Off-Oven Roast Beef Recipe (2024)

By Sam Sifton

Off-Oven Roast Beef Recipe (1)

Total Time
2 hours 30 minutes
Rating
5(1,448)
Notes
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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 main courses, with leftovers for sandwiches

  • 1beef roast, like top, eye or bottomround, approximately 3 pounds
  • 1tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1tablespoon freshly groundblack pepper
  • 3cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1tablespoon olive oil
  • Red-pepper flakes to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    Remove roast from refrigerator. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

  2. Step

    2

    In a small bowl, mix together salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil and red-pepper flakes to create a kind of paste. Rub this all over the roast. Place beef in a roasting pan or cast-iron skillet, fat-side up, and put in oven. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes per pound.

  3. Turn off oven. Do not open oven door. Leave roast to continue cooking, undisturbed, for two hours.

  4. Step

    4

    After two hours, remove roast from oven. Slice and serve alongside, ideally, a watercress salad, some skillet-fried potatoes and a small tureen of Henry Bain sauce.

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Cooking Notes

Mirta

We like our roast beef rare so I left in the oven for one hour instead of two. Perfect!

Lutheranliar

I call this Magic Meat and make it almost every week. (In fact, I made it just last night). Here’s the trick: you must follow the recipe EXACTLY. Take the roast out of the fridge right before you turn on the oven. This means the roast is COLD when it goes in. (If you start with room-temp meat, it’ll be too done in the middle.) You roast at 500 for EXACTLY 5 minutes per pound. I ask Siri: “How much is 2.85 times 5?” Then I roast for 14.25 minutes, using a timer. Timer for the 2 hrs. oven off too!

Sam Sifton

Leave it off!

Lee

Have ruined two roasts now using this recipe, both to over cooking. Took it out half an hour earlier than recommended the 2nd time, and it was still medium in the middle, medium-well at the ends.

Denny

Thank you. This is my first time with this recipe, and Sam got it wrong. Thanks to you, I checked my 3 lb. roast at 75 minutes and it was right on 140-145. Just right.

Ella

I've followed this recipe at least a dozen times and my roast has always come out medium rare to blood rare. So I don't understand the complaints about well done roasts. Either people aren't following the recipe, or perhaps it doesn't work as well with small roasts. (I tend to make roasts in the 5-7 pound range.) I do exactly as instructed--5 minutes per pound at 500 degrees, then turn off the oven without opening the door. I leave it in the turned-off oven for 2 hours.

Evelyn

I found it helpful to use my oven's temperature probe. What I had to do was insert it when I put the meat in the oven. Turning off my oven also turns off my temperature probe, but if I turned the oven back on about 20 minutes before I thought the roast was done, I got a new read on the temperature of the meat. If the meat wasn't done, I turned the oven off again and checked 10 minutes later. It saved me from cooking too long and having the roast well done instead of medium rare.

Mary from Terry, MS

I have been cooking eye of round this way for 40 years and it always comes out perfect. My grandmother and mother made Sunday roast in this manner for 40 years before me. They'd put in the roast in the oven for the required time per pound and then turn off the oven while they went to Sunday School and church. When they returned home, the roast was perfectly cooked and served for lunch, along with rice, gravy, and seasonal fresh vegetables. Delicious and so easy!

Grace

Best Roast Beef I've ever made...don't rely on time. Use a thermometer. I pulled it at 130 degrees and rested it for about a half hour. Perfect.

Marqua1

Works every time! You must have to believe and follow the directions.

Conniethecook

This is a magical recipe for eye of the round!! For 1.75 lb., I roasted for 10 minutes at 475, turned the oven off, and pulled it out after 1 hour. So perfectly medium rare. Thanks, Sam.

Evanston Ed

I cannot imagine how anyone following the recipie closely could produce a medium roast, but all that aside, the sauce is incomparable. This demonstrates how commercial products can be artfully combined to produce...BEAUTY!

Blasthoff

DO NOT let anyone tell you different, low and slow is the ONLY way to roast beef consistently the way you want it. Place the prepped roast in the HOT (approx 475F) oven to brown for only 10-15 mins max. Reduce temp to as close to 175F as your oven will go, opening the oven door to cool down hot oven as quickly as possible. To achieve med rare, roast to an internal temp of about 118F, then let rest 25-30mins to finish. Perfection, regardless of roast weight/shape variation.

