Slow Roasted Eye of Round Roast
Eye of round roasts are one of the least expensive roasts you can purchase because they’re a tougher, leaner cut of beef. I used to prepare them with a high-temperature cooking technique, but I’ve since discovered a low and slow technique that results in a much more tender and flavorful roast that practically melts in your mouth. You absolutely must give it a try! Plan ahead, the beef needs to “dry brine” in the fridge for 24 hours before roasting.
To begin, liberally sprinkle all sides of the roast with kosher salt. Here I salted two 3-pound roasts, each with about 2 teaspoons of kosher salt (IMPORTANT: if using fine table salt, reduce by half). Wrap well and refrigerate for 20-24 hours.
The next day, heat a little oil in a cast iron skillet. Unwrap the roast(s) and dry well with paper towels (DO NOT RINSE), then brown on all sides in the hot oil (don’t forget the flat end). Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper if desired.
Each side should take around 3-4 minutes to brown.
Place the seared roast(s) on a rack sitting on a sheet pan and insert an oven-safe probe thermometer, so the tip of the probe is positioned in the center of the roast.
As you can see, the current internal temperature of my roast is 36F, but I want it to reach an initial target temperature of 126F. Follow the guidelines below to determine how you want your roast to be cooked - your initial target temperature should be 10 degrees below the final temperature you want your roast to reach.
BEEF DONENESS CHART
125-130F (52-55C) = Rare
130-140F (55-60C) = Medium Rare
140-150F (60-65C) = Medium
150-155F (65-69C) = Medium Well
Place the roast(s) in the center of a 225F oven and cook until the probe alerts you when the internal temperature reaches whatever temp you set your probe thermometer for (that should be 10 degrees below your final target temperature).
My 3-pound roasts took about 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach my initial target temp of 126F.
Once the roasts reaches the initial target temperature (again, for me that was 126F), turn the oven off and let the roast(s) sit in the hot oven, with the door closed, for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature rises 10 more degrees to the final target temperature (for me, 136F). This is an official culinary technique called “carryover cooking”.
So what makes this roasting technique so good? Two things. 1) Dry Brining, which draws moisture from the interior of the meat to the surface where it dissolves the salt and allows it be reabsorbed back into the roast (so the salt flavors the entire roast, inside and out). And 2) Carryover Cooking, which ensures the meat does not over-cook and enables the juices to redistribute throughout the roast. The combination of these two techniques will result in a juicer, more flavorful roast.
Your roast is now perfectly cooked and ready to serve. I hope you make extra, because your guests are going to devour it!
Tip: I like to serve this roast cut into thin slices and the best way I’ve found to cut thin, even slices is to use an electric knife, but a long, sharp slicing knife works as well. Happy roasting!
Items used to make this recipe:
(affiliate links)
oven-safe probe thermometer https://amzn.to/3uZWquG
half sheet pan and rack https://amzn.to/2ZPQ1oP
electric knife https://amzn.to/391SG1h
traditional carving set https://amzn.to/2LJVjYW
cast iron skillet https://amzn.to/34IRPii
Slow Roasted Eye of Round Roast
makes 8-10 servings
Ingredients
3 to 5 pound eye of round beef roast
2-3 teaspoons kosher salt (or half fine table salt)
freshly ground pepper
oil for searing
Directions
(24 hours before serving) Dry roast well with paper towels and sprinkle kosher salt evenly all over; place roast on a tray and wrap well (or put it in a sealed zip-top bag) and place in refrigerator for 20-24 hours.
(2 hours before serving) Preheat oven to 225F and place rack in the center position.
Place an oven-safe cooling rack or roasting rack on a half sheet pan; set aside until needed.
Unwrap roast and dry well with paper towels (do not rinse); if desired, sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.
Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and brown all sides of the roast for 3-4 minutes, including the flat end.
Place roast on rack suspended over half sheet pan, fat side up, and insert an oven-safe probe thermometer into the center of the roast; using the chart below, set the probe thermometer to an initial target temperature of 10 degrees BELOW the final temperature you want your roast to reach.
Place the roast in the center of the oven and wait for the probe thermometer to alert you when the initial target temperature is reached (example 126F).
Turn the oven off and let the roast sit in the hot oven, with the door closed, for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature rises 10 more degrees to the predetermined final target temperature (example 136F).
Remove roast from oven and rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing as thinly as possible (I find an electric knife works particularly well).
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated
BEEF DONENESS CHART
125-130F (52-55C) = Rare
130-140F (55-60C) = Medium Rare
140-150F (60-65C) = Medium
150-155F (65-69C) = Medium Well