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How to Reheat Prime Rib in 3 Easy Ways

How to Reheat Prime Rib in 3 Easy Ways

Prime rib is my absolute favorite meat cut to have for a fancy dinner at home. I take great delight in cooking and devouring this delicious fatty, juicy, and divinely tender meat.

After all, they call it prime for a reason!

It goes perfectly with so many side dishes such as roasted sweet potatoes, roasted veggies, a large variety of salads, different sautés and sauces, roasted potatoes, spicy potato gratin, and my forever favorite, deliciously creamy garlic mashed potatoes

When it comes to reheating, prime rib isn’t as easy to reheat as chicken or turkey cuts. When reheating a prime rib, it can be a bit bothersome to achieve the same juicy and tender goodness as a freshly prepared prime rib.

You’re always worried about the meat drying out and not looking or tasting as good as it did when you cooked it. 

However, there are a few ways in which you can reheat prime rib so that it remains its original tenderness and juiciness. So, read on if you want to learn how to reheat prime rib perfectly every single time! 

How to Reheat Prime Rib 

There are 3 common ways to reheat prime rib – in an oven, in a steamer, and in a microwave.

The method you prefer depends entirely on how much time you have and whether you have slices of prime rib or whole prime rib.

So, let’s see how you can reheat a prime rib via these three methods.

In a Steamer

If you’re looking for a gentle way to reheat prime rib, then reheating it in a steamer (a.ka. double boiler) is the way to go. Here’s how you can reheat prime rib in a steamer:

Things You Will Need

  • Prime rib
  • Aluminum foil
  • Au jus or beef broth
  • A steamer

Instructions

  1. Depending on the size of your steamer, pour at least 1 to 3 inches of water in the bottom of your pot before you place your steamer basket on top of it and put it on the stove.
  2. While you bring the water to a simmer, carefully make an aluminum foil pouch by pulling out a sheet and curving up its edges.  
  3. Place your leftover prime rib into the foil pouch and make sure to drizzle some leftover au jus on the meat before closing the foil edges and sealing the pouch.
  4. Carefully place the pouch with the prime rib in the steamer and cover the pot. 
  5. Allow the meat to warm through. It will take about 3 to 6 minutes. Check the temperature of the prime rib by inserting a thermometer into the meat. Since this roast has already been cooked through, reheating until just to your preferred eating temperature is the way to go. You don’t want to overcook it in the process of reheating.
  6. Remove the pouch from the steamer and serve the prime rib right away so that it doesn’t continue to cook on the inside. Make sure to drizzle the leftover au jus on top of it before serving it.  

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In an Oven

If you are wondering how to reheat a whole prime rib roast, then reheating it in an oven is the way to go.

This is hands down my favorite way of reheating prime rib as it allows the meat to retain its juiciness and ideal pink, tender center. Here’s how you can reheat prime rib in an oven:

Things You Will Need

  • Prime rib
  • Roasting pan
  • Beef broth or au jus
  • Aluminum foil

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to about 350F – depending on the quality of your oven.
  2. Place your leftover prime rib in a roasting pan and pour several tablespoons of leftover au us or beef broth on top of it.
  3. Cover the pan tightly with some aluminum foil and put it in the oven. This will ensure that the meat remains juicy.  
  4. Let the meat reheat in the oven about 10 minutes. This is for an already-cooked prime rib, so you want to reheat it JUST ENOUGH to be a tasteful meal. You don’t want to reheat it until it overcooks.
  5. Remove the reheated prime rib from the oven and place the pan on your countertop. 
  6. Heat up a skillet on high flame and put some butter in it. Let the meat sear a little so that it can become crispy on the outside.
  7. Put the cooked prime rib in a platter and pour some au jus on it. That’s it, you can now serve the prime rib!

Pro Tip: Make sure that you don’t let the prime rib sit in the pan for too long before placing it in the oven. This will ensure that the meat remains in top shape.

