Slow-Roasted Beef Recipe (2024)

If you save some of the roast for freezing, the recipe leaves out a recommendation made by the chef in the full article. The chef tells you to put your leftovers in the fridge whole overnight and then to slice the chilled roast for freezing. You will get better slices this way and the thin slices are important for preserving the flavor and texture of the roast.

Listen to Chef Kenji. Reverse sear is about 49 times simpler than sous vide. Mind the temperature. It works!

The amount of salt is a joke! The beef was fantastic! Used 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, on a 2 pounder - perfect amount. Added some garlic powder which was a big plus. Used a top round roast which had a 5” diameter so it took 2 hours and 45 minutes to get to 130. A new family staple. Made sandwiches the first night as I love a sandwich with warm meat, swipe the bread in the juices, horseradish sauce, pickled red onion, nothing else - don’t even consider adding lettuce and tomato!

This is an easy way to get tender, moist beef from an inexpensive cut. The "planned-overs" are good for sandwiches, but also things like a steak salad or stir fry. I used a wire rack in my cast iron skillet, and seared the roast in the same pan after resting; after deglazing with water & a glug of dry wine, the jus was very excellent.

I like the prep and the after-cooking ideas, but I'm thinking that sous-vide is the perfect cooking method. 120F bath and perfectly rare every single time.

Fabulous! Followed the slow cooking exactly as in the recipe and relied on my thermometer. Didn’t use the salt rub; used the Santa Maria tri tip rub as in the NYTimes. Stunning! Rested the rubbed meat in the fridge over night. So tender. Reverse sear method delivered a tight crispy crust with juicy meat inside. I’m a convert. Boom!!!

i wonder if you used something other than kosher salt as the salt component. diamond crystal is the preferred brand which should be mentioned in recipes, because if you use morton you'll want to use less. the size and shape of the salt granule matters when it comes to "saltiness."

I have to agree that 1/4 cup of salt is excessive even when letting a lot of it fall off. And definitely use the Diamond brand, which is much less salty due to the crystal size. I used the full 1/4 cup and it is tasty, but very salty. Also, letting it sit 24 hours before cooking is a must. I rushed it the first time and the cooking method worked well, but it was not tender. Delicious cold with a garlicky remoulade sauce!

~4 lb round roast came out perfectly. Suggest using less than 1/4 cup salt; after 24 hr overnight in refer, salt & pepper almost crusted; Whacked cold roast into cold oven; 225 F; ~2 hours: Medium rare heading toward Medium; did *not* need to sear! did the thin slice fanning into vacuum bag: that was a pro-tip if there was ever one. Flavor was outstanding immediately after resting; used some that night for noodle soup: outstanding again.

While the method produced a perfectly rare roast, with a nice crust after searing, it was all but inedible due to the extreme saltiness. I wish I'd listened to my gut on this one. I can't imagine what role all the salt played. A regular amount of seasoning, with the frig time to dry would I'm sure have produced a nicer result.

Does anyone have a problem with the roasting time instructions? 1 - 2-1/2 hours is HUGE range. Even if he meant 1 1/2/ - 2 1/2 hours (should have said it that way if he did) it's a huge range. Hard to plan, unless you want to serve it cold or room temperature, but also a huge range for people to just sit around and wait. If it depends on "the geometry" of the roast, a little more detail would be helpful. As it is I have one sitting in the fridge, ready to go. But when to start.....???

Have also used this method with a large standing rib roast. Took a long time but it was the best we ever ate.

Also found this to be much too salty.

3-1/2 lb bottom round prepared as per recipe except with only 1/8 cup kosher salt. Took 3 hours til medium. Tender and tasty. This is a great recipe for smaller roasts. We have used this process before but pre-seared. This seems better.

I think, depending on the shape of the roast, it is best to err on the 120 degree side for the target internal temperature because the meat seems to continue cooking a bit during the 30 minute rest period before searing.

