3 Tips to Make the Best Beef Roast in the Oven

My favorite cooking method and 3 tips for the best beef roast. 

When you butcher your own beef you get all kinds of cuts of meat. Learning how to cook with all those cuts can be challenging at first.

Let’s talk about a roast for a minute. When you pick up your very first beef from the butcher shop, you could feel overwhelmed with the amount of roasts that you will get. There is all different kinds of roasts and you are unsure how to cook it.

You take one and you decide to give it a try, only to be incredibly disappointed with the results. Not tender at all, instead very tough, and stringy.

Hardly what you are looking for in a good beef roast. 

For years I would grab a roast out of freezer, almost anticipating being disappointed at dinner time. I was cooking it out of a feeling of “I have to” rather then joy. I knew it wasn’t going to taste good, but I needed to use them up before we got our next steer butchered. 

This feeling was strong especially when I pulled out a chuck roast. I mean I was just convinced there wasn’t anything you could do make a chuck roast taste good.

So I thought. 

Until I learned these 3 tips for the best beef roast. Now I get a wonderful roast, every single time. 

Tip 1: Make sure to use a thawed roast.

This one seems rather simple but it is important. 

I am guilty of throwing a frozen roast into the crock pot or slow cooker just like everyone else. But doing that really doesn’t make for a good roast. 

The best way to get a good tender beef roast is to make sure you plan ahead and take you roast out the night before. The best way to remember this is to put it on your to-do list for the day before.  

I plan out my week every Sunday along with all my meals. If you are needing some tips, make sure to check out my post  on how to make a successful weekly meal plan. 

I sit down every Sunday afternoon and plan out all my meals and make a grocery list. Then I plug in things throughout my week of what I need to get done. I do all this in a day planner. 

So since I meal plan, I know what night of the week I am going to make a beef roast. The day before I make sure to add it to my to-list to remove the roast from the freezer. 

Tip 2: Sear both sides to lock in flavor.

I use to think it was kind of a myth, but now I am a firm believer in this method!

You are going to want to sear both sides of your beef roast in a hot pan with a little bit of olive oil. This truly does lock in the flavors of your beef roast and will give you great flavor. 

My favorite way to do it is right in the dutch oven I am going to cook my roast in. The less dishes the better around here! 

I usually drizzle some olive oil or avocado oil into the dutch oven. Turn it onto medium-high heat and let it get hot. That is the key to searing. You don’t want your meat to hit the pan until it is at a high temperature that will sear and lock in those flavors.

Next, I liberally salt and pepper both sides of the roast. I then place it into the heated dutch oven, cook for 3 minutes and then flip and cook for 3 minutes more. 

Tip 3: Cook your roast low and slow.

​Of all the tips this one is the most important one. There are so many different ways out there to cook a beef roast but if you only take one tip, this one is the one you want!

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You can do this method in a crockpot but I like to do it right in my dutch oven and then stick it in my oven all afternoon. 

I pre-heat my oven temperature to 250 degrees and cook the roast for 3-5 hours. Cooking at this lower temperature will ensure that your beef roast is nice and tender. You will know your roast is done when you can pull it apart easily with 2 forks.

​By cooking your roast at a low temperature and slowly, you are giving it the best opportunity to break down and be incredibly tender. 

​Ways to use up left over beef roast. 

​I don’t know about all of you, but I always seem to have a bunch of leftover meat when I cook a roast. That is one of the reasons I love cooking a roast this way. It makes it easier to use up the leftovers when I don’t have anything more added to the roast but spices. 

Here are a few ways we use up the meat from a beef roast.

• shredded beef tacos
• tostadas
• roast beef sandwiches
• beef stroganoff
• beef stew

Home cooks are always looking for ways to use up leftovers the next day. I love to be able to take some leftovers and make an entirely different meal with it. It is a great way to save money along with eliminate food waste.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb roast (chuck roast, top round roast, sirloin tip roast, rib roast)
• 2 TBSP avocado oil or olive oil
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 onion sliced
• 3-5 cloves of garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp thyme 
• 1/2 tsp rosemary 
• 1/2 tsp parsley 
• 1/4 lemon pepper
• 1/2 tsp no salt seasoning
• 1 cup beef broth

How to make the best beef roast:

1. Make sure to start with a thawed beef roast of any kind. Take a dutch oven with a lid or a cast iron pan. You will need to cover the roast with aluminum foil. 
2. Pre-heat your oven to 250 degrees.
3. Place you pan or dutch oven on the stove, add your oil to the pan and turn it on medium high heat. 
4. Slice all your onions and mince your garlic. Add them to the pan and stir around for about 2-3 minutes.
5. Take your thawed roast and generally salt and pepper each side of the roast. If you have an exceptionally fatty roast make sure to trim some fat off at this time.
6. Move the onions and garlic off to the side of the pan and gently place roast into the pan. Sear on one side for about 3 minutes and then flip over and sear on the other side. The outside of the roast will be slightly browned. This will lock in the flavors of your roast.
7. Turn your stove off and add all other spices to your roast. You can change up the spices and herbs to your liking. I do change it up from time to time but the above spices and herbs are my go to!
8. Scoop some of the onions and minced garlic back on top of the roast. 
9. Pour in your beef broth and place you lid on. If you are using foil, cover it tightly so you get a steam effect.
10. Place in your preheated oven for 3-5 hours.The cooking time will vary depending on how many pounds your roast is. When your beef roast shreds using two forks easily, you know it has reached the desired doneness. No need for a cutting board because you won’t need to cut this beef roast.
11. Serve with a heaping pile of mashed potatoes and some steamed veggies. 

The broth and juices at the bottom of the pan make the perfect gravy for mashed potatoes or au jus for a roast beef sandwich. You don’t need to throw that yummy cooking liquid out!

Also, feel free to use fresh thyme, rosemary, and parsley in this recipe if you have it. We love to do that during the summer months since we have herbs growing in the garden. 

With these 3 tips for the best beef roast you will not be disappointed with the results. Everyone loves a good hearty meal after a long day and this tender pot roast does just the trick. The best part is you don’t need the best cut of meat to get a good outcome. Following these 3 tips for the best beef roast will get you great results no matter what cut of roast you are using. 

Go ahead and use this recipe for a Sunday roast or even just for a busy week night. Your family won’t be disappointed with this comfort food and you will know that everyone is getting well fed!