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Kamado Joe Jr Prime Rib
The Kamado Joe Jr.’s thermal efficiency and the radiant heating effect of the ceramics make it a great way to smoke and even reverse sear a prime rib.
Though the strategies for these two cooking methods, and how you modify the heat throughout the long cooking process can vary a little.
If you have the Joetisserie accessory, you can even use it to make a small prime rib that is succulent and juicy.
With the straight indirect and reserve sear techniques, you start out with a fire that reads 225 to 250-degrees on the dome thermometer.
Though with the reverse sear method, you pull the roast from the heat when it reaches an internal temperature of 115 to 120 degrees.
Then you drive the fire up to 400-degrees and sear the meat for another 10 to 15 minutes.
When making a prime rib roast on a Joetisserie, you are building a hotter fire of 325 to 350-degrees, with the charcoal and smoking woods biased toward the back of the Kamado Joe’s firebox.
You want to limit the size of the roast to 6-pounds or less to prevent the electric motor from stalling. In this arrangement, it should take roughly 90 to 110-minutes to cook the prime rib to an internal temperature of around 130-degrees.
What Temperature Do You Cook a Kamado Joe Jr Prime Rib?
When making a prime rib roast on a Kamado Joe Jr, you want to use indirect heat with a target temperature of 225 to 250 degrees.
With this method, you are looking to roast the prime rib to an internal temperature of 125 to 130-degrees for a perfect medium-rare.
If you are going to use a reverse searing method, then you want to roast the prime rib at 250 degrees until it reaches an internal temperature of 120 degrees.
Then remove the roast and bring the heat up to a scorching 450 to 500 degrees. Then you will return the roast to the heat and sear it for another 10 to 15 minutes.
If you want to use a Joetisserie to cook a 5-to-6-pound prime rib roast, you are looking for a target temperature of 325 to 350 degrees.
With a fire built biased toward the back of the Kamado Joe’s firebox.
How Long Do You Cook Prime Rib on a Kamado Joe Jr.?
If you want to slow-roast a prime rib over indirect heat of 225 to 150 degrees, you will need to cook it for roughly three to five hours to reach a medium-rare internal temperature of around 130 degrees.
The larger the roast, the longer it will take to cook. If you want a medium to medium-well prime rib, you will need to cook it longer.
How Do You Cook Prime Rib on a Kamado?
Making prime rib on a Kamado Joe grill with the heat deflectors installed is as easy as properly seasoning it and maintaining a consistent temperature of around 250 degrees until it reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees.
You can add a few chunks of applewood, oak, hickory, or even a little mesquite to add smokier flavor.
In three to five hours you will have a prime rib roast that has a flavorful exterior crust, while also being medium to medium-rare in the middle.
An easy seasoning blend includes a liberal amount of salt and pepper with garlic powder and onion powder as accent flavors.
It’s best to apply the seasoning layer at least 4 to 5 hours before smoking, though overnight would be even better!
Just make sure you wrap it tightly in plastic wrap to keep the surface from drying out and make sure that the seasonings adhere to the meat.
This will also help pull some water-soluble proteins to the surface, which will help develop a more flavorful crust by the time it’s done smoking.
Reverse Searing Prime Rib on Kamado Joe Jr.
The process of reverse searing a prime rib roast on a Kamado Joe Jr. starts with the same 250-degree slow smoking temperature, but you take it off the heat when it hits an internal temperature of 120 before turning up the heat.
Once you pull the prime rib of the heat, you want to tent it in heavy-duty aluminum foil and cover it with a tea towel or put it in a clean cooler to keep it warm.
You then turn the heat up by opening the lower damper and bringing the temperature of the Kamado Joe up to around 450 to 500 degrees.
Then you remove the prime rib from the aluminum foil and place it back on the heat to sear it and develop a flavorful exterior crust.
This should take roughly 10 to 15 minutes.
Joetisserie Prime Rib
If you have the Joetisserie accessory, you can use it to make a smoky, succulently juicy prime rib, but it does require strategically setting up the firebox as well as mindful heat control.
Though the Joetisserie won’t fit in the Kamdo Joe Jr. So, if you have this small model, you will need to use an aftermarket “Universal Rotisserie.”
Making a rotisserie prime rib on a Kamado Joe starts with building a smaller-than-usual fire that is biased toward the back of the Kamado Joe’s firebox.
You might want to also set a drip pan under the roast to reduce the mess, or perhaps save some base for a smoky au jus.
Your target temperature on the dome thermometer should be around 325 to 350 degrees.
This usually requires the lower damper to be open about 1 to 1.5 inches. The upper vent should be a little less than half open.
You can add some chunks of applewood, hickory, or even mesquite right before placing the prime rib roast on the Joetisserie.
Just like making a prime rib roast for indirect heat or reverse searing, you want to season the meat at least four hours in advance.
Then wrap it and let it rest in the refrigerator to let the salt and seasonings penetrate the meat.
The size of the prime rib roast is also a factor. Ideally, you want a roast that is around 5.5 to 6-pounds or less.
If you try to put an enormous roast on a Joetisserie it can overwhelm the motor and potentially cause it to stall out causing uneven cooking.
If you are making a bone-in prime rib roast, or a cowboy cut roast, you should cover the tips of any exposed bone to prevent them from burning.
You can then use the following steps to cook a prime rib roast on a Joetisserie over a 325-degree fire.
Step One: Insert the spit rod of the Joetisserie through the thickest part of the prime rib roast.
Then slide the fork tines in so they are just touching the meat to help hold it firmly in place as it spins.
Step Two: Install the spit rod in the Kamado Joe, and turn the electric motor on.
Step Three: After 60 minutes check the internal temperature of the prime rib roast.
Watch the Joetisserie go through a few revolutions, and adjust the tines if needed. If the charcoal is a little low, this is a good time to reload it with a few handfuls of jumbo lump and perhaps a chunk of smoking wood.
Step Four: Remove the prime rib from the heat when it reaches an internal temperature of 125 to 130 degrees, which will carry over to a perfect medium-rare.
This should take roughly 90 to 110 minutes. If you prefer your prime rib medium or medium-well, you might need to let it cook for 120 to 140 minutes.
Step Five: Remove the prime rib roast from the heat and wrap it loosely in heavy-duty aluminum foil with a tea towel resting over top. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes. This will let the internal juices redistribute back into the meat fibers, while also letting it carry over another 5 to 7 degrees to a perfectly pink medium-rare.
Step Six: Carefully unwrap the prime rib making sure to catch any expelled juices, which you can add to your au jus. You can then slice and serve.
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of great ways to make a prime rib roast on a Kamado Joe Jr. You can slow roast it over an indirect heat of 225 to 250 degrees until it reaches an internal temperature of 130-degrees.
This is probably the preferred method for a prime rib roast with a thick coating of seasoning.
If you are using a salt and pepper-based seasoning rub, you reverse sear your prime rib roast over the same 225 to 250-degrees on the dome thermometer.
However, you pull it from the heat when it reaches an internal temperature of 115 to 120 degrees.
Then turn the flame up to 400 to 450 degrees and sear the meat off for another 10 to 15 minutes.
If you have a Joetisserie, you can make the prime rib roast with a hotter fire of 325 to 350-degrees. Just make sure to bias the charcoal toward the back of the Kamado Joe’s firebox.
The weight of the roast should be no more than 6-pounds to keep the electric motor from stalling. Set up like this, the Joetisserie should cook a small prime rib roast to an internal temperature of 130-degrees in roughly 90 to 110-minutes.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.