Prime Rib Sandwich
Save this Prime Rib Sandwich recipe to use up leftover prime rib from your holiday celebrations, or make it especially for National Prime Rib Day (yes, it’s a thing!) on April 27th.
This post was developed in partnership with Ohio Beef. As always, all opinions are my own.
Life Changing Prime Rib Sandwich
Occasionally you have a sandwich that changes your life. For us, it was the prime rib sandwich at RH rooftop here in Columbus. With mounds of thinly sliced prime rib, cheese, and toasted garlic bread, it was a revelation for our taste buds.
The experience made us want to make our favorite easy prime rib roast recipe again and be certain we had plenty of leftovers for sandwiches.
You really couldn’t ask for a better filling for sandwiches. Prime rib is the meat butter of all the beef cuts. Sliced thin, it is so tender and juicy you almost feel like you could spread it.
When the time came, we recreated those sandwiches with a few twists to make them our own. We layered up buttery garlic bread with tender roast beef, sweet and tangy peppers, gooey white American cheese, and garlic mushrooms. Then we dunked it all in a rich and beefy au jus for our version of a Prime Rib French Dip.
The resulting sandwich is mind numbingly good, savory and rich, with just a hint of tangy hot sweetness. With beef this good, it’s no wonder they created a national holiday just to celebrate it.
Ingredients and Substitutions
These sandwiches are made with four main components: toasted garlic bread, prime rib, toppings, and au jus. Here’s what you’ll need for each one:
- Bread- A lot of different breads could work well here, including an Italian or sourdough loaf. We like the look of individual sandwich rolls, and opted for white bolilo rolls, which toast nicely and have a fluffy interior that’s perfect for soaking up the au jus. Ciabatta, French sandwich rolls, or even hoagie rolls would also work well. We slather the bread with fresh garlic and salted butter for incredible flavor.
- Prime Rib– We used leftover prime rib from this no fail rib roast recipe, but this rosemary garlic prime rib would also work well.
- Toppings– Sweet and hot peppers, sauteed garlic mushrooms, and cheese provide great texture and a bit of sweet heat.
- Look for sweet and hot peppers in oil in the deli or charcuterie and cheese section of your local grocery store. You may also find them jarred, like this.
- We tried these sandwiches with provolone, Swiss, and white American cheese and surprised ourselves by loving the American cheese the most! It is supremely melty and creamy and compliments the beef beautifully.
- Au Jus– It wouldn’t be prime rib French dip without the au jus! Made with drippings from the roast (or butter), flour, beef broth, Worcestershire, and soy sauce, this is the final burst of rich, meaty flavor you’ll get with every bite!
How to Make Leftover Prime Rib Sandwiches
- Prep the leftover prime rib. Thinly slice your leftover prime rib and allow it to sit at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Saute the mushrooms. Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, spreading them evenly over the pan. Cook, undisturbed, for several minutes or until browned. Flip and continue to cook an additional minute or two, adding the garlic for the last 30 seconds. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
- Make the jus.
- Add the beef drippings (or butter) to a sauce pot and heat over medium high heat. Once it is simmering, whisk in the flour until the mixture is smooth and bubbly.
- Slowly drizzle about ¼ cup of the beef broth into the flour mixture. It will bubble quite violently! Once it’s settled a bit, drizzle the rest of the broth in. Continue to cook until mixture is gently boiling and slightly thickened, another few minutes.
- Stir in Worcestershire and soy sauce. Remove from heat, then taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Note: Check out this video of preparing au jus directly in your roasting pan, which is a great option for getting ALL the extra meaty juices (and saving on some dishes!).
- Assemble the sandwiches.
- Broil the garlic bread. Mix together the butter and garlic cloves in a small bowl. Slice the rolls and slather the butter mixture evenly over both sides. Place them on a pan, butter side up, and broil for about 2 minutes, until brown and toasty.
- Broil the meat and cheese. Take the bottom of each roll and stack each of them with half the prime rib, followed by the sliced cheese. Place the sandwiches back under the broiler for another 1.5-2 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Add toppings. Top the sandwiches with the sliced peppers, mushrooms, and the second garlic bread. Serve with warm au jus.
Make Ahead Tips
Many components of these sandwiches can be made ahead of time. The first, of course, is the prime rib, which can be cooked 1-3 days in advance and refrigerated.
The au jus and mushrooms can also be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated. The au jus will need to be reheated, either on the stove top or in the microwave, and whisked well before serving.
FAQS
How do you reheat prime rib for sandwiches?
The great part about using very thin sliced prime rib is that it doesn’t take long to reheat. We like to remove it from the fridge about 20-30 minutes before assembling the sandwiches to take the chill off. It will warm up just fine under the broiler.
