This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our full disclosure policy.
What To Serve With Prime Rib! While prime rib in and of itself is fantastic, sometimes side dishes complete the prime rib dinner! This is often our Christmas dinner, but it works for special occasions or holiday meals in your life! With the holidays right around the corner, a Prime Rib dinner can be a great replacement or complement to an Easter Ham Dinner or Christmas ham.
Now I am a massive fan of Smoked Prime Rib, and I am always amazed at how amazing it turns out. The leftovers are the biggest perk of making Prime Rib at home vs. the restaurant. Perfectly cooked prime rib is not as hard as you may think, and simple side dishes can make the perfect prime rib sides.
What Is Prime Rib?
Most people assume that all Prime Ribs are made equal, but they aren’t. Almost everyone I know confuses a Prime Rib and Rib-eye. I can’t pick a favorite; they are both fantastic.
Rib roast vs prime rib what is the difference? Most Prime Ribs are made out of a Rib Roast. You can buy these boneless or as a bone-in. I love the bone-in for more flavor and the bones to make broth. Christmas is a good time for many grocery stores will have their roasts on sale to stock up and freeze a couple. The Rib Roasts are marbled with fat as well, making them juicy and tender as well.
Prime Rib Recipes
There is no right or wrong way to make a prime rib. I gravitate towards Smoked Prime rib, but you can also make it oven-roasted in a roasting pan, in an electric roaster, or even slow-cooked in a crockpot. No matter how you cook it, low and slow will allow for a juicy prime rib. Most Prime Rib Roast is made by rubbing with olive oil and seasonings and can be served with horseradish sauce or au jus.
Easy Smoked Prime Rib Rub Recipe
This Easy Smoked Prime Rib Rub Recipe is a simple recipe that will make your Rib Roast amazing! This is perfect for holiday dinners! Just use butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to add the perfect flavor! Smoke low and slow on a pellet grill to add more flavor to your meat as well!
Use the time guidelines above for when to start checking the temperature of your meat. Knowing your preference for rareness will help you know what internal temperature to use a digital meat thermometer to cook the meat to. The ends of the prime rib roast will be more done, so take the temperature towards the middle of your roast.
Rare is at 120 to 125 degrees F. The center will be bright red, with a pinkish color toward the exterior portion.
Medium Rare is at 130 to 135 degrees F. The center is very pink and will be slightly brown toward the exterior portion.
Next, the Medium is at 140 to 145 degrees F. The center is light pink, and the outer portion is brown.
Medium Well is at 150 to 155 degrees F. The center is not pink and is browner all the way around.
Well Done is at 160 degrees F. and above, is not pink, and will be a darker brown.
Potato recipes
I am very much a beef and potatoes guy, you can’t beat steak and potatoes. You won’t be surprised that a side dish of potatoes can be one of the best sides for prime rib in my opinion! You can see my full collection of Smoked Potato Recipes -> here!
Smoked Loaded Cheesy Potatoes
Smoked Loaded Cheesy Potatoes are easy to make and pair up with the main dish! Smoke low and slow for amazing flavor! The bacon combines with the cream cheese, butter, and cheese to add flavor! Smoke in a casserole pan for an easy smoked side dish to serve!
Smoked Cheesy Potatoes Recipe is the perfect side dish to make while smoking any meat! The bacon and cheese are the perfect complements to the potatoes! Use red potatoes, a mixture of cheese, and your favorite bacon. Plus you can add in jalapeno peppers as well.
Smoke Baked Potatoes are the perfect way to make a classic with a new twist! Throw them on the smoker and avoid heating up the house for a tasty side dish. Load them up for the perfect loaded baked potato!
Classic holiday side dishes make delicious prime rib side dishes and a great choice. The most popular sides with guests seem to be the classics everyone knows and loves.
Smoked Deviled Eggs
These Easy Smoked Deviled Eggs are the perfect way to change up a holiday dinner classic! Just an extra step makes these taste amazing and perfect!
Smoked Green Bean Casserole Recipe is perfect to throw in the smoker with smoked turkey or any smoked meat! The smoke flavor is amazing on the crispy onions! This is not just for the holiday's it works for any dinner and any smoked meat!
This Smoked Macaroni And Cheese is the perfect side dish to smoke for dinner! Use your cheese blend to make this creamy homemade macaroni and cheese! Gouda, cheddar, parmesan, or any cheese can be used to make this dish! Smoke low and slow on your Pitboss smoker or any pellet grill.
Smoked Sweet Potato Casserole is a delicious twist on a Thanksgiving classic side dish! Making this on the smoker frees up oven space as well! The homemade pecan butter streusel topping adds amazing flavor! This is the BEST sweet potato casserole ever! Not only for Thanksgiving this is great for Christmas, Easter, special occasions, or any dinner even!
Now to go with smoked prime, smoked rich smoked side dishes make sense right? These maybe not be traditional side dishes, but they go well with prime rib.
