Whether you stumbled across a great deal or just felt the necessity to stock up on prime rib, freezing will effortlessly extend the protein’s shelf life for years — it’s a foolproof plan. Yet, a problem does present itself when the time finally arrives to put the hunk of meat to use, and that’s determining how much time is needed for defrosting. Fortunately, we’ve done the research and figured out how long to thaw prime rib, once and for all.
First thing’s first, prime rib should never be cooked directly from frozen. Sticking a frosty block of protein in the oven will only elongate the cooking process and produce an unevenly cooked result. Instead, prime rib must be thawed in order to guarantee optimal taste and texture. Since the piece of meat is both large and fairly dense, prime rib should be pulled from the freezer well in advance to allow for sufficient thawing. As for the ideal time frame to abide by, this will depend on the exact size of the prime rib as a small roast may only require a day to thaw, whereas a prime rib that weighs a whopping 18 pounds could take three days.
As a general rule of thumb, however, we recommend allocating about 24 hours of thawing time for every 5 pounds of prime rib. Naturally, it’s also important that the meat be defrosted under the correct conditions, which brings us to our next topic.
A guide to properly thawing prime rib
It can be tempting to speed up the thawing process by placing prime rib on your kitchen counter. But, it’s essential you resist the urge to do so as defrosting meat at room temperature will compromise both safety and quality. To ensure the best results, prime rib must be thawed at a cool and constant temperature (ideally, below 40 degrees Fahrenheit) as this effectively prevents a spike in bacterial growth, in addition to encouraging a uniform thaw. Consequently, this means that prime rib should defrost in the fridge.
When thawing prime rib, there’s no need to remove the protein from its original packaging. In fact, keeping the meat wrapped ensures that juices won’t leak and drip all over the appliance. That said, we still recommend placing the roast on a clean tray as moisture will eventually start to pool as the meat thaws. It’s also for this reason that the prime rib should be placed on the bottom shelf of the fridge — which (luckily) tends to be the chilliest as cold as sinks — to limit the risk of cross-contamination. At which point, the countdown to a fully thawed prime rib can begin.
Once defrosted, we suggest cooking prime rib immediately. Properly thawed meat can also last up to 5 days in the fridge. However, after spending days defrosting and monopolizing space in the fridge, there’s really no reason to wait even longer to enjoy the prime rib!
