Smoked Ribeye Roast

A smoked ribeye roast is easier than it looks. Salt the roast a day ahead, smoke it at 225 to 250 degrees over oak or hickory until it is about 10 degrees under the doneness you want, rest it, then sear the outside over a hot fire or in a 500-degree oven. A 5-pound piece takes about 3 to 4 hours in the smoker.

This recipe uses a 5-pound piece cut from a whole boneless ribeye, which serves about 10. The whole ribeye, usually 10 to 12 pounds, can also go on the smoker in one piece for a crowd, and the timing for that is below.

At a glance: a 5-pound roast serves 10. Prep 20 minutes, salt 12 to 24 hours ahead, smoke 3 to 4 hours, rest 20 to 30 minutes, sear about 10 minutes.

Gray Shipley, who runs the farm, draws a clear line when he talks about smoking meat:

“smoking is not the same as adding smoke flavor. It's just, it's just not the same.”

Gray Shipley

That is why this recipe uses real wood, a low fire and a few hours, and no liquid smoke, smoked salt or smoke-flavored rub. A ribeye roast spends only 3 or 4 hours in the smoker, so it picks up a gentle smoke rather than the heavy bark of a brisket, and that suits it.

Ingredients

• 1 boneless ribeye roast, about 5 pounds, cut from a whole boneless ribeye
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or avocado
• Flaky salt, to serve

Instructions

1. The day before, if you are starting with the whole ribeye, cut it in half crosswise and wrap the other half for the freezer or cut it into steaks. Trim the outer fat on your roast to about 1/4 inch and tie it with kitchen twine every 1 1/2 inches.
2. Season the roast all over with the kosher salt. Set it on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate it, uncovered, for 12 to 24 hours.
3. Heat the smoker to 225 to 250 degrees with oak or hickory: two or three fist-size chunks on a charcoal fire, or a full hopper of pellets. Wait until the smoke runs thin and pale blue rather than thick and white before the meat goes on.
4. Season the roast with the pepper and granulated garlic. Set it on the grate away from the fire, fat side up, and push a probe thermometer into the center of the thickest part.
5. Smoke with the lid closed until the center is 10 degrees under your target, about 3 to 4 hours for a 5-pound roast. Keep the smoker temperature steady. One or two additions of wood early on is plenty for a ribeye.
6. Move the roast to a board, tent it loosely with foil, and rest it for 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, get a grill as hot as it will go, or heat the oven to 500 degrees.
7. Brush the roast with the oil. Sear it over direct high heat, turning every minute or so, until browned all over, 6 to 8 minutes, or brown it in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Check that the center has reached your target.
8. Let it stand for 3 minutes, snip off the twine, and slice it across the grain about 1/2 inch thick. Finish with a pinch of flaky salt.

Add 1 whole boneless ribeye to cart

Smoking a ribeye roast: temperatures and timing

Smokers vary more than ovens. Wind, cold weather and lifting the lid all stretch the time, so treat these as a guide and let the thermometer decide. Thickness matters more than weight: the whole ribeye is longer than a half, not much thicker, so it does not take twice as long.

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

Which wood to use

Oak and hickory are the classic woods for beef. Oak gives a steady, medium smoke. Hickory is stronger, so go lighter with it. A ribeye roast smoked over either one still tastes of beef first. Mesquite burns hot and strong and is easy to overdo over several hours, and fruit woods such as cherry work but are milder. Whatever you use, burn it clean: thick white smoke from a smoldering fire tastes bitter.

Smoking the whole ribeye for a crowd

A whole boneless ribeye, 10 to 12 pounds, feeds about 20. Salt it with 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons of kosher salt and double the pepper and garlic. Make sure it fits your smoker with room for air to move around it; on a small cooker, smoke the two halves side by side instead. For other cuts that suit the smoker, see Best Beef Cuts for Smoking.

Searing after the smoke

A smoker at 225 to 250 degrees will not brown a roast, so the final sear does that job. Resting before the sear means the roast can go straight from the fire to the board. This is a reverse sear, the same idea as in How to Reverse-Sear a Roast, with the smoker doing the low part. Sear quickly: the outside browns in minutes, and every extra minute pushes the center further.

Boneless or bone-in?

The same method works for a bone-in standing rib roast, which takes a little longer because the bones slow the heat on one side. Boneless is easier to tie, season and slice. Standing Rib Roast vs Prime Rib: Are They the Same? explains the names.

More ribeye roast recipes

No smoker? The same roast cooks well in a 250-degree oven and is browned the same way at the end. Leftover smoked ribeye, sliced thin and cold, makes an excellent sandwich with horseradish and a little of the flaky salt.

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, and check a second spot on a whole ribeye. Refrigerate leftovers promptly. See the FSIS Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart.