How to cook a eye of round roast in a Dutch Oven is here. Of course our oven baked Top Round Roast Recipe is delicious too with a dry rub, but this is another favorite. Made with sautéed onions, mushrooms and gravy for dinner it should be on your meal plan this week.
This is a simple eye of round roast recipe. Once you get the hang of about how long it takes you can change up the seasonings and what you serve it with. A healthy budget friendly, protein packed meal that shouldn’t be cooked too long or it will dry out. (affiliate links present)
How to Cook Eye of Round Roast
The Eye of Round Roast is a cut of beef that comes from the round primal, which is the rear leg of the cow. It is a lean and relatively inexpensive cut known for its tenderness when cooked properly. The “eye” in its name refers to the round, lean, and cylindrical shape of this piece of meat.
This cut is very lean, which means it has minimal marbling (intramuscular fat). While leanness is a health benefit, it can also make the roast prone to drying out if overcooked. You want this cut to become fork tender medium rare like our picnic pork roast, that will make it the most delicious.
Eye of Round Roast Recipe
Typically this is cylindrical in shape, making it a consistent and even cut of meat. While it may not be as naturally tender as more marbled cuts, it can still be delicious when cooked correctly. It’s often used for slow cooker pot roast, stews, and braised dishes. It can also be sliced thin for sandwiches or roasted and served whole.
Eye of Round Roast in Oven
Often more affordable than other beef cuts, it is an economical choice for those looking to prepare a tasty beef dish without breaking the bank. Bottom Round Roast is similar, cooked basically the same way.
When preparing, consider marinating it. Use a meat thermometer to monitor doneness, and allow the thick piece to rest before slicing to help retain its juices and tenderness.
- 2 lb bottom round roast timing is 1-2 hours per pound at 180 F.
- Onion diced or sliced
- Olive oil
- 1 package mushrooms baby bellas, sliced, 2 cups
- Minced garlic
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 tbsp Sherry
- Thyme
- 2 c beef broth
Now you could do this with Bottom Round Roast Beef style as well if you wanted to slice thin when done.
How to Cook Frozen Eye of Round Roast
If you wanted to make something like this right out of the freezer you would need to follow our Frozen Roast in the Oven directions and temperature.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees F. Blot meat dry with paper towels. Mix together our pot roast seasoning and rub all over meat. Set a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and spray with non stick spray, lay meat on top. Then bake for 1.5-2 hours per pound until it reaches 125 F.
- For 2 lbs. it will take about 3 hours but cooking time varies.
- Check temp. with an instant read thermometer after 2 hours as well as liquids in bottom. May need to add more broth if it evaporates too quickly.
- When it reaches 125 degrees, allow to rest outside of oven for 10 minutes before slicing against the grain. After resting it should now be 130 – 135 degrees which is ideal for flavorful cuts of roast beef ro sandwiches or over potatoes.
- Serve with gravy from bottom over the top.
- Never overcook eye of round roast, if at all possible! Because this is such a very lean cut of beef, it can easily overcook if you don’t keep a careful watch with your instant-read meat thermometer.
Baked Roast with Dry Rub
Last but not least you could make it low and slow with our Eye of Round Roast Slow Cooker recipe. Over cooking round roast will make it nearly flavorless, dry, and chewy. You want to pull it out 5 degrees shy of what you want it to be as it will increase that amount as it rests before slicing and serving.
The recommended internal temperature for Eye of Round Roast varies depending on your desired level of doneness. Pink medium rare is best. Remember that it will increase 5 degrees while resting.
Rare 120-125°F
Medium Rare is the best internal temperature at 130-135°F (54-57°C)
Medium 140-145°F
Medium Well 150-155°F (66-68°C)
Well Done 160°F (71°C) and above
How to Slice a Roast
Always allow thick cuts of meat to rest for about 10-15 minutes after it has finished cooking. This resting period allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, making it juicier and more flavorful.
- Place the piece on a clean cutting board. If it has a bone, orient it so that the bone is facing down on the cutting board. This provides stability while you slice.
- Examine to determine the direction of the grain (muscle fibers). Slicing against the grain (perpendicular to the direction of the fibers) is essential for tender slices.
- Begin slicing from one end, using a carving knife. Make the first slice about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, depending on your preference. If you’re serving the roast to a group, consider the portion size when deciding on thickness.
- As you continue to slice, maintain the same thickness for each slice. Use the previous slice as a guide for the next one. Consistency in slice thickness ensures even cooking and presentation.
- Remember to always slice against the grain. If you’re not sure about the grain’s direction, look for the lines of muscle fibers and cut perpendicular to them. Slicing this way makes each bite more tender.
- When using the carving knife, use a gentle sawing motion rather than pressing down forcefully. This helps maintain the integrity of each slice.
Work your way down, slicing and arranging the slices on a serving platter as you go. Once you’ve finished, arrange the slices on a platter. You can garnish the platter with fresh herbs or other complementary ingredients if desired. Printable recipe card is below, let us know what you think.
Eye of Round Roast
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 lb Eye of Round Roast, timing is 1-2 hours per pound at 180 F.
- 1 onion, diced or sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 package mushrooms, baby bellas, sliced, 2 cups
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 4 tbsp Sherry
- 1 tsp thyme
- 2 c beef broth
Instructions
- With Gravy – Preheat oven to 180 degrees F. Pat the meat dry with paper towels, then sprinkle all around with salt and pepper. Heat up your Dutch Oven over medium high heat. Add oil. Fry on all sides, turning over until it is browned on all sides. Pull out the meat out of the pot and set aside.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic to the same pot. Fry until light golden brown. Add mushrooms. Fry for a couple more minutes.
- Add liquid ingredients. Add meat back in. Cook for about 1.5 hours per pound or until the middle thickest part reaches the internal temperature you want. 125 degrees = medium rare is ideal.
- Without Gravy – Preheat oven to 180 degrees F. Blot meat dry with paper towels. Mix together our pot roast seasonings and rub all over meat. Set a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and spray with non stick spray, lay meat on top. Then bake for 1.5-2 hours per pound until it reaches 125 F.
- For 2 lbs. it will take about 3 hours but time varies. Check temp. after 2 hours as well as liquids in bottom. May need to add more broth if it evaporates too quickly. When reaches 125 degrees, allow to rest outside of oven for 10 minutes before slicing against the grain and serving with gravy from bottom over the top.
- Never overcook eye of round roast, if at all possible! Because this is such a very lean cut of beef, it can easily overcook if you don't keep a careful watch with your instant-read meat thermometer. Over cooking round roast will make it nearly flavorless, dry, and chewy.
- Crockpot – Follow our recipe here for Eye of Round Roast Slow Cooker
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
