- I'm gonna show you how to cook roast beef
that's juicy, tender, and absolutely holiday-worthy.
Plus, you're gonna love the pan gravy.
Check this out.
(jolly upbeat music)
(Natasha grunts)
Hey, everybody, it's Natasha of natashaskitchen.com.
I'm really excited about today.
We're learning how to cook roast beef.
This is a recipe everybody should have in their repertoire
because it's easy, stunning,
and really one of the less expensive roasts
that you can make for the holidays.
So if you wanna cook something impressive
without breaking the bank, this is it.
You guys are gonna love this.
Also, leftovers are perfect for sandwich meat.
This is the ideal sandwich.
My kids go crazy for this.
All right, and I'm craving some roast beef and gravy,
so let's get started.
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Okay, let's do this.
I'm using a 3 1/2 pound top round roast.
And before you roast it,
you do wanna take it out of the fridge at least an hour,
preferably two hours before you roast.
That'll allow it to come to room temperature
and roast evenly through,
and it'll roast a little faster.
Plus, before you roast it,
note which way the lines are going on the beef.
So we can see that they are going in this direction.
So once it's roasted, we're gonna wanna cut it this way.
That's the most common mistake that I see people making
with roast beef, not cutting against the grain.
You wanna cut it against the grain.
That'll make it soft, tender, and easy to chew.
All right, we're gonna set that aside
while we make the marinade.
(jolly upbeat music)
We'll start with the herbs.
You'll need about a tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves.
To strip rosemary leaves,
pinch the top of the stem and pull the leaves down.
It's the same process
for stripping fresh thyme leaves, easy peasy.
You'll need about two teaspoons of finely chopped thyme.
Now, you can substitute with dried herbs,
but for the holidays,
I love using fresh herbs for the best flavor.
Next, you'll need one tablespoon of finely chopped garlic.
It'll be about three cloves.
And I found the quickest and easiest way to peel garlic
is to cut off the end,
then smash it with the side of the knife.
The peel should come right off.
Now, you can finally mince it up.
And as much as I love my garlic press,
I do recommend chopping it by hand for this recipe.
Whenever you're roasting on high heat,
pressed garlic tends to burn,
so it's better to mince it up with a knife.
Now, in a small bowl, combine your extra light olive oil
along with your finely chopped rosemary and thyme,
your minced garlic, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper.
Stir that together and set it aside
to let the flavors meld for at least five minutes.
And I can tell you, this mixture smells amazing.
It pairs so well with beef.
We also love it on our prime rib roast.
Alright, our roast has rested,
and I've patted it dry with paper towels.
Now, we're gonna tie it with kitchen string.
Step is optional,
but I do think it makes the roast look more impressive
and it gives it a rounder,
more even shape for even roasting.
Tie that tightly in one-inch increments down the roast.
You can see, these cuts of beef tend to be pretty lean.
So a quick tip, I do like to look for one
that has a little bit of fat on the outside.
This will result in more pan drippings.
Once you have that tied all the way down the roast,
tightly secure the end and cut off any excess string.
Now, spread the rub all over your roast,
making sure to coat the sides and bottom.
The best tool you have for this is your hands.
Just spoon the sauce over the top of the roast
and massage it into your roast.
This will create a super flavorful garlic and herb crust.
Transfer your beef into a roasting pan
with a wire rack on the bottom.
And if you don't have a specific roasting rack,
you can get creative.
I'm using my instant pot rack here.
Using rack helps the roast to cook evenly all around.
Anytime you're roasting something,
I highly recommend using an in-oven meat thermometer,
put that into the deepest portion of your meat,
and transfer it to the oven.
Make sure the roast is in the center of your oven
and bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
Now, without opening the door,
reduce the heat to 250 degrees Fahrenheit
and bake for another 28 to 30 minutes per pound.
With roast beef, it's critical not to overcook it.
For medium rare, bake to 135 to 140
for a final resting temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once your roast is out of the oven,
transfer it to a cutting board and tent with foil.
For the juiciest beef,
make sure you rest that for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, we're gonna make the pan gravy sauce.
Remove the rack and set the pan with any drippings in it
over medium heat.
Now, add red wine
and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
Bring that to a boil and continue cooking
until the wine is reduced by half.
Add 1 1/2 cups of beef stock.
Bring that back to a light boil and add your seasonings.
I'm using onion powder, garlic powder, salt,
and freshly cracked black pepper.
(jolly upbeat music)
Stir that together.
Now, to thicken the gravy,
we're gonna make a corn starch slurry.
