Cooking Instructions for Eye Round Roast

Thinly slicing eye of round roast can make the meat as tender as possible.

Eye of round is a large, lean cut of beef that is located near the hind quarters of the cattle. Due to its low fat content and high amount of muscle fibers, eye of round can have a tough texture. It is more difficult to cook and have successful results with, but this also means it tends to be much cheaper than juicier, more flavorful beef cuts. If you have a large eye of round roast, it is possible to cook it without it being dry and flavorless---it just requires more precise cooking to retain its moisture.

Things You'll Need

• 3 to 5 lb eye of round roast
• Salt
• Pepper
• Roasting pan
• Instant-read meat thermometer
• Sharp knife

Instructions

1. Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover the entire surface of the eye of round roast with salt and pepper---it is a lean cut of meat that can withstand a liberal amount of seasoning without tasting overly strong.

2. Place the eye of round into a large roasting pan with high sides. Transfer it into the oven and roast the meat for about 50 minutes.

3. Remove the eye of round from the oven. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the meat and ensure it registers around 125 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit; if not, return the roast to the oven for another five minutes and check the temperature again.

4. Let the eye of round roast sit undisturbed for at least 10 minutes so its inner juices can settle. Use a sharp knife to cut the roast into pieces as thin as you can---the thinner the slices are, the more tender the eye of round will be because the muscular fibers will be broken.

Tips & Warnings

• For even more flavor, sauté the eye of round roast on all sides just until the outsides are golden brown, then finish heating it through in the oven.

• Never roast eye of round to medium well or well done. High heat and long cooking times can remove the meat's much-needed moisture.

• Never cut into meat when it just comes out of the oven--not only is its internal temperature still rising and could burn you, but letting the meat sit undisturbed lets its inner moisture settle into the meat and not leak out.

References

• Bon Appetit Magazine: Humble Cuts of Meat
• Food Network: Roast Beef