Slow-Roasting Works Magic on This Classic Roast Beef Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the best beef to slow roast? ›

7-Bone Chuck Roast

Identified by the 7-shaped bone it contains. Rich and flavorful, it's ideal for the slow-cooker.

Chuck roast is one of the more popular slow-cooker options because of how tender and flavorful it becomes after several hours of cooking on low.

Slow roasting, as the name suggests, requires cooking meat at a relatively low temperature for an extended period without searing it first. This technique produces tender, succulent meat as the gradual heat allows it to retain its natural moisture while the fats and connective tissue break down.

Slow roasting refers to cooking large cuts of meat or poultry at a lower temperature over a longer period. Why this method? When cooking low and slow, less moisture is lost from the meat and it is cooked more evenly so you are left with a more tender and juicier product.

The secret to making tender roast beef:

It's all about cooking low and slow. With a cut of meat like this, a longer cook time will give you better, more tender results. Ideally, all roasted meats would be seared on all sides in a hot skillet to develop a golden, delicious crust.

Cover tightly with foil and roast for 30 minutes at 425 degrees F. Turn roast over, re-cover with foil and TURN OVEN DOWN to 300 degrees F. Continue to roast for an additional 4-5 hours at 300 degrees F. Roast is ready when it is fall apart tender.

There are several reasons why this could have happened even after so much cooking. First, your choice of a rump roast could be a factor since cuts from the hind quarter are very muscular and, since muscles are the most resistant to breaking, this cut is quite stubborn when it comes to becoming tender.

A perfectly cooked beef joint makes a wonderful centrepiece for a Sunday roast or Christmas dinner. To cook it until it's so tender it falls apart, you'll need to choose a joint like chuck and blade or beef brisket and either braise, slow roast or slow cook it for at least a couple of hours.

Many different cuts of beef are available – what you buy depends on how you want to cook it. For roasts, the best cuts include rib (on the bone or boned and rolled), sirloin, top rump and fillet.

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.

Can you overcook a slow roast? ›

While slow cooker recipes are designed to cook for extended periods of time, they can still become overcooked if left on the wrong setting for too long. In general, it's best to stick to the indicated cook time on the recipe you're following.

When cooking a roast in the oven, keep it uncovered until roasted to the desired doneness. After removing from the oven, tent with foil and let stand 15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute, preventing them from draining out during carving—and preventing dry, disappointing meat.

As a general rule of thumb, at 225°F, cook your roast for about 30 minutes per pound, after the initial browning (for a medium rare). But be sure to check at least 30 minutes before it should be done, just to make sure.

Not only does it make the meat far juicier and more tender but it also works with all kinds of meats. No matter your preference, this cooking method works well with whole cuts of pork, beef, lamb, and even veal.

However, when you are roasting shoulder, round or rump roasts, the doneness temperatures should be adjusted 5 degrees higher; for best results, cooking beyond 145 degrees is not recommended. For narrower-shaped cuts of beef, such as eye of round, roast at 170 degrees for 2 hours per pound.

Leg: Can be slow cooked until it falls apart, but it's leaner than shoulder, so be careful not to dry out the meat by cooking it for too long. Shoulder: This is a great joint for slow roasting – just make sure it's well sealed in the tin as it cooks to help make it tender.

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that ribs (beef or pork), brisket, shoulders (pork or lamb), and pork belly are all fantastic candidates for low and slow cooking. But there are more! Chicken thighs, though they also thrive in high-heat applications due to their small size, BBQ wonderfully.

Cuts that have a lot of fat running through them add moisture and flavour to the dish. Marbling between the muscles, not the surface fat, indicates a good cut for slow cooking. Cuts of beef used for slow cooking include beef cheek, short rib, feather blade and oxtail.

The most tender of all cuts of beef, tenderloin steaks are lean and known for their delicate, butter-like texture and thick cut. These mouthwatering steaks are so tender they can be “cut with a butter knife.” Tenderloin steaks are commonly known as filets or filet mignon.