Prime rib is one of the best cuts of meat one can buy. Prime rib or beef rib roast are the colloquial names for the steak known as the standing rib roast. Its name derives from the most common way of cooking the meat — standing rib roast is generally roasted in a standing position with the ribs stacked vertically and the layer of fat at the top, which flavors the meat all the way through. It is cut from the primal rib and is one of the eight primal cuts of beef. Standing rib roasts yield rib steaks which have the bone and excess fat removed.