Roast Ribeye: A Boneless Ribeye Roast for a Crowd

To roast ribeye for a crowd, salt a whole boneless ribeye the day before, roast it low at 250 degrees until it is 10 degrees under the doneness you want, rest it, then brown it for 8 to 12 minutes in a 500-degree oven with garlic herb butter. The low oven cooks it evenly from edge to center, and the final blast gives you a browned, sizzling outside right before you carve.

A whole boneless ribeye is a big piece of meat, usually 10 to 12 pounds, and it feeds 18 to 20 people. You can also cut it in half, roast one half for 8 to 10, and cut the other into ribeye steaks. Either way, the method is the same.

At a glance: a whole roast serves 18 to 20. Prep 30 minutes, salt 12 to 24 hours ahead, roast 3 1/2 to 5 hours, rest 30 minutes, brown 8 to 12 minutes.

Gray Shipley, who runs the farm, was talking about chefs who understand meat when he said this, and it holds for a home cook with a roast this size:

“he or she doesn't have to try to do too much, but just let the meat speak for itself.”

Gray Shipley

That is the plan here. Salt, pepper and time do most of the work. The garlic herb butter goes on only at the end, for the browning and for the table, so the beef itself is what people taste.

Ingredients

• 1 whole boneless ribeye, 10 to 12 pounds
• 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons kosher salt, about 3/4 teaspoon per pound
• 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 8 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, for the butter

Instructions

1. The day before, trim the outer fat to about 1/4 inch, leaving the cap muscle on top attached. Tie the roast with kitchen twine every 1 1/2 inches so it holds a round, even shape.
2. Season the roast all over with the 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons of salt. Set it fat side up on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate it, uncovered, for 12 to 24 hours.
3. Mash the butter with the garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley and the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cover and refrigerate it, and take it out an hour before you need it.
4. About 6 hours before you want to eat, heat the oven to 250 degrees with a rack in the lower third. Season the roast all over with the pepper and put it in the oven, on its rack and sheet, fat side up. Push a probe thermometer into the center of the thickest part.
5. Roast until the center is 10 degrees under your target, 3 1/2 to 5 hours for a whole ribeye. Start checking after 2 1/2 hours.
6. Take the roast out, tent it loosely with foil, and rest it for 30 minutes, or up to an hour. Turn the oven up to 500 degrees.
7. Spread about a third of the garlic herb butter over the top and sides of the roast. Return it to the oven for 8 to 12 minutes, until the outside is browned and sizzling. Check that the center has reached your target.
8. Let it stand for 3 minutes, snip off the twine, and carve across the grain into slices 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Serve the rest of the butter at the table so people can add it to their own slices.

Add 1 whole boneless ribeye to cart

Roast ribeye or standing rib roast?

They are the same muscle. A standing rib roast, often called prime rib, is the ribeye left on the rib bones. A boneless ribeye roast is the same meat with the bones taken off. Boneless is easier to season evenly, easier to carve, and cooks a little faster, because bones slow the heat on one side. Some cooks prefer the look of a standing roast on the table, and that is a fair reason to choose one. Standing Rib Roast vs Prime Rib: Are They the Same? explains the names.

Roasting a ribeye low, then hot

Roasting a ribeye at high heat the whole way gives you a thick gray band under the crust and a pink center. Roasting it at 250 degrees and browning it at the end, sometimes called a reverse sear, cooks it evenly pink from just under the crust to the middle. It is also easier to time, because the roast can rest for up to an hour before the final blast, which frees the oven for sides. How to Reverse-Sear a Roast goes into the method in more depth.

How long to roast a ribeye roast

These times are for roasting ribeye roast straight from the fridge at 250 degrees. Thickness drives the time more than weight, which is why half a ribeye is not done in half the time. At 275 degrees, expect a little less. Use the times to plan the day and a probe thermometer to decide when the roast comes out.

Medium rare and medium are below the FSIS figure, and the choice is yours.

Cutting the whole ribeye into a roast and steaks

If 18 to 20 is more people than you are feeding, cut the ribeye in half crosswise. The end that sat nearer the chuck has a larger cap of the rich, tender spinalis muscle and more fat. The end nearer the loin is leaner and more even. Roast whichever half you prefer and cut the other into steaks about 1 1/4 inches thick. Wrap the steaks one by one and freeze any you will not cook within a few days.

Carving and serving roasted ribeye

Carve roasted ribeye with a long, sharp slicing knife, across the grain. A little garlic herb butter on each warm slice is all it needs. Leftover slices make very good cold sandwiches with horseradish. For more on cooking for a big table, see Roast Beef for a Crowd.

Food safety

USDA FSIS lists 145 degrees F, followed by a rest of at least 3 minutes, as the safe minimum internal temperature for beef roasts and steaks. Check it with a thermometer in the center of the thickest part, away from the ends. Refrigerate leftovers promptly. See the FSIS Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart.