This delicious Prime Rib on a Weber Kettle is coated with a fantastic herb rub and cooked low and slow. Serve this tender rib roast with a flavorful, creamy Dijon sauce. Absolutely delicious!

Standing prime roast cooked on a Weber kettle.

The holidays wouldn’t be the holidays without a perfectly cooked prime rib. This rib roast recipe is cooked over coals, so if you happen to own a Weber Kettle (or any kettle cooker or kamado), you’ll want to make this one!

Wood suggestions: I recommend using mesquite or a fruitwood, like cherry.

prime rib ingredients — Sabrina Baksh/derrickriches.com

Ingredients for Prime Rib on a Weber Kettle

1 4-5 bone rib roast
3-4 cups mesquite wood chips (or wood of choice)
1 aluminum drip pan (for collecting those drippings)
Butter-Herb Prime Rib Rub
2 tablespoons Kosher salt (for pre-salting the roast

Making Prime Rib on a Weber Kettle

Trim off any hanging bits of fat or meat from the rib roast.
Salting the rib roast: Apply 2 tablespoons of kosher salt evenly to roast. Place on a large platter and store uncovered in the refrigerator anywhere between 45 minutes to 12 hours.

Two Zone on a Charcoal Grill-derrickriches.com

Setting up the Kettle

Soak wood chips in water for 1 hour.
Set up a two-zone fire on your Weber Kettle. That means banking all the hot coals on one side (direct heat zone) and leaving the other side empty (indirect heat zone). We will be cooking the rib roast over indirect heat.
While the grill is heating, prepare the butter-herb rub. Apply evenly to the pre-salted rib roast. Let roast stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before placing on the grill.
Add pre-soaked wood chips to the grill according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

kettle smoked rib roast-on grill — derrickriches.com

kettle smoked rib roast-temperature checking — derrickriches.com

Smoking a Prime Rib

Set rib roast on grill grate. Set an aluminum drip pan filled with 1 cup of water directly underneath. Cook for 2 1/2-3 hours, adding fresh wood chips every 30 minutes. I recommend a internal doneness temperature of 130 degrees F or medium-rare.
Once cooked, remove rib roast from the grill and place it onto a clean cutting board. Loosely tent roast with aluminum foil, and let the prime rib rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
Note on gravy: If you are collecting the dripping to make a gravy, be aware that they might be rather smoky. I recommend using some of the drippings supplemented by a good-quality beef base.

Carving a Prime Rib

Tip the rib roast so that the end of the bones is facing upward. Refer to the photo for guidance. Using a sharp knife, slice downward and separate the rib bone pieces from the rest of the roast. Save the bones to snack on later!
Next, slice the prime rib into 1/2″ thick slices and serve with sauce and your favorite sides.

Making the Sauce:

1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup Dijon mustard (substitute with whole grain mustard or prepared horseradish)
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix
2 green onions, finely chopped
Combine sour cream, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, whole milk, green onion, and ranch dressing in a bowl.
Serve on top of sliced prime rib or on the side. If you’d rather skip this step, then serve the roast with gravy or horseradish sauce.

Perfect Side Dishes for Prime Rib on a Weber Kettle

Yorkshire Pudding

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Corn Pudding

Kettle Smoked Rib Roast

This delicious Kettle Smoked Rib Roast, coated with a fantastic herb rub and cooked low and slow. Serve this tender prime rib with a flavorful side sauce and your favorite sides.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American BBQ, Fusion

Keyword: kettle smoked beef, rib roast recipe, smoked rib roast

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 3

Total Time: 3 30

Servings: People

Calories: 625kcal

Author: Derrick Riches and Sabrina Baksh

Ingredients

1 4-5 pound rib roast
3-4 cups mesquite wood chips
1 aluminum drip pan
Butter-Herb Prime Rib Rub
2 tablespoons Kosher salt for pre-salting the roast
For sauce:
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup Dijon mustard (Substitute with whole grain mustard or prepared horseradish)
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix
2 green onions finely chopped

Instructions

Trim off any hanging bits of fat or meat from the rib roast. Apply 2 tablespoons of kosher salt evenly to roast. Place on a large platter and store in the refrigerator anywhere between 45 minutes to 12 hours, uncovered.
Soak wood chips in water for 1 hour.
Set up a two-zone fire on your kettle. That means banking all the hot coals on one side (direct heat zone), and leaving the other side empty (indirect heat zone). We will be cooking the rib roast over the indirect heat.
While grill is heating, prepare the butter-herb rub. Apply evenly to the pre salted rib roast. Let roast stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before placing on the grill.
Add pre soaked wood chips to grill according to manufacturer's recommendations.
Set rib roast on grill grate.
Set an aluminum drip pan filled with 1 cup of water directly underneath. Cook for 2 1/2-3 hours, adding fresh wood chips every 30 minutes. I recommend a doneness temperature of 130 degrees F or medium-rare.
Once cooked , remove rib roast from grill and place it onto a clean cutting board. Loosely tent roast with aluminum foil, and let the meat rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.
While roast is resting, prepare the sauce. Combine sour cream, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, whole milk, green onion, and ranch dressing in a bowl. Serve on top of sliced rib roast or on the side. If you'd rather skip this step, then serve roast with gravy and horseradish sauce.

Notes

Creamy Dijon Sauce:

1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup Dijon mustard (substitute with whole grain mustard or prepared horseradish)
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing mix
2 green onions, finely chopped
Combine sour cream, 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, whole milk, green onion, and ranch dressing in a bowl.
Serve on top of sliced rib roast or on the side. If you’d rather skip this step, then serve the roast with gravy or horseradish sauce.