Amazing Oven Roasted Eye of Round
How do you cook a lean and budget friendly cut of meat like an eye of round? You slow roast it in the oven, let it rest, and finish it with a reverse sear. You do not want to cook lean like eye of round, bottom round, or top round on high-heat, trust me.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 382kcal
Cost: $20
Ingredients
- 2 pound eye of round roast USDA Choice or Higher
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon thyme fresh or dried
- 2 teaspoons rosemary fresh or dried
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Remove your roast from the refrigerator, remove the packaging, and allow it to rest for 10 - 30 minutes to take the chill off.
- Remove the silvery skin with a sharp chef's knife. Most roasts will have this removed, but I find they always miss some.
- Pat the roast dry with paper towel. A dry roast browns better and this helps the seasoning stick to the roast better.
- Drizzle olive oil over the roast and use your hands to rub it all around. This will help seasonings stick better!
- Add the seasoning to a bowl and combine thoroughly. Distribute the seasoning evenly to all sides of your roast.
- Place the roast into the center of your roasting pan, cast iron. Fat side up if your roast has the fat cap.
- Insert your meat probe into the thickest part of the meat.
- Transfer it to your preheated oven at 170 - 200 degrees Fahrenheit (77 - 93 degrees Celsius). Cook low and slow until the internal temperature reaches your desired doneness. See notes for internal temperature guide to doneness.
- Take the roast out of the oven, place a foil tent on top, and let it rest for 10 minutes up to 2 hours.
- About 20 minutes before you are ready to eat, preheat your oven to 500-550 degrees Fahrenheit (260-288 degrees Celsius).
- Once your oven is preheated, reverse sear your eye of round roast for about 10 minutes or until a nice bark forms.
- Transfer it to a cutting board and carve against the grain for the best result. Since we let the roast rest after cooking it low and slow, we do not have to let it rest again, which I absolutely love.
Recipe Notes
Avoid high-heat recipes when cooking cuts of meat like eye of round, bottom round, or top round. These cuts lack the necessary intramuscular fat you'd find on heavily marbled rib eye or prime rib. Rather than high-heat, learn how to cook low and slow to transform these affordable and beefy cuts into mouth-watering family meals.
Reverse searing, searing your roast at the end, rather than the start has numerous benefits. Easier to plan, more control and prevents overcooking, and more consistent internal color and internal doneness.
Lean cut roasts make the ultimate roast beef sandwiches. Why buy processed roast beef when you can make it for half the price. When you cook eye of round for sandwich meat, let it cool, and chill it before slicing. A chilled roast is easy to slice super thin!
Internal Temperature Guide
- 120-125° F (49-52° C) - Rare
- 125-130° F (52-54° C) - Medium Rare
- 130-135° F (54-57° C) - Medium
- 135-140° F (57-60° C) - Medium Well
- 140° F+ (60° C+) - Well Done