How to Make the Perfect Roast Beef in the Oven

November 9, 2023 by Stephanie Manley, Last Updated December 22, 2024 278 Comments

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You can learn the best way and every detail of making the perfect roast beef in the oven. When you use this simple cooking technique in the oven, you will never want to try another way to make a flavorful and juicy tender roast beef. You will have roast beef perfection for any special occasion or Sunday dinner.

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How to Make Delicious Roast Beef

Growing up, it was on Sundays we would enjoy Roast Beef. As an adult, I make these on long weekends during the cooler months. There is just something about having a marvelous hearty roast to serve for dinner. If you have leftover roast beef, you can always turn it into delicious warm roast beef sandwiches.

Beef roasts are quite uncomplicated to make. Often, I put them in a crockpot, but there is something about slow-roasted roast beef that is hard to resist.

How to Choose the Best Beef

This recipe works well for most cuts of beef when making roast beef. You can use most cuts of boneless roasts, from a rib-eye roast to a rump roast, a top sirloin roast, a top round roast, a bottom round roast, or even an eye of round roast. All of these cuts taste quite good.

Often, my choice depends on what is available or on sale. This last week, ribeye roasts happened to be on sale. These are also known as standing rib roasts, which are when the bone is left in the roast.

The one cut of beef I do not recommend for roasting is a chuck roast. Chuch roasts need a longer amount of time to cook to become tender. You should braise a chuck roast.

What Are The Different Meat Grades and How Do They Matter When You Cook

So, years ago, I was a co-manager at a Kroger store. We received a fair amount of training at the store during my training. I spent a month working in a butcher shop. It was there I learned about different grades of meat.

Typically, in grocery stores, you will see three distinct grades of meat: select, choice, and prime.

Grade	Characteristics	Best uses
Prime	Abundant marbling, less than 5% of beef, this is the highest quality you can buy in a grocery store	Perfect for roasting, this has the best flavor and most tenderness.
Choice	Good marbling, high quality, available in most grocery stores	Excellent for roasting, this is a good value option
Select	Minimal marbling, leaner, can be less tender	Better for marinades, and this is a budget-friendly choice

I like to watch when meat goes on sale and look at its beef grade. I want to compare the price of Prime and choice-grade beef; if the difference is slight, I will choose the Prime beef.

It is the fat that gives you the flavor as well as the ability to make gravy and Yorkshire pudding.

Seasoning the Roast

There are a lot of discussions about how to season a roast. If you want to marinate your roast, you must do it a few days before. It takes time for the flavors to penetrate past the outside surface area of the meat.

If you take the meat from the package and cook it, your options are more limited. The flavors you add don’t make it all the way through the meat. The old standards of salt and pepper will do the job for you and make the best roast beef.

You can always serve your roast with beef gravy, au jus, or a wine reduction sauce. There is no need to worry about getting a special seasoning together. I promise salt and pepper will do the job quite well.

Roast beef slices on a wood cutting board.

Roast Beef Recipe Ingredients

Here is a list of what you need:

Beef roast
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper

Cooking the Roast

Ideally, it would be best to cook the roast low and slow. This has advantages over cooking the meat as quickly as it can be cooked. By cooking it at a lower temperature, the juices within the meat are retained, and your final result will be more tender and juicy.

Cooking slower means that the meat will cook more evenly; roasts are not always uniformly shaped you don’t want portions of the meat to be overcooked. So, by slow-cooking the roast, you ensure that it will cook more evenly.

How to Cook Roast Beef in the Oven

Allow the meat to rest at room temperature for an hour before cooking it.
Preheat your oven to 325°F.
Sprinkle salt and pepper on the roast. For leaner roasts, first, drizzle the meat with olive oil. Optionally, truss the roast with twine, which helps it to keep its shape and cook more evenly.
Bake the roast on a baking sheet with a wire rack for 25-30 minutes for every 1 pound of meat (this will produce a medium roast). You can use a roasting pan, but I find if you use the wire rack, all sides of the meat will form a nice crust. For example, a 4-pound roast will take approximately 120 minutes (2 hours).
Determine what level of doneness you prefer. Check the meat’s temperature by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part. Aim to remove it when the meat’s internal temp is 10 degrees lower than your preferred doneness because of carry-over cooking.
Allow the meat to rest for 15-30 minutes before enjoying it!

