Learning how to smoke a ribeye roast properly is not only an enjoyable exercise but also a skill that will earn your massive points at the next family cookout. In fact, once you learn how to do it well, you’ll find that you don’t have to wait for special occasions to enjoy a properly smoked ribeye.
So, what does it take to smoke a ribeye roast properly? Let’s take a quick look at the full process and then go through some of the most common FAQs that any avid ribeye fan who’s just learning how to cook it in different ways might have in mind. You can also keep these tips in mind when making a prime rib roast or standing rib roast as well.
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Step-By-Step Guide on How to Smoke a Ribeye Roast Properly
There are a few things you are going to need for your smoked prime rib:
- A grill or smoker
- USDA prime cut ribeye for the best possible results
- Your preferred wood (hickory, oak, and so on)
- Ingredients for marination
Once you have everything you need, it’s time to get cooking.
Step 1: Prepare the Meat
Simply place the ribeye on a cutting board and expertly remove any loose meat or excess fat. Be sure not to remove all the fat as a little fat on the meat isn’t only delicious, but when it melts, it bastes the meat keeping the juices inside and tenderizing it while at it. When you have removed all the hanging pieces of meat and fat, blot the meat with some paper towels.
Step 2: Introduce the Marinade
This entirely depends on what kind of ingredients you prefer for your marinade. The most basic way of smoking a ribeye properly doesn’t call for too many fancy ingredients. Instead, you can simply use any of the following for your recipe:
- Olive oil
- Sea salt or kosher salt
- Black peppercorns or black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Sweet paprika powder
- Cumin
- Rosemary
- Garlic powder
- Worcestershire sauce
- Spice rub of your choosing
What you want to do in this step is rub the olive oil all over the ribeye. Then, combine the ingredients you have for the recipe to turn them into a dry spice rub. Once that is done, simply massage the ribeye with the dry spice rub and then place the boneless ribeye roast in your refrigerator for about an hour to marinate.
Step 3: Prepare the Smoker
While the roast marinates, prepare the smoker. One of the best smokers on the market today is the Masterbuilt MB20052318 MPS 230S Propane Smoker, 30“. It has a built-in temperature gauge, a push-button for ignition for easy lighting, and a durable build.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use the Masterbuild propane smoker for your convenience.
Simply place your charcoal briquettes in the smoker. One of the best approaches is to pile them on top of each other on one side of your grill. Next, put some water on a small piece of aluminum foil pan on the other side of your grill to act as the drip pan.
Once all that is done, get your lighter fluid, douse the coal in it and light the grill. As the fire gets going, add a few of the damp wood chips and wood chunks (hickory, oak, or whichever one you prefer) to the burning coals. It’s these damp wood chips and wood chunks that will produce the desired smoky flavor.
Step 4: Smoke the Ribeye
Once you see enough smoke building up, take your ribeye roast and place it onto the grill. This should be right on top of the drip pan. Be sure to stick a meat thermometer into the ribeye so you can keep an eye on just how well it’s cooking. It’s best to use one that stays in the meat throughout the cooking process.
You could try this BFOUR Meat Thermometer, which has Bluetooth functionality, meaning that you can read the progress on your phone without having to open the smoker now and again.
The idea is to keep the temperature within the smoker between 235 and 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Not only does this temperature allow for the meat to cook properly, but it keeps it juicy by preventing it from cooking too quickly and ultimately drying out. You can easily regulate the temperature within by closing or opening the barbecue’s vents (bottom) as needed.
Step 5: Done
Now, this step depends on how you want your meat cooked. For the most part, you will find that all you need to do is keep the meat cooking for about an hour or an hour and a half before it’s done and ready. However, the exact time depends on how you like your meat.
For example, if you are the kind of person who lives for rare meat, you want to make sure that the temperature inside the meat is at about 125 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other hand, if you like it medium-rare, that number should read 145 degrees Fahrenheit; for medium, 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
The best course of action at this point is to keep checking the internal temperature of your meat after the hour mark. Whenever it gets to within 15 or 20 degrees of your preferred temperature, you can simply remove it from the smoker and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Note that the meat temperature will keep rising another 20 degrees even as it rests outside the smoker. That’s why it’s crucial to remove it when it’s within 20 degrees of your desired temperature because it will be overdone should you keep it in the smoker until it reaches your desired temperature, and you have the right smoky flavor.
And that’s it; that’s how you smoke a ribeye properly. It’s important to note that the kind of wood you use is a matter of preference. Some people think that mild wood such as cherry is perfect because stronger-flavored woods like oak tend to overpower the flavor of the meat.
Others think that the stronger the wood, the better the smoky flavor the meat will have. What is constant, however, is that the wood chips you use should be wet. That way, they won’t burn quite as fast and will produce more smoke for a much longer period as opposed to when they are dry. Dry wood burns way too fast and doesn’t produce enough smoke.