Combine cold water and corn starch.
Stir until it's well-combined,
and drizzle that into your gravy mixture
while stirring constantly.
Bring that back to a simmer
and continue cooking for about three minutes
or until the gravy is thickened.
Now, turn off the heat and melt in your butter.
Continue stirring until the butter is fully incorporated.
Then season to taste with more salt and pepper if needed.
The gravy is ready.
If you do like a silky smooth gravy,
you can strain it through a sieve.
(jolly upbeat music)
Once that's strained, transfer it to a gravy dish.
All right, our gravy is done, our roast has rested,
and it's time to carve it up.
And eat it, too, we are going to eat it.
And seriously, if you don't already have one,
get yourself an in-oven thermometer.
In the long run, it will definitely be worth its salt
because it'll save your meat
from getting overcooked or undercooked,
and that's really good in the oven,
also on the grill, in the smoker.
It is such a handy thermometer.
I will link to it in the notes.
Okay.
Remove the string because nobody wants to eat string.
It's very unpleasant.
And even though it tastes good, it doesn't go down easy.
I'll just snip that away, comes off easily.
And it's just some basic kitchen twine.
This one's the red and white.
I love that it's kind of Christmas-colored.
Okay, get rid of that.
You can suck on it for a little bit if you want to
to get all that flavor.
Just kidding. That's kind of weird.
(Natasha chuckles)
Oh, okay. Here we go.
We're gonna carve it.
And remember what I said about cutting against the grain.
This is so important.
I have seen so many roasts that have been sliced raw
and it just gets tough and hard to chew.
Okay, so find which way the fibers go.
On here, they go this way.
You wanna break those fibers,
so when you cut against the grain,
you're breaking the fibers,
making it so much easier to chew.
All right, got my handy low carving set.
Also, with roast beef, you do wanna cut thin slices.
Another thing I see
is people cutting this big old honks of big medallions.
This is not a prime rib, okay?
With prime rib, you wanna do that
so it doesn't cool down too quickly,
but with this one, you wanna cut it thinly.
So just shave it away.
The end pieces will be a little more cooked.
So, for the folks who want their meat
a little bit more well done, look at that.
That is gorgeous.
Gorgeous.
Perfectly cooked.
And that is why you need a thermometer.
(Natasha chuckles)
All right, just shave nice, thin slices.
You know what I love about this meat?
Leftovers are amazing.
This is the perfect sandwich meat.
Shave it nice and thin.
Use your leftover meat and sandwiches
for lunch the next day.
Oh, I think this is the best-looking one I've made,
and I've made like three of them in the past week
to get ready for this video
because I wanted it to be perfect for you.
Wait until we add the gravy.
I'm just gonna load up my plate.
Okay, here we go.
Get several generous slices 'cause I am hungry.
(Natasha chuckles)
I mean, when this roasts in the oven for a while,
you work up in appetite smelling those yummy aromas, right?
All right, here we go.
Now, the gravy.
This is probably my favorite part.
Oh, just imagine this over your beef.
It makes every bite so delicious.
Imagine it over our creamy mashed potatoes.
All right, I'm just gonna dig right in.
Here we go 'cause this is calling my name.
Get myself a big bite.
And you can see it cuts through so easily
'cause we've thinly sliced it,
we've cut it against the grain.
And...
(jolly upbeat music)
(Natasha hums)
Absolutely holiday-worthy.
Plus, when your meat is this lean,
make sure you don't overcook it.
Anytime you overcook beef, it'll be tough.
So that thermometer is key.
But, wow, this is just irresistibly good.
You can really taste that little notes
of red wine in the gravy, and the garlic and onion powder,
and that little bit of butter
actually makes the gravy super luxurious.
Because this is a lean cut,
it doesn't release a whole lot of fat.
So adding that little bit of butter off the heat,
swirling it in, makes the gravy creamy and so good.
I hope you guys love this.
Let me know if it makes it to your holiday table.
And Merry Christmas, happy holidays.
I hope you guys have a wonderful holiday season,
and we'll see you on the next episode of Natasha's Kitchen.
David, I've got steak.
My son just got home from school.
Somebody's eager.
- Smelled it right as I walked in the door.
- Did you? Smelling good.
He didn't even have time to take off his coat.
Okay, that's how good this is.
(jolly upbeat music)
I think his face says it all.
Good, huh? - Mm-hmm.
- That gravy. You like that gravy?
- Mm-hmm.
All right, we're gonna go eat.
Bye!