Roast Beef Internal Temperature

120-130°F for rare
130-135°F for medium-rare
135-145°F for medium
145-155°F for medium well
155°F and above is well done

Special Equipment

Using a meat thermometer is the only accurate way to know when the roast has reached your desired temperature range. If you estimate how it looks visually, you might under or overcook the meat.

There are plenty of cooking thermometers available. Many thermometers have an instant digital read that will tell you what the meat is internally, so no guessing is involved.

Do you need to cover the roast?

You do not need to cover the meat in a cooking liquid; in this cooking style, you can roast it. A pot roast is a braised beef dish.

Braising means cooking with liquid; some examples are beef broth and beef stock. Both roasting meat and braising meat are great ways to cook beef, but they differ.

Wait Before You Carve the Roast

So you have cooked your roast perfectly; what should you do now? Wait for 15 to 30 minutes. Why should you wait? This will give the meat a chance to rest.

What does it mean to rest a roast? It means that the juices within the roast will get an opportunity to redistribute within the roast.

This has a few advantages. You can prepare the gravy, set the table, or even make some Yorkshire pudding while the meat rests.

You can cut it immediately when you remove it from the oven, but if you wait a few minutes, it will pay off. So when you pull the roast out of the oven, cover it with foil and let it rest before carving it up.

a slice of roast beef on a cutting board

Searing the Beef

You can sear the beef if you like. Searing can help brown the roast on the outside. Some people believe this gives the roast a better flavor. I am not entirely satisfied if it enhances the taste, but it makes the beef look wonderful and brown.

To sear the beef, I suggest an iron skillet. I add some oil and a good tablespoon to the roasting pan. I like to use an oil that has a high smoke point. So something like canola or your generic vegetable oil will be perfect. Fancy olive oil tends to burn at a lower temperature, so it isn’t ideal for this use.

Season the meat, and put it into the hot skillet with the hot oil. Let the meat rest there for a couple of minutes on each side.

If you try to move the meat around initially, it will stick. It is counter-intuitive to wait. When the meat is brown, it will let you pull it to flip it to the other side.

Continue this process until all sides are browned. This step is not necessary for this recipe.

Other Optional Steps

Trussing

Why would you truss a roast? You can truss a roast to help force it into a more smooth shape. This will contribute to cooking the roast evenly.

It also can make the roast easier to slice when it comes time to slice the beef.

Did you know that often you can ask the butcher to truss the roast for you? You can also truss the roast with some butcher’s string sold in most grocery stores.

How to Serve Roast Beef

Serve your oven-baked roast beef with delicious sauces to accentuate the meat’s natural flavor. For instance, pour a classic brown gravy over the meat or an umami-filled mushroom sauce. Other condiments that taste fantastic with it are horseradish, Worcestershire, or even BBQ sauce.

You can’t go wrong with a simple herb garnish. Use fresh rosemary, thyme, or parsley to instantly upgrade the presentation of the roast beef when you serve it.

How to Store Leftover Roast Beef

You should store leftover roast beef in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Another option is to wrap it in foil or plastic wrap tightly, but there is a higher chance air will get in and deteriorate its quality, so a container is best. Allow it to cool before you transfer it to the refrigerator fully.

How to Freeze Leftover Roast Beef

You can freeze leftover roast beef in tightly wrapped plastic wrap or a vacuum-sealed bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.

The vacuum-sealed bag is a smart way of guaranteeing that the meat won’t get freezer burn prematurely. Make sure to safely thaw it in the refrigerator or a cold-water bath before reheating it.

What’s the Best Way to Reheat Roast Beef

I do not recommend the microwave for reheating your roast beef as the meat can get tough. Place your meat into a moderate oven with an oven temperature of 350°F.

If you have some gravy, au jus, or even beef broth, I like to add a bit of that to the pan, roast beef, wrap with foil, and reheat for about 20 minutes.

This ensures the meat comes out tender and juicy, just like the first time.

What to Serve with Roast Beef

Here are some delicious side dishes to make and serve with roast beef:

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