I have a 8 pound prime rib for Thanksgiving and can't decide if I should smoke it or sous vide it. Will be reverse searing either way but can't decide how to get it there first. What say you Texags?

Would doing a combination of the two be feasible?

Agreed. There's something off about sous vide prime rib and they never sear as well as oven or smoked

Oven method by putting into at 450-500 degrees for a short period of time then shutting it off without opening for several hours has been a crowd pleaser for the last 5+ Xmases at our house. Gets a crisp outside and medium rare inside.

Use a thermometer to get to perfect temp inside.

Yep I've been using this one. Pretty foolproof.

Agree with the group here. I tried the sous vide method a few years ago and didn't love the finished product. It was technically good but just uninteresting.

Smoke, smoke, smoke- if you've done it and it wasn't the best you've ever had, you did it wrong. Levi Goode gave me their recipe. Very complicated:
Salt
Pepper
Thyme
As low as you can get your smoker- 185-200'
Pull it at 120 internal

It was years later I realized, when he said "salt pepper and thyme" it was actually "time".

I've since added garlic powder to the rub.

Thanks everyone. Sounds like the consensus is no sous vide.

I have smoked prime rib in the past and it has turned out great. I thought about sous vide because of how easy it is but it sounds like smoking is worth the extra effort.

I BBQ them on an offset smoker if bone-in. Never would try to sous vide a quality roast... just me. And I believe sous vide definitely has its place and use it accordingly.

I love sous viding stuff. But no on prime rib.

I make ours on the Primo, I don't smoke it but it does pick up some of the previously smoked meats flavor which is nice.

When I cook on BGE I do low and slow for a couple of hours and then wrap, cook to temp. If I cook unwrapped the entire time then the smoke flavor can get too strong.

But no on the sous vide. Too many fatty chunks.

High Function: Always done mine on the BGE at 350 deg's, comes out great. If you Sous Vide, you would certainly want to put some color on it after it comes out of the bag, so I am not sure the Sous Vide method is any less labor intensive and in fact might lead to more work/mess.

The video mentions Herbs de Provance (sp), which used in MODERATION adds a WONDERFUL complex taste to Prime Rib.

Final thought, Beating the Sous Vide horse to death, as one poster said, I really think Sous Vide would yield a very uninteresting Prime Rib.

Edit: If you use Herbs de Provence, just a little goes a long way, love 'em but be careful you can over power the Prime Rib.

Low and slow in the oven until pull temp, then rest to desired temp. Back in oven set on broil to get outside crackling just before serving to guests.