher twine to hold its shape while cooking.
Now cover all sides of the roast with kosher salt, place on to a baking pan with a wire rack, and in to the fridge for 24 hours. This dry brining technique does many things: it tenderizes the meat, it locks in the flavor, and it makes the meat juicier. This step shouldn’t be skipped!
After 24-hours take the meat out of the fridge 2-hours before you plan to cook it.
seasoning the roast
While the roast is coming up to room temperature make the herbed butter mixture with 2 sticks of softened butter, 2 Tbs minced fresh herbs, 8-10 cloves of minced garlic, and 2 Tbs of your favorite beef seasoning (NOTE: I am using Dizzy Pig Cow Lick for this cook).
Mix all the ingredients thoroughly with the butter.
Next, rub the butter on all surfaces of the rib roast.
setting up the big green egg
Fill the Big Green Egg with lump charcoal and light in the middle. After 10-minutes, add a handful or two of Pecan Wood Chips to the lit coals. Place in your ConvEGGtor for indirect grilling. Once your temperature is stable at 350°F it is time to place your rib roast inside. 
Cooking Times for Grilled Bone-In Prime Rib Roast
| Roast Weight | Cooking Time | Internal Temp |
|---|---|---|
| 4 lbs | 1.5 – 2 hours | 125°F (Medium Rare) |
| 6 lbs | 2 – 2.5 hours | 125°F (Medium Rare) |
| 8 lbs | 2.5 – 3 hours | 125°F (Medium Rare) |
| 10 lbs | 3 – 3.5 hours | 125°F (Medium Rare) |
| 12 lbs | 3.5 – 4 hours | 125°F (Medium Rare) |
NOTE: Ensure to monitor the internal temperature every 30 minutes for accuracy and optimal doneness.
Place your roast bone side down and let cook for an hour undisturbed.
After an hour your roast should be coming along nicely. From this point forward make sure to take an internal temperature of the roast every 30-minutes until you reach a temperature of 125°F.
After 2 hours the roast is almost ready and the color of the exterior looks amazing.
remove the rib roast and rest
At 2.5 hours your roast should measure 125°F. Pull the roast from your Big Green Egg and rest it on a cutting board for 20-30 minutes.
The final temperature should be between 130°-135° for a perfect medium rare.
Remove the ribs before slicing the meat in to steaks for serving.
Cut the steaks to your desired width. A 10-pound roast should feed 8-10 people when cooked.
Enjoy this delicious grilled bone in prime rib roast. The perfect centerpiece for your next holiday gathering.
Grilled Bone in Prime Rib Roast on the Big Green Egg
Ingredients
- 1 4- bone prime rib roast, 8-10 pounds
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 8-10 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbs rosemary, minced
- 1 Tbs thyme, minced
- 2 Tbs Dizzy Pig Cow Lick seasoning
- Kosher Salt, 1 tsp per pound
Instructions
- Salt the prime rib roast with Kosher salt (1 tsp per pound) 24 hours before cooking and place on a baking sheet with a wire rack. Place in the refrigerator uncovered.
- -hours before cooking take the roast out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature.
- Soften the 2 sticks of butter and combine with minced garlic, minced herbs, and seasoning.
- Apply the butter mixture to the roast all over.
- Preheat your Big Green Egg to 350°F setup for indirect cooking using your ConvEGGtor. I like to use Pecan Wood chips for some additional smoke flavoring.
- When the temp is stable and the smoke is running clean, place the roast inside the Big Green Egg bone side down. and let cook undisturbed for an hour before checking. After that check on the roast and internal temperature every 30 minutes until an internal temperature of 125°F is achieved.
- Pull the roast and let rest 30 minutes before slicing.
- Slice the bones off the roast first, then cut the roast in to equal steaks.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
With the salt brine, do you remove it before putting it in the egg or just leave it on it?
Leave it on.
BBQ Buddha,
Good afternoon from The Northern Neck of Virginia. I’m considering a 3/4 Rib Roast and Boneless Roast on the BGE for Christmas. Which, of the two, are best on the grill? I’ll buy it Thursday, vacuum seal it and put it in the refrigerator and cook it Monday. Any special cooking tips ? Thanks
Both would do excellent on the BGE. This recipe would work well. My best advice is to reverse sear both so you can be assured of end to end pink inside!
What size roast do you think would be the largest that would fit on L BGE with Joetisserie? Hoping to make a 5 rib roast Christmas eve.
My gut tells me you’ll be fine with this setup and size of roast.
Excited to try this recipe! Question: did you soak the pecan chips before putting them on or just put them on dry?
Always put them on dry.
Got it, thanks!
Turned out great! Did the reverse sear approach. Thanks for the recipes and advice!
2nd year in a row I have a magazine picture the roast comes out so good
Awesome job! Thanks for sharing 🙏
Chris, I can’t wait to try this.
If I want to make it a little smokier, would adding a few more handfuls of pecan/cherry be OK?
On that note do you think pecan/cherry wood would be the best woods to use?
Some more smoke never hurt! Both pecan and cherry are great woods for beef… my favorite is pecan with this cut!
Thank you so much for the reply!
I have my 15.5 prime rib roast on my BGE XL sitting pretty right now at 92 degrees. Gonna pull her around 125.
I used Jealous Devil all natural briquettes with about 4 pecan chunks. Should be delicious!
On my way!
How long do you think a 13lb rib would take in the egg?
It generally takes 15–20 minutes per pound for medium rare, depending on the size of the roast and your desired doneness. Here’s a guideline:
Doneness Temperatures (Remove roast 5–10°F before these for carryover cooking):
• Rare: 120–125°F
• Medium Rare: 130–135°F
• Medium: 140–145°F
Hi! We really want to try this recipe! Any thoughts on a sub for the Cow Lick seasoning if we don’t have time to order it? Thank you!
Salt, pepper, garlic is always a winner!
Is it same recipe for boneless prime rib?
Key Adjustments:
1. Cooking Time:
• Your original recipe calls for about 3 hours at 250°F until it hits 125°F internal, then a high-heat sear.
• For boneless, reduce the time by 10–15% (about 2.5–2.75 hours depending on size). Start checking internal temp earlier.
• Still aim for 125°F for medium-rare before resting.
2. Preparation:
• Since there are no bones to help hold its shape, tie the roast with butcher’s twine every 1.5–2 inches. This ensures even cooking.
3. Placement in the BGE:
• Instead of resting on the bone side, use a roasting rack or a small grid to elevate the roast. This mimics the airflow and heat distribution the bones would have provided.
4. Flavor & Smoke:
• The bone-in version benefits from marrow and collagen breaking down. To compensate:
• Smoke it a bit longer before raising the heat for the sear.
• Optionally, roast on a bed of beef bones to retain some of that richness.
5. Searing at the End:
• Keep the reverse-sear method, but since the boneless cut is more uniform, you may get a more even crust faster.
• Stick to the 500°F direct sear for about 60–90 seconds per side.