How To Make a Perfect Roast Beef (2024)

Make a perfect roast beef every time with this time tested easy roast beef recipe made with red wine, garlic and a Dijon herb crust. Perfect for weekend dinners and special occasions.

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I have been making this roast beef for almost 20 years and it never fails me. Super simple with a delicious Dijon and herb crust that is to die for.

This roast beef is first roasted in the oven for about a half-hour at a high temperature to seal in the juices and to create a crispy outer coating. Then slow-roasted in the oven for another 2 hours creating a juicy tender cut of beef and delicious pan juices to go with.

What is best to serve this with?

To make this roast beef recipe the perfect weekend dinner feast I often serve these side dishes alongside:

• Creamy Parsnip Puree
• Creamy Garlic Mushrooms
• Sauteed Rapini
• Garden Herb White and Green Bean Salad

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Beef – Look for a cut of beef that is lean with a little marbling. I like to use an inside round, top sirloin or rump roast. It is the fat from the marbling that gives the roast its flavour and a little fat goes a long way.

• Red wine – You don’t need to cook with expensive wines but it is important that you choose a wine that tastes good and pairs well with the meat. Choose a dry red with moderate tannins and medium body like a merlot, zinfandel, cabernet or chianti. Or if you prefer to stay away from wine in cooking you can replace the wine with beef broth.

• Garlic – Full cloves of garlic are needed and are used to stuff inside the roast.

• Dijon mustard – Gives the roast great flavour, and helps the seasonings to stick to the outside of the roast to form a nice crust. If you do not have Dijon regular yellow mustard will do but make sure it is unsweetened.

• Coarse salt – Adds flavour and helps to form a crust on the outside of the beef.

• Pepper – ground black pepper or ground peppercorns.

• Oregano – This herb goes great with beef and adds flavour and contributes to the outside crust.

• Onions – Used to infuse flavour into the beef as well as flavour the pan juices.

making a perfect roast beef in the oven

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Using a paring knife cut slits even throughout the outside of the roast in place a clove of garlic inside each slit.

Ensure the garlic is fully tucked inside because once the beef begins roasting and tightening up the garlic will want to rise out of the beef.

You will want to use 4-6 cloves depending on the size of the roast. If you have larger cloves you can cut them in half lengthwise and just use a half per slit.

Then pour 1 cup of red wine and 1 1/2 cups of water into the bottom of a roasting pan. Since every roasting pan is a different size I like to add enough liquid so that when I place my index finger in the liquid comes up to the line of my first knuckle.

Spread the mustard evenly over the outside top and sides of the roast. Then evenly sprinkle the salt, pepper and oregano over the top and sides. This is going to form a nice crust on the roast when done and add tonnes of flavour.

Then add the onions cut in half along the side of the roast as best you can. The onions will steam and add flavour to the beef without being overpowering and will also infuse great flavour into the pan juices.

Next place in the oven at 450° F for half an hour. Do not cover the roast with a lid.

After a half-hour, the bottom of the pan may be dried and dark. Excellent because that pan juice is going to be amazing! That is if you are one to love dark beef gravy.

If you aren’t one of those people check at the 20-minute mark and add more water to the pan if need be.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350° F and add more water to the bottom of the pan if it is dry otherwise leave it alone. If you need to add more 2- 3 cups will do.

Continue to roast for another 1 hour gently basting every 20 minutes or so. I say gently because if you hurl the pan juices at the top of the roast all that lovely crust will shoot off and you don’t want that. So be gentle and baste with care. Sort of a light drizzle of pan juices over top.

Remove from the oven when the internal temperature reaches the desired doneness. Tent the roast with foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve against the grain and serve.

How to know when roast beef is cooked?

Use and meat thermometer and insert it into the centre of the roast. Depending on how rare you like your meat look for the thermometer to reach the desired temperature and remove it from the oven.

Here are the temperatures the website Cerfified Angus Beef Recommends for the degree of doneness and each cut of beef has it’s own recommended cook time so adjust the recipe cooking time accordingly.

• Rare – 125°F or 52°C
• Medium Rare – 135°F or 57°C
• Medium – 145°F or 63°C
• Medium Well – 150°F or 66°C
• Well Done – 160°F or 71°C

Why do you rest cuts of meat after cooking?

Resting meat allows the juices to flow back into the centre of the meat so that every piece is as juicy as the rest. When the meat is cooked the fibres in the meat tense up and push the moisture to the outside where some of it will evaporate.

If you cut in the meat right after taking it out of the oven the juices would just run right out and leave you with a grey, dry hunk of leather-tasting meat.

Letting it rest allows the juices to redistribute through the meat again so when you cut into it you have a juicy and tender cut to enjoy.

How do you make the pan juices or gravy?

While the meat is resting pour the pan juices through a sieve into a saucepan or gravy dish. That is it for pan juices. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For gravy, do the same but then bring the juice to a light boil over medium-high heat. In a small glass add a 1/4 cup of cold water. Stir in 2 tbsp of corn starch and stir until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan juices and stir.

At first, it may look like the gravy has turned very light in colour but that will dissipate in a few seconds. Lower heat to medium and continue to stir until gravy thickens to desired consistency.

If you need more gravy than you ended up with you can thin it out more water and repeat the cornstarch method again if need be. Remove from heat and serve in a gravy boat alongside the roast beef.

How long will roast beef leftovers last?

Store any leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 3 days. I like to pour any or some of the remaining pan juices or gravy over top to keep some moisture in the beef because the fridge tends to dry things out sometimes.

To reheat you can do so in the microwave but I prefer to add the leftover roast back to a non-stick pan with some of the gravy or juice and reheat on medium-low.

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For the step-by-step version of this recipe, check out theHow To Make A Perfect Roast Beef Story.