Smoked Prime Rib

Ingredients

• 1 bone-in standing rib roast, 4 ribs, about 8 pounds
• 3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons coarse black pepper
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup prepared horseradish
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 chunks cherry or oak wood

Before you cook

• Salt the roast on all sides two days ahead and set it uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator.
• Take the roast out 2 hours before cooking so the center is not ice cold.
• Mix the pepper, granulated garlic, rosemary and thyme in a small bowl.
• Paint the roast with the Dijon mustard in a thin even layer.
• Press the herb and pepper mixture onto every surface including the bone side.
• Stir the horseradish and sour cream together and refrigerate the sauce until serving.

Steps

1. Bring the smoker to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and add the cherry wood chunks.
2. Set the roast bone side down on the grate with a drip pan underneath.
3. Smoke undisturbed for about 3 1/2 hours, checking the pit temperature every 45 minutes.
4. Push a probe into the dead center of the eye, avoiding bone, and watch for 120 degrees Fahrenheit for medium-rare.
5. Take the roast off and let it rest loosely tented for 30 minutes; the temperature will climb another 8 degrees.
6. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or the grill grate over the hottest fire you can build.
7. Sear the outside faces of the roast for about 60 seconds each just to crisp the crust.
8. Stand the roast on a board and cut the rack of bones away in one piece along the curve.
9. Carve the eye into half-inch slices across the grain.
10. Serve with the horseradish cream and the cut bones for whoever wants to gnaw one.