Shaved Smoked Prime Rib and Cheddar Sandwich

Shaved Smoked Prime Rib and Cheddar Sandwich

[FTC Standard Disclaimer] I received no compensation for this post.

This sandwich is killer. (I know that no one says that anymore but I'm old and I figure that trends are cyclical and eventually it will be in fashion again so bear with me.)

It starts with thinly sliced, smoked ribeye and is topped with smoked cheddar, caramelized onions, and horseradish sauce on top of a sesame seed bun.


Shaved ribeye roast and cheddar sandwich kind of like an Arby's Beef and Cheddar....only better.

The star of this sandwich is the leftovers from our holiday smoked prime rib roast.

Whole beef ribeye
It all started with a whole USDA choice ribeye. I trimmed it into a chunk for cheesesteak sandwiches, 4 steaks, and a rib roast.
I tied the roast and dry-brined it using our NMT Umami Steak Seasoning recipe. I didn't measure how much I used, but I would guess about a half-cup. I put it on a rack, loosely covered it, and placed it in the fridge for 12 hours.



prime rib set up on a big green egg kamado grill
I did a reverse-sear for the roast, so I started by slow roasting it on a Big Green Egg running 250f. My setup was an Adjustable Rig (Ceramic Grill Store), spider rig, heat stone, and a drip pan. I had a half-sized steam pan with 2 cups of beef stock on a rack under the roast to catch the drippings for amazing beef jus.

Defective Thermoworks ChefAlarm remote probe thermometer
A moment of silence for my red ChefAlarm, which has died. Nothing happened, it just died of natural causes. One day the display was extremely dim and it is reading a temp when no temp probe is even connected. I tried swapping out probe leads and batteries.

The folks at Thermoworks confirmed that it is dead and can't be repaired. I even asked them, "Are you sure he's not just pining for the fjords."

Thermoworks Smoke remote probe thermometer
Lucky for me, my kids got me a Smoke as a Christmas present, which is more of an upgrade than a replacement. It doesn't have the timer that the ChefAlarm does, but it is a two-lead unit (instead of ChefAlarm's single probe) and includes a remote unit for monitoring temps away from the grill.

How to roast a prime rib on a kamado grill like the kamado joe or big green egg
I smoked the rib roast using pecan chunks in the lump coal. I smoked it until it reached an internal temperature of 125f, which after resting would be medium-rare.

Boneless ribeye roast is just a standing prime rib without the bones.
I always preach this, but the proper way to do a reverse sear is to let the steak or roast rest UNTIL THE CARRYOVER COOKING STOPS. Once this has happened, the cooking energy has dissipated and the internal temperature isn't going to budge when you sear the roast.

Thermoworks Smoke remote probe thermometer
How do you know when the carryover cooking has stopped? I leave the remote probe thermometer in the roast and watch the internal temperature climb during the rest. After about 20 minutes, the internal temperature will stop rising and begin to fall. That's when it is ready. One note, the Max temp of 150f shown on the top is a data anomaly caused when I moved the roast and the probe spun in the unit's port. It topped out at 132f.

The sear part of reverse searing a beef prime rib or rib roast.
How long do you sear? Long enough to get the color and crust that I want. That's normally about 1 minute a side but my coals were dying down a bit, so I had to do a little longer.

Sliced beef ribeye roast cooked on a Big Green Egg.
It was just our family, so I only sliced off what I needed for Christmas dinner using my trust Victorinox slicer knife.

On Friday, I put the "chonk" of leftover rib roast in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up, which makes it easier to slice.

You can slice it by hand but I used my meat slicer to get thin, even slices. I used to have Waring Pro slicers, but I burned through about 1 a year. We bought a Beswood 250 10" radial slicer a few years ago and love it. It has held up well despite heavy use and has a more powerful motor than most home units. Best of all, the larger blade lets me slice slabs of homemade bacon.

Each sandwich got about a half-pound of shaved smoked ribeye and two slices of Sargento Smoked Cheddar. I put this on a foil-lined sheet pan and stuck it in a 400f oven until the cheese melted and the meat is slightly warmed through.
I caramelized some Vidalia onions in a cast-iron skillet and made a horseradish sauce. I didn't really measure the sauce, I just whipped it up by taste. Here are the approximate proportions:

  • heavy half-cup Duke's Mayo
  • 1.5 tablespoons horseradish
  • 1.5 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • salt to taste, several hefty pinches

Shaved smoked prime rib and cheddar sandwich
Leftovers never tasted so good!
Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.