Slow-Roasted Beef
By David PazmiñoPublished on September 30, 2012
Time
2¾ to 3¼ hours, plus 18 hours salting
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Before You Begin
This recipe requires salting the roast for 18 to 24 hours before cooking. We used Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If using Morton kosher salt, which is denser, use only 3 teaspoons. We don't recommend cooking this roast past medium. Open the oven door as little as possible and remove the roast from the oven while taking its temperature; if you have a remote-probe thermometer, this is a great place to use it. If the roast has not reached the desired temperature in the time specified in step 3, heat the oven to 225 degrees for 5 minutes, shut it off, and continue to cook the roast to the desired temperature. For a smaller (2½- to 3½-pound) roast, reduce the kosher salt to 3 teaspoons (2¼ teaspoons Morton kosher salt) and pepper to 1½ teaspoons. For a 4½- to 6-pound roast, halve crosswise before cooking to create 2 smaller roasts. Slice the roast as thin as possible.
Instructions
- Sprinkle all sides of roast evenly with salt. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 225 degrees. Pat roast dry with paper towels, rub with 2 teaspoons oil, and sprinkle all sides evenly with pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Sear roast until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side (this is likely to be smoky, so you may wish to turn on an exhaust fan or open a window). Transfer roast to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Roast until center of roast registers 115 degrees for medium-rare, 1¼ to 1¾ hours, or 125 degrees for medium, 1¾ to 2¼ hours.
- Turn oven off; leave roast in oven, without opening door, until center of roast registers 130 degrees for medium-rare or 140 degrees for medium, 30 to 50 minutes longer. Transfer roast to carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice meat crosswise as thin as possible and serve.
Time
2¾ to 3¼ hours, plus 18 hours saltingYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
To transform relatively lean and inexpensive eye-round into a tender roast, we salted it for a minimum of 18 hours before cooking. During that time, the salt dissolved and (through the process of diffusion) was pulled into the meat, seasoning and tenderizing it. After giving the roast a quick stovetop sear to enhance its color and flavor, we roasted it low (at 225 degrees) until it hit 115 degrees and then shut off the oven and let the meat rest in the fading heat until it inched up to its medium-rare target temperature (130 degrees). Doing so took advantage of tenderizing enzymes in the meat called calpains and cathepsins: They're most active at higher temperatures, and this method held the meat close to 130 degrees for as long as possible without overcooking it, maximizing tenderness. Thinly slicing the meat across the grain also boosted tenderness by making the fibers shorter and easier to chew.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
This recipe requires salting the roast for 18 to 24 hours before cooking. We used Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If using Morton kosher salt, which is denser, use only 3 teaspoons. We don't recommend cooking this roast past medium. Open the oven door as little as possible and remove the roast from the oven while taking its temperature; if you have a remote-probe thermometer, this is a great place to use it. If the roast has not reached the desired temperature in the time specified in step 3, heat the oven to 225 degrees for 5 minutes, shut it off, and continue to cook the roast to the desired temperature. For a smaller (2½- to 3½-pound) roast, reduce the kosher salt to 3 teaspoons (2¼ teaspoons Morton kosher salt) and pepper to 1½ teaspoons. For a 4½- to 6-pound roast, halve crosswise before cooking to create 2 smaller roasts. Slice the roast as thin as possible.
Instructions
- Sprinkle all sides of roast evenly with salt. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 225 degrees. Pat roast dry with paper towels, rub with 2 teaspoons oil, and sprinkle all sides evenly with pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Sear roast until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side (this is likely to be smoky, so you may wish to turn on an exhaust fan or open a window). Transfer roast to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Roast until center of roast registers 115 degrees for medium-rare, 1¼ to 1¾ hours, or 125 degrees for medium, 1¾ to 2¼ hours.
- Turn oven off; leave roast in oven, without opening door, until center of roast registers 130 degrees for medium-rare or 140 degrees for medium, 30 to 50 minutes longer. Transfer roast to carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice meat crosswise as thin as possible and serve.
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