3 Ways to Cook Roast Beef in the Oven

When it comes to cooking a whole roast in the oven, there are two classic methods: high heat roasting and slow roasting.

High heat roasting is over 350°F and should be reserved for only the most tender cuts like tenderloin, top blade roast and rib roast.

Slow roasting is the other dry-heat method, below 300°F, and is necessary for less tender roasts, like top round roast and eye of round.

So, if you know that your roast is one of the most tender cuts, then you’re safe starting it in a 450°F oven and, for larger roasts, reducing the heat to finish cooking. This is the way people have cooked prime rib and standing rib roast (the bone-in cut) for generations.

And, if you know that the cut you’ve chosen is one of the less tender cuts, slow roasting is the only way to go. The meat cooks more evenly with less risk of overcooking and retains the all-important moisture in the meat that makes it juicy.

The new way to roast

But there’s another way to cook roast beef, a modern way that utilizes both high heat and slow roasting to the best effect. It’s called reverse sear.

Why “reverse” sear? Because it changes the order of that classic high-heat roasting technique I described above.

Instead of starting with a high oven temperature, you start with a low temperature (300°F and below) to cook the meat until it’s almost to the temperature you want to serve it at (more on that below). Then, you raise the heat and sear the outside of the meat into a gorgeous and tasty crust.

The bigger the roast, the better this technique works. Here’s an article I wrote on the reverse sear for Fine Cooking for more about the particulars of how and why it works so well.

The surprise (holiday) bonus is that you can cook the roast all the way through, then let it rest for up to 2 hours. Then, just before you’re ready to serve you pop it into a hot oven for just 10 minutes. It comes out beautifully seared and ready to serve!

How to know when it’s done

I don’t own a real roasting pan, but I can’t live without my trustworthy instant-read thermometer. It’s the only essential tool for roasting.

The simple reason is that timing is unreliable. So use any roasting time chart only as a planning guide.

Here’s why: when it comes to roasting large cuts of meat, everything is a variable. The temperature and size of your oven, the size, shape and composition of the roast, etc.–all of these (and maybe the orientation of the sun–just kidding–but you get the idea) affect how quickly your roast will cook.

So, the only reliable indicator of doneness is the thermometer.

Here’s my detailed chart with the temperatures for roast beef doneness from rare to well. With this guide, you’ll know when to take your roast out of the oven for the all-important rest and what to look for when slicing.

View my roast beef doneness Temperature Chart full size as a PDF.

For example, for medium-rare roast beef (the most recommended serving temperature), you’ll take the roast out of the oven when the instant-read thermometer registers 125°F to allow for the fact that the roast will continue to cook well after it’s removed from the oven! (It’s called carry-over cooking, for those who like the technical stuff.) By the time it has rested, the center of the roast will be at 135°F.

The larger the roast the more carryover cooking and the longer it should rest.

Here’s the thing: once the roast is cooked, it will wait for you–for much longer than you might believe. So, I always plan to have the roast ready well in advance of the other last-minute meal preparations.

This avoids the “is it done yet?” panic. (Yes, I’ve been there, and I don’t recommend it when people are waiting on dinner.) It also ensures that meat has a chance to rest and finish cooking.

Once the roast reaches your ideal temperature, just set it in an out-of-the way place, preferably away from drafts, (you can tent it with foil if you’d like). That baby will hang out just getting juicier as the meat juices redistribute. The bigger the roast, the longer it can wait.

Finishing touches

No matter what cut of beef you choose or how you cook it, there’s one constant: the gravy.

To be honest, I do not make gravy often. For one reason, I adore herb sauces, yogurt sauces and other fresh and bright meat accompaniments. But good gravy has a time and place.

A holiday roast is just that!