How to Cook a Roast Beef

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

roast beef
roasting pan
oven
oven mitts
meat thermometer
patience

ROASTING - good for larger cuts of prime grade roast beef.

Step 1

Defrost the meat to room temperature.
Step 2

If you wish, season with salt, pepper or garlic.
Step 3

Place meat in shallow roasting pan with the fattiest side on top. A shallow pan will ensure the meat doesn't steam in its own juices and that the meat will heat evenly.
Step 4

Consult a roasting chart for information on how long to cook your meat and at what temperature. Cooking times and temperatures vary widely based on size and quality of cut, type of cut, altitude, oven type, and how well done you want your meat to be. Links to online roasting charts have been included in the resources section of this article, and many cookbooks now include beef roasting charts.
Step 5

Use a meat thermometer to determine when the meat is done. Many factors influence the cooking time for a cut of meat: size and shape of cut, amount of fat and bone, and how the meat was aged. A temperature of 120 to 125 degrees is rare, 130 to 140 degrees is medium rare, 145 to 150 degrees is medium, and 155 to 165 degrees is well done.
Step 6

Let the meat sit fifteen to twenty minuets before carving or serving. A roast will rise in temperature five or ten degrees during this period, so it's best to take the cut out of the oven a little bit before it reaches the desired temperature.

SLOW COOKING - the standard commercial method. Produces rare, even beef.

Step 1

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Unlike high (400 degrees or above) or medium (300 - 375 degrees), which dry the outsides of the cut long before the inside is cooked, slow roasting will produce a tender, rare-medium cut of meat from the center to the edges of the cut.
Step 2

OPTIONAL STEP. A knock against the slow cooking method is that it fails to provide a crust that some people prefer in a cut of roast beef. If you desire your slow cooked beef with a side of golden brown crust, sear all sides of your meat in a hot skillet at this time.
Step 3

Place meat, now in roasting pan, into the oven on a center rack. If you are not using a convection oven, you may need to rotate the pan every hour or so to ensure even heating of the meat.
Step 4

Wait, wait, wait. A properly slow cooked cut of roast beef should take between six and eight hours, though eight may be on the long side. Cooking time is dependent on oven type and the size of the cut of roast beef. The only reliable method of determining when your roast beef is done is to use a meat thermometer. The meat is done once it reaches 130 degrees.
Step 5

OPTIONAL STEP. Only complete this step if you completed the first optional step by searing the sides of your beef before cooking. When the internal temperature of the meat reaches 110 degrees, increase the temperature of the oven to 500 degrees until the temperature of the meat reaches 130 degrees F. This will complete the process of giving your slow cooked roast beef a deep golden brown crust. Delicious!
Step 6

Let the roast sit for thirty minutes outside the oven before carving.