The Only Salt You Should Dry Brine Prime Rib With, According To A Chef

If you're cooking up a prime rib, chances are it's not for some casual meal at home. This big, thick hunk of meat is the cream of the beefy crop, a prize fighter, and as such, it needs to be treated with attention and care. The first step to achieving juicy, tender, perfectly cooked prime rib perfection? Starting your preparation well in advance, and that means kicking things off with a dry brine. For a piece of meat with this much mass, this method of pre-seasoning is an effective tool. By allowing your seasoning to soak into the meat well before it starts cooking (24 hours is the recommendation), you're injecting flavor and drying out the surface of the meat to get that all-important Maillard reaction. Of all the herbs and spices you can choose to add to your dry brine, the most crucial one is salt. But not just any salt.

According to Chef Jean-Pierre, a James Beard nominated chef and author who has been cooking for over 50 years, the key to the perfect dry brine is fine Kosher salt. Not to be confused with your typical table salt, a fine Kosher salt will soak deep into the meat more effectively than a coarser grain salt, like some finishing salts. And in the case of seasoning a big honkin' prime rib, the more briny, savory flavor that can be absorbed into the meat during the dry brining time, the better.

Prime rib may look like a difficult piece of meat to make at home, but it doesn't have to be. Once you've perfected your dry brine and let that fine Kosher salt work its way into the depths of the meat overnight, it's time to get cooking. The most traditional way to cook a prime rib is by reverse searing — starting the meat in a low-temperature oven and then searing it in a high-heat pan for a juicy, perfectly cooked interior and a wonderfully charred outside. However, just like there's more than one way to cook an egg, there's more than one way to prepare a prime rib, too.

Not looking to stand over your pan while your prime rib cooks? Go for a slow-roasted prime rib. For a piece of meat as big as a prime rib, this low and slow method will allow the meat to cook evenly over several hours. All you need to do is season, set it, and forget it. Want to see your Instant Pot make more than just rice and chili? Use it to make the ultimate prime rib feast. From the initial searing of the meat to the actual cooking, the Instant Pot will handle all the hard work, leaving you to prepare side dishes, pick out some wine, or simply bask in the glory of a decadent meal made with ease.