Nothing beats the aroma of a beef roast to bring family and friends to the dinner table. In addition to great taste, beef is a complete, high-quality protein source. The ideal oven-cooked roast is well browned on the outside and moist on the inside.
Choosing the Cuts
Roasting requires fairly tender cuts of meat. An oven roast is a cut of beef that is usually a minimum of 2 inches thick. The best roasts come from the loin and rib cuts. They’re very tender and cost more than other cuts.
The tenderloin, standing rib and rib eye are among the best oven roasts and benefit from the dry heat of roasting. When purchasing, make sure there are no tears in the packaging and no excess juice.
Get to know your cuts so your choice will always suit the occasion:
- For a lean cut, choose round tip or eye round roasts
- To serve small gatherings, try a center-cut tenderloin, tri-tip or eye round roast
- Boneless roasts such as rib eye, tenderloin, tri-tip or round tip are the easiest to carve
Defrosting a Roast
A large frozen roast will need 4 to 7 hours per pound to defrost in the fridge and a small roast will need 3 to 5 hours per pound. Never defrost on the counter.
Serving Sizes
Plan to buy roasts that will yield 6 ounces of cooked, trimmed beef per serving:
- A boneless beef roast usually yields 1-1/2 to 2 6-ounce cooked, trimmed servings per pound
- A bone-in roast yields 1 to 1-1/2 6-ounce cooked, trimmed servings per pound
