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Rosy, perfect roast beef with thermometers on a board with a sandwich

Homemade Deli-style Roast Beef Recipe

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Description

Make perfect roast beef for deli sandwiches at home. Based on instructions from Saveur.com


Ingredients

  • 1 eye of round roast, 2–3 lb, tied
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper
  • Other seasonings as desired (see note below)

Roast beef ingredients


Instructions

  • For best results, salt the roast liberally the night before cooking and leave it, loosely covered, in the refrigerator. This step is technically optional, but it is also strongly recommended. 
  • Preheat your oven to 200°F (93°C).
  • If you salted the roast the previous night, give it a quick rinse (there will be too much salt). Apply salt, if needed, and pepper 

seasoning the roast

  • Heat a cast-iron skillet on the stove over high heat. When the pan is quite hot (use an infrared thermometer to take its temperature if you have one) add a little high smoke point oil to the pan and sear the roast all over until beautifully browned. 

Searing Roast Beef Searing the roast

  • Remove the roast from the pan and place it on a rack set into a cookie sheet. 
  • Insert the probe from a ChefAlarm into the center of the roast and place the roast in the oven to cook. Set the high-temp alarm on the ChefAlarm for 130°F (54°C).
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  • When the alarm sounds (it will probably be 90 minutes or more), test the doneness of the roast with your Thermapen® Mk4. If that test verifies doneness, remove the roast from the oven and let it cool.  

verifying the temperature with the Thermapen

  • Once the roast is nearly room temperature, put it in the fridge overnight. 
  • Slice it to whatever thickness you like for your sandwich, pile it on the bread, and go to town. Enjoy!

Slicing roast beef


Notes

If using other seasonings, herb rubs for instance, or sliced garlic cloves that are inserted into the flesh of the roast, it’s probably best to apply those after the sear. They will get in the way of the meat searing and any that are on the surface will not adhere well but will come off in the pan. Salt and pepper seem to handle it, but minced parsley will not. 
Let your imagination run wild! Apply a coating of horseradish (which will lose its heat in the oven), use your favorite BBQ rub, use Montreal seasoning. Go for it.