Norah Robb

Oven temperatures vary. Know your oven and adjust accordingly. Remember to start with meat at room temperature.

Janet MacNab

I did the recipe as directed and thought it turned out good. We like out meat medium rare. I am doing it again and will cut cooking time down and perhaps the oven sitting time too. We loved it for left overs as snacks and sandwiches.

Susie Fitzer

Perfect every time. Made it with 3 lb. roasts and with 6 lb roasts.

Kate

Like many people I was sceptical that this would work, but it did! I had a 1.5kg topside roast and I could have probably taken it out 20 mins sooner. I was so worried it would be raw or rare, but it was lovely. Even at medium-well done the meat was tender and sliced beautifully. The only problem is you can use your oven for any side dishes, but I took the suggestion and made skillet fried potatoes, steamed some green beans and made a brown onion gravy. Will definitely make again.

Marge

This method did not work for our 4 1/2 lb. boneless ribeye roast. An hour after turning off the heat, the oven was barely warm - it was clear that no more cooking was going to be happening at that temp, and the roast was raw. It took at least another 45 minutes at 350 to get it to rare/medium rare.

KLD

This method does not work in self cooling ovens. Some have an automatic fan to cool the oven when it’s turned off - which pulls all of the residual heat out of the oven.

Kathy

Yes and no. The roasting method works great. Used a 3 lb sirloin tip roast because that's what we had, not as tender as some others but great flavor. Two hours off was too long--cut the in-oven time by 35 minutes and it was still well done--which pleased my spouse. But a tablespoon of salt in the rub was too much! Had to brainstorm on how to reduce the saltiness of the drippings, to make a sauce from all that long-roasted flavor. Reduce the salt by half.

Janet

The roast was done to medium rare in less than two hours.

Stephanie

I had a 4.84 lb eye round and this formula still worked perfectly. It was even a bit forgiving - I looked through the window of the oven and saw it had rolled onto it's side so I opened the oven to roll the fat on to the top. I had to do this twice during the oven on time. I just added 1 minute before turning off the heat and it was still perfect. Took the time to tie it 1 inch apart and used a probe to avoid any surprises, which I recommend.

Missy

We've made a roast for Christmas for years and this was the first time utilizing this method. It was perfection. 10lb in for 55min and then off for 2 hours 45 minutes. We were sweating and worried we'd be eating at midnight but it was incredible and so tender and the most beautiful roast we've ever made.

Glenn

I have made this many times but have never followed step 4 to the letter. I always use a probe thermometer set at 125 and take it out when it reaches that. I also sear each side on the stovetop first for a few minutes each for texture. Always turns out perfect.

KB

Didn’t this have an au jus recipe before at the end?

DrewLV

Cooked as directed and it came out great!

DianaPrince83

We have a family of tender mouths, so the amount of black pepper was a bit much for some younger ones (even left out the red pepper!). This time making it with just a teaspoon of black pepper and substituting onion powder for the rest to flavor it. Even with the spice, it still got rave reviews! And leave the oven off! Time it exactly! Has never gone wrong and turns out juicy and med-rare every time. Try with Yorkshire puddings for a proper roast dinner!

Jo Henderson

I have made this version of roast beef many times and it has never steered me wrong. I shared this recipe with a friend a few years ago and she told me it didn't work for her as the meat was totally rare when she carved into it. She neglected to tell me that she was cooking a bone-in roast that is not the cut of beef I usually use for this recipe.

DeWil from Ohio

This was the first time I've made a roast this way and it turned out great. It was a small enexpensive Bottom Round Roast just 2.25 lb. I opened the door after one hour and checked the temp. It was not quite done. Opening the door cooled the oven so much that I had to turn the oven back on; 300° for 15 minutes. My spouse said it was perfect. I prefer mine just a little more cooked, but it was one of the best roasts I have ever made at any price.

Jeanne

Did this with a 2.5 lb Pork Sirloin Tip roast from Costco. Used the spice rub from the Weekend Roast recipe by Sam. Cooked 13 minutes, turned oven off. Used a probe thermometer and it took exactly an hour to come to 145. So moist and delicious! What a happy find!

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Off-Oven Roast Beef Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you cook roast beef in the oven covered or uncovered? ›

Do not add water or liquid and do not cover the roast. Covering the roast would result in more steaming than roasting in the oven so we cook a beef roast uncovered. Test Kitchen Tip: A roasting pan is a shallow pan specifically designed for roasting.

