THIS is how to cook melt in the mouth roast beef in the oven at 350 degrees F! Fork tender medium rare slices that are amazing for dinner or made into sliders. Quicker than our slow cooker roast beef and gravy if y’all are hangry!
Baked melt in your mouth roast beef is so easy to make, and will impress your guests for sure. Whether you’re looking to make a fancy meal for your loved one or sandwiches for the big game, you just can’t mess this one up. (affiliate links present)
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How to Cook Roast Beef in Oven
You just sear, bake, rest and slice! Ok so you know how I love my small countertop appliances but since I created all the things there I thought I would go “old school” and make sure I covered my basis. I get it, not all of y’all love pressure cooker roast beef because yeah that machine can be kinda’ scary. (it’s not)
Everyone has an oven and yes I do admit that sometimes you don’t need all the fancy pots to get a big hunk of meat to the perfect tenderness. All you need for this one is a pan large enough to hold your piece with a large lip to hold the juices. If you have a roasting pan that works quite well.
How long does it take to cook a roast beef at 350 degrees?
Baked roast beef is the way to go. Don’t rush it, 350 degrees to 375 F at the highest is what you should aim for. To get that perfect pink with your thin slices, typically you will need about 15 minutes per pound to get it to a desired medium rare.
If you wanted a crust on the outside you could use your own, a bottled version, or our beef dry rub here. It has a few different seasonings mixed together to give the outside of each slice a bolder flavor than most. Going simple works too though so what is listed below is just that; salt, pepper and fresh rosemary.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb beef roast
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- Butter, unsalted or for dairy free you can use a plant based product or olive oil
- 2-4 sprigs rosemary
- 1/2 c beef broth or beef stock
It is best to season the outside after you’ve dried it. Reason being is that is a good way to get it to stick and really adhere. Then when you sear the outside those flecks will really stick on there and create a bit of a crust. Like I said, everyone has their preferences when it comes to how bold or not they want to go with it.
If you wanted to add a bit of spicy into the mix that would be quite easy too. Red pepper flakes work wonders to do just that. A little goes a long way with this or if you used dry sriracha into the mix. Start with 1/4 tsp your first go around. Make note of whether it was enough so the next time you can adjust accordingly.
How to Make a Tender Roast Beef in the Oven
Preheat the oven to 300 F, we are going to do this slow but not necessarily slow. It doesn’t take very long if you want to keep it at medium rare which is ideal for this cut of meat. Pink inside will keep it moist and super flavorful.
- Start by removing the excess moisture from the outside with paper towels, then salt it and sprinkle the outside with black pepper, or seasonings of your choice.
- Melt the butter and start frying the beef – 4-5 minutes on each side. Add 2 sprigs of rosemary. It is convenient to turn the beef with large tongs.
- Put the roast beef in a baking dish
- pour in the broth
- put 2 more sprigs of rosemary inside
- Roast in oven for about 25 minutes cooking time (or 15 minutes per pound of beef)
- To achieve medium rare, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature inside the beef, it should be at 135 F.
- remember that the temperature will rise another 5-10 degrees as it rests so remove once it’s at 125 F or so ideally
- 145 degrees F (for medium meat), or 150 degrees F (for medium well).
- Cover and rest on the table for 15 minutes before slicing.
If you want to serve this chilled, let cool to room temperature, wrap in foil and refrigerate for 2 hours. This is a great idea if you want to use it inside a bundtwich to serve. It is much easier to cut beef thin when it has cooled. Just chill pot roast wrapped, unwrap, slice and serve when you’re ready, within 24 hours is ideal.
How do you cook frozen roast beef melt in the mouth?
You would want to follow the oven temp and instructions here in our Frozen Roast in the Oven directions for that one but it is possible! Yes you can cook frozen beef to tender (and your family may not even know the difference if done right).
What temperature should beef roast in oven be cooked to?
Each piece of meat will have a different thickness, even if you had two eye of round roasts with the same weight. That will make the cook time vary slightly. Always use a thermometer into the thickest portion after you can pulled the pan out of the oven. If not the heat will not give you an accurate read. 135F in the thickest part is ideal. Remember that it will rise another 5 degrees while resting so plan accordingly for that.
I would say that for a hunk that is about this size, 1.5 pounds you’re looking at 20 – 30 minutes max if you want to keep it nice and pink like you see here.
How Long Does Cooked Roast Beef Last in the Fridge?
You will need to save it properly first. When you are done allow it to cool completely. Then you want to keep air away from it so using a freezer bag is best. Push all the air out before zipping shut and then store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Of course it is best reheated within 24 hours. If you have gravy keep that in a container separately.
How do You Reheat Roast Beef without Drying it Out?
You will want to use the same temperature of 300 degrees to do this in the oven. Put a few pieces in some foil, like a foil packet on the bbq with a few Tbsp of broth or gravy inside. Bake for 6-10 minutes until it reaches 120+ degrees or until it is as warm as you’d like. Want quicker?? Make roast beef sliders in the air fryer too!
Alternatively you could set a pan over medium heat. Add a bit of broth with your meat. Put a lid on it so it can steam to warm again for a few minutes that way. The microwave will be fastest but will dry it out a bit more. If you have a sauce to put on top that will definitely help if you want to do it this way.
I wouldn’t recommend air fryer roast beef for reheating as it is already sliced and will get crispy (unless you want that texture).
How to Cook Melt in the Mouth Roast Beef
Equipment
- 1 roasting pan or large casserole dish
- 1 pan
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb beef roast
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2-4 sprigs rosemary
- 1/2 c beef broth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300F. Remove excess moisture from the beef, salt it and sprinkle with black pepper.
- Melt the butter and start frying the beef – 4-5 minutes on each side. Add 2 sprigs of rosemary. It is convenient to turn the beef with large tongs.
- Put the roast beef in a baking dish, pour in the broth and put 2 more sprigs of rosemary. Roast in oven for about 25 minutes depending on thickness (or about 15 minutes per pound of beef).
- To achieve medium rare, the temperature inside the beef should be about 135 F. * remember that the temperature will rise another 5-10 degrees as it rests so remove once it's at 125 F or so ideally * 145 degrees F (for medium meat), or 150 degrees F (for medium well).
- Cover and rest on the table for 15 minutes before slicing. If you want to serve this chilled, let cool, wrap in foil and refrigerate for 2 hours. Then unwrap and slice and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What cut of beef are you using ??
Believe this time it was a rump roast but have used several different kinds. Many love chuck roast, bottom round roast or sirloin tip roast are great choice for roast beef.
This melt-in-the-mouth roast beef makes a great dinner that the whole family loved. Every bit was juicy and delicious!!
My BF loves roast beef and made this for him for his birthday – thanks so much for the recipe!
I’m so glad to have found this recipe! This is going to be my go-to for roast beef around the holidays. No more worrying if I’ve overcooked the beef!
I’m so glad I found this. I’ve had problems in the past with getting my roast beef just right, but I followed these instructions and it was PERFECT.