In a Microwave

If you have leftover prime rib slices, then it’s best to reheat them in a microwave. Here’s how you can heat up pre-cooked prime rib in a microwave:

Things You Will Need

  • Prime rib slices
  • A microwave-safe dish
  • Some beef stock or leftover au jus
  • A food thermometer

Instructions

  1. Cut the prime rib into even slices and place the slices in a microwave-safe dish.
  2. Pour a few tablespoons of beef stock or leftover au jus over the slices.
  3. Cover the dish with a lid and place it in your microwave.
  4. For a full plate full of prime rib slices, start off heating at 30 seconds. For three slices or less, start out at 15 seconds. Turn slices over with tongs to help with consistent heating.
  5. Check the temperature of the slices and continue to reheat the prime rib slices in 15-second increments until the meat is JUST WARM ENOUGH to eat. It’s easy to overcook/overheat anything in the microwave, so turn the slices every 15 seconds.
  6. Take the reheated prime rib slices out of the microwave, place them on a platter, and serve IMMEDIATELY with some au jus or some delicious horseradish sauce.

Pro tip: Make sure to reheat the meat in 15-second increments. This will allow you to reheat it to the perfect temperature and prevent it from drying out. 

How to Keep Prime Rib from Drying Out 

The best way to prevent a prime rib from drying out is to reheat it in the oven. Bring it out of the fridge to come up to room temperature, then reheat for JUST ENOUGH time to keep it from

Make sure to drizzle plenty of au jus over it and cover it with aluminum foil before putting it in the oven.

This will help keep the meat from drying out.

How Long Will Prime Rib Last in the Fridge?

Cooked prime rib will usually last anywhere between 5 to 7 days in the fridge if kept cold the whole time. For best quality, make sure to keep the intact prime rib in the fridge rather than keeping prime rib slices.

Airtight containers and tight wraps will help keep the meat from drying out.

If you want your leftover prime rib to last longer than a week, then it’s best to freeze it for no longer than six months.

The bottom line

I hope you enjoyed reading this guide on how to reheat prime rib. Do try the ways I have mentioned above to reheat prime rib – in a microwave, over, and steamer – to reheat your leftover meat cut.

Make sure that you devour your fridge-kept prime rib within a week. 

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How to Reheat Prime Rib in 3 Easy Ways

How to Reheat Prime Rib in 3 Easy Ways

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

How to reheat prime rib. Our favorite method is using an oven because it retains the juiciness and the pink center too. 

Ingredients

  • Prime rib
  • Roasting pan
  • Beef broth or au jus
  • Aluminum foil

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to about 250 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit – depending on the quality of your oven. Give it some time to warm up thoroughly.
  2. Place your leftover prime rib in a roasting pan and pour several tablespoons of leftover au us or beef broth on top of it.
  3. Cover the pan tightly with some aluminum foil and put it in the oven. This will ensure that the meat remains juicy.  
  4. Let the meat reheat in the oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. It will take around 10 minutes or more depending on how hot your oven is.
  5. Remove the reheated prime rib from the oven and place the pan on your countertop. 
  6. Heat up a skillet on high flame and put some butter in it. Let the meat sear a little so that it can become crispy on the outside.
  7. Put the cooked prime rib in a platter and pour some au jus on it. That’s it, you can now serve the prime rib!

Notes

Make sure that you don’t let the prime rib sit in the pan for too long before placing it in the oven. This will ensure that the meat remains in top shape.

Did you make this recipe?

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Laurie S

Sunday 26th of December 2021

When you put the roast in the roasting pan, are you putting it on a rack, or is it sitting in the liquid?

Michael J Madin

Saturday 26th of December 2020

Thanks. Rib roast great 1st day but dry the 2nd so I needed the help. One question though:

"4. Let the meat reheat in the oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. "

If I let the meat reheat to 160 to 165 degrees won't that be well-done and dry and no longer pink and juicy?

Renee Groskreutz

Saturday 13th of February 2021

This is a great question. The USDA recommends that all reheated meat reach an internal temp of 160. So with that said, you could take it upon yourself to remove the meat sooner. Follow the directions outlined and then remove the meat when it feels warm to the touch. Great technical question. :)

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