Make sure to give the prime rib plenty of cheese coverage so it doesn’t overcook and lose all of its lovely pink hues!
Where do I find prime rib? Can you buy prime rib at the grocery store?
Most mid and high end grocery stores carry prime rib, though you might have to special order it. It might be sold under the names Beef Bone in Rib Roast or Standing Rib Roast.
It’s also important to note that prime rib doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “prime” beef. A rib roast can be choice or prime beef. Visit this post for more information on the difference between choice and prime beef.
You can learn more about buying, cooking, and carving prime rib here.
How do you thinly slice prime rib?
The best answer is VERY CAREFULLY. The most important tool for properly carving your roast is a sharp knife and a slow and steady hand. If you’re using a meat fork, don’t pierce the roast to hold it in place. Use the back of the fork instead (tongs work great, too). If you have a rib roast, cut each slice along the rib bone. Always cut across the grain for maximum tenderness.
If you have an electric knife, it works particularly well for thinly slicing prime rib. It’s not a tool we use often, but it’s ideal for slicing large cuts of meat, like Easy Oven Roasted Turkey and Orange Glazed Ham.
It’s easier to slice the prime rib once it’s been refrigerated, so if you have the time to wait a day, we recommend that.
More Meaty Sandwich Recipes to Try
If you can’t get enough meaty goodness stacked between two slices of bread, try these other favorites!
- Grilled Skirt Steak Sandwich
- Pulled Roast Beef Sliders
- Leftover Pot Roast Sandwich
- Cajun Burgers
- Korean Sloppy Joes
- Mushroom Swiss Burgers
Visit www.OhioBeef.org, and follow the Ohio Beef Council on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for beef nutrition facts, cooking tips, recipes and to meet Ohio’s beef farming families. Use #OhioBeef to share photos of your favorite beef dishes!
Prime Rib Sandwich
Tender, juicy prime rib is piled high on toasted garlic bread and topped with sauteed mushrooms and hot and sweet peppers for the ultimate Prime RIb Sandwich. Serve it French dip style with a cup of au jus!
Ingredients
For the mushrooms:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil or butter
- 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- Kosher salt, to taste
For the au jus:
- 4 Tablespoons beef drippings or butter
- 1 ½ Tablespoons flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire
- ½ Tablespoon soy sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the sandwiches:
- 2 bolilo, ciabatta, or French sandwich rolls
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 8-10 oz thin sliced leftover prime rib
- 4 slices white American cheese
- Sauteed mushrooms, from above
- ¼ cup sliced sweet and hot peppers
Instructions
Thinly slice your leftover prime rib and allow it to sit at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients.
For the mushrooms:
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, spreading them evenly over the pan. Cook, undisturbed, for several minutes or until browned. Flip and continue to cook an additional minute or two, adding the garlic for the last 30 seconds. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
For the au jus:
- Add the beef drippings to a sauce pot and heat over medium high heat. Once it is simmering, whisk in the flour until the mixture is smooth and bubbly.
- Slowly drizzle about ¼ cup of the beef broth into the flour mixture. It will bubble quite violently! Once it’s settled a bit, drizzle the rest of the broth in. Continue to cook until mixture is gently boiling and slightly thickened, another few minutes.
- Stir in Worcestershire and soy sauce. Remove from heat, then taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
For the sandwiches:
- Broil the garlic bread. Mix together the butter and garlic cloves in a small bowl. Slice the rolls and slather the butter mixture evenly over both sides. Place them on a pan, butter side up, and broil for about 2 minutes, until brown and toasty.
- Broil the meat and cheese. Take the bottom of each roll and stack each of them with half the prime rib, followed by the sliced cheese. Place the sandwiches back under the broiler for another 1.5-2 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Add toppings. Top the sandwiches with the sliced peppers, mushrooms, and the second garlic bread. Serve with warm au jus.
Notes
- You can use any leftover prime rib for this recipe. Prime rib can be cooked and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. We find it's easier to get nice thin slices after its refrigerated.
- The au jus and mushrooms can be prepared up to a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Reheat the au jus on the stove top or in the microwave and whisk well before serving.
- This recipe makes two large sandwiches. Depending on who you're serving it to, you mitght be able to get two servings out of each sandwich. You can also double the recipe to feed more people. The au jus does not need to be doubled, and will easily serve 4-6 people.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 820Total Fat: 56gSaturated Fat: 28gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 2636mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 6gSugar: 13gProtein: 28g
Please note nutritional information for my recipes is calculated by a third party service and provided as a courtesy to my readers. For the most accurate calculation, I always recommend running the numbers yourself with the specific products you use.