Rib.
The middle of the back. Well marbled, tender, home of the ribeye and the prime rib roast.
Beef rib cooks to the doneness you like, at or above the USDA minimum of 145 F with a 3 minute rest. It is not a low-and-slow cut.
Where it comes from
FSIS names rib as a major primal that can be cooked by dry heat. The ribeye steak and the standing rib roast come from here, as do beef back ribs. This is grilling and roasting territory; smoke is used for flavour on a rib roast, not to render collagen.
USDA FSIS primal: rib. Nine regions, matching the Beef Board retail chart convention where the loin is shown as short loin and sirloin.
- Best methods:
- grill, reverse sear, roast, smoke (rib roast, back ribs)
- Slice:
- Across the grain.
- Rest:
- Steaks 5 to 10 minutes. Roasts 15 to 20 minutes (Beef Board).
Scores are Pit Log editorial, anchored to FSIS tenderness notes.
What you will see at the counter
| Cut | Methods | Finish | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ribeye steak | grill, reverse sear | Your doneness, 145 F + rest USDA floor | Well-marbled. The reverse sear (smoke low, then sear) suits thick ribeyes. |
| Rib roast (prime rib) | roast, smoke | Your doneness, 145 F + rest USDA floor | Beef Board: roasts rise 5 to 15 F after leaving the heat; stand 15 to 20 minutes. |
| Beef back ribs | smoke | probe tender, 200 to 205 F (craft) | Less meat than plate short ribs; smoke until the meat pulls back from the bone. |
Safe. Then done.
145 F (62.8 C), then rest at least 3 minutes before carving or consuming
Steaks, chops and roasts (whole muscle). Food thermometer in the thickest part, away from bone, fat and gristle, read before removing from the heat source. This is a food safety floor, not a preference. Where any other number on this page is lower, this one governs.
Source: USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, page updated 2025-04-14, read 2026-09-02.
Rib roast: FSIS planning table 23 to 25 minutes per pound at 325 F, bone in. Reverse-seared ribeye: 45 to 60 minutes in smoke at 225 F then a hard sear. Approximate.
beef industry
Steaks and roasts, final temperature after rest. Culinary preference, as published by the industry body cited below.
| Doneness | Internal temp | Vs. USDA 145 F |
|---|---|---|
| Medium rare | 145 F, rest at least 3 minutes | At or above the minimum. |
| Medium | 160 F | At or above the minimum. |
| Well done | 170 F | At or above the minimum. |
Carryover: Roasts rise 5 to 15 F after leaving the heat; allow 15 to 20 minutes standing time.
beef convention
Steaks, steakhouse and pitmaster convention, pull temperatures. Culinary preference, barbecue convention.
| Doneness | Internal temp | Vs. USDA 145 F |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | 120 to 125 F | Below the minimum. Preference, not safety. |
| Medium rare | 130 to 135 F | Below the minimum. Preference, not safety. |
| Medium | 140 to 145 F | Below the minimum. Preference, not safety. |
| Medium well | 150 to 155 F | At or above the minimum. |
| Well done | 160+ F | At or above the minimum. |
Carryover: Craft convention: 5 to 10 F rise on a steak during a 5 to 10 minute rest.
Rare, medium-rare and medium figures are culinary preference ranges that fall below the USDA FSIS safe minimum of 145 F with a 3 minute rest. USDA does not consider them safe. Where the two differ, the USDA minimum governs.
More on the beef temperature page and the full chart.
Smoke
What ruins it
- 01Cooking a ribeye to a tenderness window; it is not a collagen cut.
- 02Skipping the rest on a rib roast, then losing the juice on the board.
Cook it
- Reverse-Seared Ribeye with Ember Butter: in the test kitchen. Not published yet.
- Instant-read thermometerThe single tool FSIS says is the only reliable way to know food is safe. Appears on every cut page.
- Cast iron skillet / griddleReverse sear finish for ribeye, tri-tip, chops, rack.
- Slicing knife (brisket knife)Slice-against-the-grain pages: brisket, tri-tip, flank, leg of lamb.
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Then write down what happened
Pit temp, wood, wrap, final temp, rest, result. The chart says what usually works. Your log says what worked for you.