Roast beef is a scrumptious and delectable dish that can be served on any occasion and even on any day. That is if you know how to cook roast beef so that it’s tender, juicy and packed with all the right flavors.
In reality, cooking this mouthwatering dish can be quite easy, as long as you have enough information on how to cook it. With a good piece of meat and simple ingredients like herbs, you can have roast beef thats way more tender and juicy than those bought from stores.
Are you ready to learn all about how to cook roast beef? In this article, you’ll read about everything you need for cooking roast beef as well as easy steps to guide you throughout the whole process. Read on to learn all this useful information and pretty soon you’ll find yourself whipping up the best roast beef for your family or special occasions every time!
Roast Beef Recipe Ingredients
Cuts of Beef
Since cooking roast beef involves roasting the meat, you’d need to work with cuts of meat that contains enough fat that so that it won’t end up burned at the end of the cook.
As you are cooking the beef, the fatty parts would melt off and actually baste the meat while it is being roasted, giving you a juicier dish as a result. So, a marbled cut of beef with a good layer of fat on one side of it would be most ideal.
Beef cuts can be acquired from different parts of the cow. Here are a few of the best cuts (which contain a good enough amount of fat) from different parts, which you can choose for your roast beef:
Cuts Taken From The Loin
You can go with tenderloin cuts, strip loin cuts or top sirloin cuts as these are the tenders. However, you can also go with sirloin tips or tri-tip roasts from the loin.
Cuts Taken From The Rib
You can go with a rib-eye roast or a prime rib cut if you prefer cuts taken from the rib.
Cuts Taken From The Round
Choosing from the round can be quite tricky; you’d have to choose the more tender parts. These include the rump roast, top round, the inside or outside round or the eye of the round. Cuts taken from the round aren’t as tender as loin or rib cuts but they are easier on the budget.
Seasoning
The next thing to think about is the seasoning of your meat. As a rule of thumb, you’d need about a half teaspoon of (kosher) salt and the same amount of garlic powder along with a quarter teaspoon of black pepper (preferably freshly ground) for about 3 pounds of beef. This would give your beef the most classic and traditional roast beef taste.
However, if you’d like to be more creative and spice up your roast, you can add some other ingredients:
Herbs for Flavor
You can add spices such as rosemary, thyme, sage leaves or bay leaves for a richer or fuller flavor. You can also drizzle your roast with olive oil or replace your kosher salt with sea salt.
Rub Your Roast with Spices
You can make a spice rub to flavor your roast. The main ingredients for a spice rub are salt and sugar – salt for flavor and sugar to caramelize the roast.
You can also add in whatever spices you can think of, just make sure to taste your rub first before coating your beef with it.
Some examples of spices you can add are virgin olive oil, silvers of garlic, onion powder, pepper, chili powder, oregano or even Cajun seasoning. You can even coat your roast with breadcrumbs – the sky is the limit!
Similar to a Spiced roast, except that you would be adding wet ingredients along with your dry ingredients. Adding in butter, mustard, oil, molasses or any other flavorful liquid would make a good paste that you can use to coat your roast.
A Food Scale
In order to achieve the best results, you’d have to know the exact weight of your cut of beef. Yes, you’d have your meat weighed at the butcher’s shop, but it would be better to weigh it again before cooking it so you know how long you’d have to cook your meat. This would also avoid overcooking and undercooking your roast.
Ovenproof Meat Thermometer
We recommend using ovenproof meat thermometer to determine when the roast is done.
Push the meat thermometer of the way into the center of the roast. Internal temperature should read 140F
It is always best to use a meat thermometer if you have one to ensure you cook the roast to your desired level of doneness. Do note that your cooking time depends on the size of your roast.
A Frying Pan and A Roasting Pan
To sear your beef, you’d need a frying pan to make the exterior of your roast crispy. Then, you’d have to finish the roasting process in a roasting pan. The ideal material for roasting pans is either copper or stainless steel with 3-inch sides.
Some String
Though optional, you can choose to wrap your roast with some string before roasting it to keep it compact and to allow it to hold its shape.
When choosing the string, make sure to choose a string made from cotton – it would be best to purchase your string from a cooking store so you’re sure it can be used for cooking. Also, remember to remove the string before you start cutting up your roast.
Step 1: Tie Up And Season The Roast
If you choose to tie up your roast, all you need to do is cut up a few lengths of string, long enough to wrap around your whole cut of meat. Wrap the strings around the cut and secure them by tying up the string.
Once your meat is all tied up, you can go ahead and season it. Mix together all the seasonings you have chosen (whether dry or wet) and rub them all over your roast. Make sure to coat the whole roast evenly on all sides.
Step 2: Sear Your Roast On A Frying Pan
This step is completely optional but would elevate your roast and give it a crispier outer texture.
On medium heat, sear your roast on a frying pan. About 30 seconds or more on each side, being careful not to overdo any of the sides as the roast will continue to cook in the oven. You can use oil or butter when searing your roast on a pan.
Step 3: Preheat Your Oven
Step 4: Build Your Roast
Here comes the fun part – assembling your whole roast!
First, you’d have to make a spice layer at the bottom of your roasting pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper to the bottom of your pan along with a light drizzle of oil. You can also opt to place a few cut up vegetables around the pan if you’d like to eat your roast with a few healthy veggies.
There are two ways to roast your beef. For a crispier roast, place a rack on your pan and place your beef on the rack. For a juicier roast, you can place the beef right on the pan, on top of the bottom layer.
Step 5: Cook Your Roast
Place your roast in the preheated oven.
If you had chosen not to sear your roast, you could cook it for about 30 minutes at this temperature. If you had chosen to sear your roast, you can reduce the initial cook time to about 20-25 minutes.
After the initial half hour, check on your roast to see if it’s already seared well on the outside. If it isn’t, continue cooking at the same temperature and check every 5 minutes or so.
If it is already seared well, you can lower the temperature to 225˚F and continue cooking your roast until it is perfectly tender and juicy – this could be from 30 minutes to up to 2 hours, depending on the size and cut of your beef. (Add 40-60 minutes per pound over 3 pounds)
Step 6: Take Out Your Roast and Let It Rest
Once your roast is cooked to perfection, take it out of the oven and allow your meat to rest for 15-20 minutes, tented in aluminum foil to keep warm,before slicing into it with a nice and sharp knife. When it has rested well, carve it up and enjoy!
How To Store Leftover Roast Beef
If you think you might have some leftovers to enjoy, I suggest slicing pieces off the roast as you enjoy them to keep the leftovers intact.
You can store your leftover roast beef in an airtight container or large sealable freezer bag and keep it in the fridge as cold roast beef
Cold roast beef is awesome for you to make roast beef sandwiches!
Enjoy Your Roast Beef
Now that you know how to cook roast beef, you can try your hand at cooking at home and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Also, you may try your hands on cooking a kielbasa asana additional dish with beef. Enjoy!