What temperature to take roast beef out of the oven? ›

Remove the roast from the oven when it reaches its finished temperature – 145ºF (63ºC) for medium-rare, 160ºF (71ºC) for medium or 170ºF (77ºC) for well done. Bone-in prime rib will take an extra 30 to 45 minutes; tenderloin will take 30 to 60 minutes less.

How much does a roast cook after removing from oven? ›

Typically, even a small steak, individually cooked piece of chicken, or a hamburger will rise at least 3-4°F degrees during resting. A larger roast or turkey can rise as much as 10-15°F depending upon conditions. The doneness of meat is directly related to the final internal temperature it reaches after resting.

How long does it take to cook a roast beef at 350 degrees? ›

Beef Roasting Guide
Type of roastOven temperatureCooking time
Sirloin strip roast Whole350°F1½ – 1¾ hours
Sirloin strip roast Half (5-6 lbs)350°F1¼ hours
Top sirloin roast Whole350°F12-15 mins / lb
Top sirloin roast Half350°F17-20 mins / lb
11 more rows

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

Do not cover your roast or put any water in the pan. A meat thermometer is another important tool. If you have an ovenproof one, insert it into the thickest part of the beef, usually the center. An instant read thermometer works, too, but don't leave it in while the meat is cooking.

Should I cover roast beef with foil when cooking? ›

Remember to reduce the temperature after 20 minutes and deduct the 20 minutes from the total cooking time - leave the oven door open for a couple of minutes to help it cool down. There's no need to cover your beef while it cooks; you want to get a good crust on the outside and foil won't help with this.

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.

How long will it take to cook a roast at 250 degrees? ›

We like to sear roasts first in a Dutch oven with a little olive oil, add spices, sauces and vegetables, a little water, and bake tightly covered in a slow oven (225-250 degrees F) for 4-6 hours.

How do I cook a beef roast without drying it out? ›

Do you cover roast beef when cooking? You should cover a beef roast with kitchen foil for at least part of the cooking time. This stops the roast beef from drying out too much during cooking.

What is the process that continues to cook a roast when removed from the oven? ›

Meat will continue to cook even after it has been removed from the heat source, a phenomenon known as “carryover cooking.” This happens for two reasons: First, the exterior of a large roast gets hot much more quickly than the interior.

Why should a roast be allowed to stand after it is removed from the oven? ›

By letting it rest, you give the muscle fibers time to relax and allow the juices to redistribute throughout the cut. Without those juices, the meat will taste dry, no matter how premium the cut. Letting meat rest is also essential for it being cooked to the correct temperature.

What is the time chart for cooking roast beef? ›

Method
  • Seal the joint in a hot pan for 3-4 minutes over a high heat before transferring to the oven.
  • Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4 and allow:
  • 20 minutes per 500g plus 20 minutes (for rare)
  • 25 minutes per 500g plus 20 minutes (for medium)
  • 30 minutes per 500g plus 20 minutes (for well-done)

What is the best temperature for roast beef? ›

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.

What temp is roast most tender? ›

We recommend a temperature of 195-200 °F / 90-93 °C for a tender and juicy roast. Serve: Remove the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs. Blend some of the celery, carrots and onion with some of the juices until you have a smooth puree. Spoon some of the puree sauce on each serving plate and top with the roast.

Is 350 too high for a roast? ›

Aim to cook a roast at 350 degrees F or lower, aside from any high heat used for reverse searing at the end. Some beef roast methods call for temperatures as low as 250 degrees F and cooking the meat overnight.

Is roasting done covered or uncovered? ›

Also, roasting tends to be done in an uncovered roasting pan, whereas baked goods may sometimes be covered. When it comes to temperature, roasting requires a higher oven temperature of above 400°F for the cooking process, while baking takes place at lower oven temperatures around 375°F and below.

Does covering a roast make it more tender? ›

If your cut of beef weighs over 8 pounds, you should partially cover the meat in the oven at the midpoint of roasting. This will ensure that your roast beef will be as soft and moist as possible to deliver flavorful, juicy bites.

Do you put water in the bottom of the roasting pan? ›

"Often, consumers will inquire about adding water to the bottom of their roasting pans. We do not recommend adding water to the bottom of the pan. Cooking a turkey with steam is a moist heat-cook method and is acceptable, sure, but is not the preferred method for cooking your turkey."

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