Perfect with adjusted spicing. Made a beautiful Chicago Italian Beef Roast this way. First but not the last time I’ll use this roasting method.

I used a 2lbs sirloin tip roast, salted it about 2% of it's weight and let it do it's thing in the fridge for 24 hours. Threw it in the oven and it took my roast about an hour and 45 min (checked with my thermometer). Seared it in the cast and iron, and it was some of the best roast beef I've ever had. Leftovers were delicious eaten cold right of the tupperware!

This was a good preparation for an inside round roast, a cut that I don’t often use.

Excellent w/ horseradish sauce, savory potatoes & honey roasted carrots. For those worried about timing, you can cook the whole thing to desired doneness earlier in the day, then fridge. 40 minutes before serving, pull it out and let rest on the counter for 30, then sear and slice. It seems like a lot of salt, but the dry rest in the fridge let's the salt nicely penetrate. my only caveat is that if your roast tapers at the ends, those ends will be both saltier and more well done; chef snax!

Used the dry rub from Sam Sifton's London broil recipe rather than salt. Absolutely delish. Didn't sear because it became dark brown in the oven from the sugar in the dry rub.

The 2 pound top round roast that I used in this recipe cooked up picture perfect in an hour and 45 minutes. It could have used a bit of added flavor. I'll try the The Times Santa Maria seasoning next time as Doug the Digger suggested. Also, used a bit less salt, mostly because the roast was small. I loved the end result, a perfectly cooked roast!

This was outstanding, easy and inexpensive- plus everyone raved! I used a 2.3 lb eye of round roast. Given the comments, I cut the salt back by ~1/3rd using Diamond Kosher salt. I dry- aged for 36 hours. Make certain to use a digital thermometer- the temperature of my roast changed more than 5 degrees in 5 minutes towards the end. I never would have gotten beautiful, medium rare roast going by time or touch. Definitely making again!

Similar to the author, I found a Prime Top Round roast at Costco and this recipe. Prepared as written & after a day of shopping I put it in the cold oven... it took about 1.5 hours. It is salty (on the outside) but if you brushed off the excess as stated, it turns out perfect and I noted the temp does not raise or lower a lot when resting-- due to the low oven heat? The rest time is just right to prep side dishes if you're going to serve part of it right away. Great basic method!

Delicious, even though I took some liberties with the recipe. I used 2 tablespoons of course sea salt (because that’s what I had in hand) instead of 1/4 cup and no pepper (personal preference). I salted the roast but only had 18 hours before it was time to put it in the oven. Pulled out at 125 degrees, gave it a 1/2 hour rest, and it was perfect. Next time I’ll get started earlier and give it at least 24 hours, but if you’re a little short on time, it still works.

This beef is SPECTACULAR!!! I used a bottom round roast because it’s what I had. I used table salt and used less than half of the recommended amount. This is unbelievably good I can’t wait to use it in different recipes!

I've tried this twice, neither time with tasty results. A definite "never again" on this one!

I used two Tbsp regular salt on a two pound roast. Use less the next time. Remove all outer fat and connective tissues. Food processor jammed when I tried to use it on six then eight. Would chilled work better. Was tender.

To those thinking about sous vide, you will erase many the effects of dry-brining and reverse sear. Moisture is the enemy of a good sear and you will negate the drying out of the surface of the meat in the fridge and oven. No matter how much you pat it with paper towels after sous vide, its surface will never be as dry as with reverse sear. That literature is available to you on SeriousEats.Sousvide is also no less dependable if you use a $15 bluetooth leave-in probe thermometer. Less mess too

Jan 2022 - 3 lbs took 2 hrs to get to 120F. Start this early! It can just sit after roasting.

Discovered this recipe a bit too late, so only refrigerated for ~12 hours and the results, in my mind, were excellent. A really good method for achieving a really even cook (especially if you don’t have a big enough container to sous vide a roast of this size)