Smoked Ham Mac And Cheese Recipe
This Smoked Ham Mac And Cheese Recipe is the perfect way to make homemade mac and cheese and take it up another notch! Plus, a fantastic leftover ham recipe! You can use store-bought ham if there is no leftover ham as well. Use your favorite shredded cheeses in any combination to combine with pasta. The sky is the limit Gouda, Feta, Cheddar, White Cheddar, American, Velveeta, Monterey Jack, or Colby Jack)
This Smoked Sausage Mac And Cheese Recipe is the perfect way to make homemade mac and cheese and take it up another notch! Cook low and slow on a pellet grill to make the ultimate side dish or main dish.
This Smoked BBQ Pulled Pork Mac And Cheese is the perfect way to use leftover pulled pork to make a new dish! Serve this as a side or as a meal! You can add peppers, hot sauces, or any type of cheese to make this dish.
This Smoked Macaroni And Cheese is the perfect side dish to smoke for dinner! Use your cheese blend to make this creamy homemade macaroni and cheese! Gouda, cheddar, parmesan, or any cheese can be used to make this dish! Smoke low and slow on your Pitboss smoker or any pellet grill.
This Smoked Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad Recipe is the perfect side dish to make for any potluck or get-together! The smoke flavor on the eggs, onions, and celery adds to the whole dish! Perfect side dish for any bbq or backyard picnic get together.
Smoked Green Bean Casserole Recipe is perfect to throw in the smoker with smoked turkey or any smoked meat! The smoke flavor is amazing on the crispy onions! This is not just for the holiday's it works for any dinner and any smoked meat!
This Smoked Refried Bean Dip Recipe Made On A Pit Boss Smoker is perfect to make for Cinco De Mayo, Taco Tuesday, or tailgating! So easy to make! Add in Jalapenos for a kick, chicken, beef, chorizo, or more to make the dip even more filling as well!
This Smoked Shredded Pork Baked Beans Recipe is the perfect side dish to use up leftover shredded pork! Plus it also makes a great lunch as well! Smoke these beans in a cast iron dutch oven to add more flavor to the beans as well! This is perfect to serve at a bbq or family get-together.
This Smoked Brisket Baked Beans Recipe is the perfect way to use up leftover smoked brisket! These beans can make an easy dinner or a tasty smoked side dish! A dutch oven brings out all the flavor with the cast iron.
These Smoked Loaded Baked Beans Recipe Made In A Cast Iron Dutch Oven made on a Pellet Smoker are amazing! So full of flavor and perfect for BBQs! Use a combination of beans and protein to make the perfect side dish!
Smoked Sweet Potato Casserole is a delicious twist on a Thanksgiving classic side dish! Making this on the smoker frees up oven space as well! The homemade pecan butter streusel topping adds amazing flavor! This is the BEST sweet potato casserole ever! Not only for Thanksgiving this is great for Christmas, Easter, special occasions, or any dinner even!
Smoked Loaded Cheesy Potatoes are easy to make and pair up with the main dish! Smoke low and slow for amazing flavor! The bacon combines with the cream cheese, butter, and cheese to add flavor! Smoke in a casserole pan for an easy smoked side dish to serve!
Smoked Cheesy Potatoes Recipe is the perfect side dish to make while smoking any meat! The bacon and cheese are the perfect complements to the potatoes! Use red potatoes, a mixture of cheese, and your favorite bacon. Plus you can add in jalapeno peppers as well.
Oven-roasted or grilled and made with essential everyday ingredients and seasonings are often great for a holiday dinner. They don’t require much prep work, and an easy side dish can relieve some of the stress of throwing the meal together.
Cheesy Grilled Apasaragus Foil Packet
Cheesy Grilled Asparagus, foil Packet recipe, is perfect for an easy weeknight grilled dinner! Pair this with grilled steak, chicken, fish, seafood, or pork! With little prep, throwing on the grill and cooking up is easy! Clean-up is a breeze using the foil!
Grilled Corn On The Cob In Foil Easy Grilled Vegetable!
Grilled Corn On The Cob In Foil is one of the best ways to cook a summer favorite vegetable corn on the cob!! Full of flavor, easy to make a new way how to make corn on the cob, even better it won’t make the house hot since it’s outside on the grill.
Along with meat and potatoes, is it a holiday dinner meal if there isn’t bread? As the years have gone on, I have expanded my bread tests to include other varieties than just basic dinner rolls.
Honey Wheat Dinner Rolls
These Honey Wheat Dinner Rolls are the perfect side to just about any meal. They’re light, fluffy, and full of flavor.
Smoked meat is the best next-day food, either as is or in a recipe. I love to use leftover prime rib to make food for the rest of the week following a holiday. My latest favorite has been Blackstone Prime Rib Breakfast hash! Check out my Best Leftover Prime Rib Recipes.
Pellet Smoker Recipes To check out
Looking for more smoker recipes? Be sure to check out Smoker Recipes. The post contains smoker recipes for everything from ham to macaroni and cheese to Prime Rib! See it ->here.