Best Roast Beef (2024)

Roast beef is a classic main dish for holidays, family get-togethers, and elegant dinners. This incredibly easy-to-follow, 4-ingredient recipe will help you create a flavorful, moist, and tender roast like no other. Learn how to make a mouthwatering roast, get tips on how long to cook roast beef, and find the best ways to use leftovers.

What Is Roast Beef?

Roast beef doesn't refer to just one cut of beef — eye of round, bottom round roast, top round roast, top sirloin roast, and bone-in rib roast are all commonly used cuts. Affordable eye of round roast is the best pick for this recipe — its rich flavors develop beautifully during slow cooking.

How to Cook a Roast Beef

Turn your kitchen into a delicious deli counter in just a few simple steps. You'll find the full recipe below with step-by-step instructions, but here's what you can expect when you make this top-rated recipe:

How Long to Cook Roast Beef in the Oven

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F, then tie your roast with twine to prevent the meat from drying out. Rub garlic seasoning blend into the meat before roasting for around 60 minutes (or 20 minutes per pound, adjusted to your roast's weight), using a meat thermometer to ensure the meat is at least 120 degrees F.

Remove the roast beef from the oven, transfer it to a cutting board, and let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing. You'll have juicy, garlicky roast beef to enjoy in a variety of dishes.

Recipe Tips

  • Make sure your eye of round is at room temperature before cooking. Let beef sit at room temperature for at least 45 minutes to 1 hour before beginning this recipe. If your roast is not at room temperature, the cook time will be longer.
  • Regardless of the size of your roast, aim to cook at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20 minutes per pound.
  • After resting for 15 to 20 minutes, your roast should reach its final internal temperature, which could be 5 to 15 degrees higher than when removed from the oven. The final temperatures (after resting) should be 120 to 125 degrees F (49 to 52 degrees C) for rare, 130 to 140 degrees F (54 to 60 degrees C) for medium-rare, and 140 to 150 degrees F (60 to 65 degrees C) for medium.

How to Use Leftover Roast Beef

There are countless ways to use leftover roast beef, including casseroles, sandwiches, and soups. Try spicy roll-ups or a hearty beef pot pie for a unique spin on succulent, oven-roasted meat.

How to Store Roast Beef

Keep cooked roast in the refrigerator for up to four days. To maximize the shelf life, wrap the meat in foil or cling wrap, pressing out all excess air. Want to reheat roast beef without drying it out? Break up any large chunks and add a bit of liquid (broth or water works) before heating leftovers in the microwave or the oven.

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

"Incredibly simple recipe for an inexpensive cut of meat," says home cook DG. "I followed suggestions by others and doubled the amount of seasonings, plus added some thyme and onion powder."

"I made this for Sunday's supper, and it came out perfectly medium-rare, which my family loves!" shares reviewer RoseBea. "I added garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, and mushroom gravy."

"Love this recipe," says Nadine. "It is my go-to when preparing meals for a large crowd."

Editorial contributions by Rai Mincey

Best Roast Beef (2024)

FAQs

What cut makes the best roast beef? ›

What beef roast to pick. Cuts like a whole eye fillet (aka chateaubriand) are the quickest to cook and the most tender but a rolled scotch roast probably has the best combination of flavour and tenderness. A porterhouse roast is the next best thing.

What is the most tender and flavorful beef roast? ›

The Chateaubriand beef tenderloin roast is considered to be the most tender cut of beef for a roast.

How many will a 3 lb roast feed? ›

How Much Roast to Buy per Person (Chart)
Number of guestsPounds of beef
4 people2-3 pounds
6 people3-4 pounds
8 people5-6 pounds
10 people6-7 pounds
2 more rows
Oct 1, 2021

How to cook a tough roast beef to make it tender? ›

You have to cook tough meat low and slow to tenderize it. If it's got enough fat to keep it moist, you can do low and slow BBQ; the popular beef cuts for this are brisket and ribs. For leaner cuts, your best bet is a stew or braise.

What's the best cut of beef for a Sunday roast? ›

For roasts, the best cuts include rib (on the bone or boned and rolled), sirloin, top rump and fillet. For quick cooking, try fillet, entrecôte, rib eye, sirloin or rump steaks. Brisket, topside and silverside are good for pot roasts, and stewing and braising steak are good for stews and casseroles.

What are the 3 best cuts of beef? ›

These cuts—ribeye, New York strip loin, and filet mignon—can certainly be dubbed the best, and few will disagree. “Filet is the most tender cut, but has the least amount of flavor. Ribeye is the most flavorful, but the least tender of the three, and New York is in the middle.” Flannery explains.

How many hours does it take to cook a 3lb roast? ›

Common Names
Approx weightRare (125 °F)Medium (145 °F)
2 lb41 min57 min
3 lb47 min1 hr
4 lb54 min1 hr 12 min

Which is better, chuck roast or bottom round? ›

Chuck pot roasts have more fat, and therefore more flavor, than those from the round. Beef round roasts suitable for pot roasting are round tip, round rump, bottom round and eye round roasts. Most beef round and chuck pot roasts can be used interchangeably, with only slight adjustments in cooking time.

What size roast beef for 4 adults? ›

Calculate roughly 400g per person. If cooking beef off the bone, 1kg will serve four and 1.5kg will serve about six, so 200-300g per person. Calculate your cooking time for medium-rare with 20 minutes per 500g or for medium use 25 minutes per 500g.

Is it better to cook a roast at 325 or 350? ›

When roasting meat and poultry, set the oven temperature to 325°F (163°C) or higher. Explore the charts below to learn how to get great results every time you cook.

Do you put water in the pan when cooking roast beef? ›

To give your meat a flavourful crispy exterior, cook uncovered on a rack set in a shallow roasting pan. Don't add water! Invest in a digital thermometer that lets you monitor the temperature of your roast – or even alert you when it's done – without opening the oven door.

What cut of beef is best for slow roasting? ›

Here are the very best beef cuts to keep on hand to slow cook:
  • Chuck steak.
  • Round steak.
  • Blade steak.
  • Topside.
  • Silverside.
  • Skirt steak.
  • Shin (gravy) beef.
  • Sausages.

Which cuts of beef are the most tender? ›

Black Angus filet mignon is the most tender cut of beef used for steaks. It comes from the smaller end of the tenderloin and should be well-marbled. You can grill it or cook it in a skillet and is best served blue rare or rare. Blue rare is a style of cooking that is becoming very popular for meat lovers.

What is better top or bottom round roast? ›

The top round is very lean but tends to be more tender than the bottom round, and is often cut into steaks (which are sometimes labeled "London broil"). The bottom round, which is divided into a bottom round roast and a rump roast, is a bit tougher.

What cut of beef for rotisserie? ›

You can use any Rotisserie Roast: Top Sirloin, Sirloin Tip, Outside or Inside Round, Cross Rib or Prime Rib.

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