Oven Roast Know How - Canadian Beef | Canada Beef

Oven Roast

With minimal time and effort to prepare, and little to no tending while it cooks, a roast lets you enjoy more time with friends and family – perfect for entertaining.
It’s so easy. Just season the meat and oven-roast – that’s all there is to it!

Get Ready

Oven-roast these cuts at a low temperature to the doneness you like and carve into thin slices to serve.

  1. SEASON ROAST Place in shallow roasting pan. Insert oven-safe meat thermometer into centre of roast avoiding fat or bone.
  2. OVEN-SEAR by placing uncovered roast in preheated 450°F (230°C) oven for 10 minutes.
  3. REDUCE heat to 275°F (140°C); cook uncovered to desired doneness, removing from oven when 5°F (3°C) below finished temperature. (Bone-in roast can take 30 to 45 minutes less.)
  4. COVER with foil and let stand for at least 15 minutes before carving into thin slices.

*If you are not around to turn it down? Skip Step 2 and roast at a constant 275°F (140°C). This is especially good for less tender cuts and smaller roasts (less than 1 kg/2 lb). Allow approximately 15% longer cook time.

Watch

Common Cuts

Boneless Prime Rib Oven Roast

Top Sirloin Oven Roast

Outside Round Oven Roast

Inside Round Oven Roast

Sirloin Tip Oven Roast

Cross Rib Petite Shoulder Tender

or buy any even-shaped boneless Oven Roast (ideally, a sausage shape)

Myth Buster

MYTH:

The best way to know when your roast will be done is to follow a Minutes per Pound cooking chart.

TRUTH:

The shape of the roast and the type of cut are major factors that determine cooking time (as well as the accuracy of your oven) – these factors make it impossible to develop accurate Minutes per Pound estimates. The best way to know your roast is done the way you like it is to use a meat thermometer.

Tips for the perfect oven roast

Cooks Notes:

  • A rack in the pan promotes even cooking.
  • Roast without a lid for best browning.
  • Use a thermometer to know when your Oven Roast is done the way you like it.
  • Let roast stand at least 15 minutes after cooking to let juices settle.
  • Carve Oven Roasts into thin slices across the grain.

Cooks Notes:

  • A rack in the pan promotes even cooking.
  • Roast without a lid for best browning.
  • Use a thermometer to know when your Oven Roast is done the way you like it.
  • Let roast stand at least 15 minutes after cooking to let juices settle.
  • Carve Oven Roasts into thin slices across the grain.

Oven Roast Beef refers to a cut that has a chunky shape – often like a cylinder or cube. Roasts can have a range of sizes cut to suit you, from 1 lb (500g) Quick Roasts to 10 lb (4.5 kg) or more. They come with a range of tenderness. Cook Oven Roasts in the oven with no liquid and no lid.

QUICK ROASTS are small-cut Oven Roasts that cook in less than an hour.

All Canadian roasts are sorted into 3 BASIC COOKING CATEGORIES: so you know what you’re buying and how to cook it: Choose from OVEN ROAST, POT ROAST and ROTISSERIE ROAST.

Size Matters: Butchers recommend you buy enough beef for generous servings or allow for leftovers.

  • Buy 6 to 8 oz (175 to 250 g) raw beef per person (boneless roast)
  • Buy 12 oz (375 g) raw beef per person (bone-in-roast)

Orange Balsamic Roast Beef with Herbed Quinoa Pilaf and Roasted Fennel

Cuts used with Oven Roasting

Raw, Rib Premium Oven Roast

Rib Premium Oven Roast

Rib Roast is ever tender and flavourful. As a premium Oven Roast, this cut is luxury priced and delivers a tender eating experience.

Raw, Inside Round Oven Roast

Inside Round Oven Roast

Best oven roasted at low temperatures (275°F/135°C) to at least medium rare (145°F/63°C). Carve across the grain into thin slices to optimize tenderness. Taken from the lean round, Inside Round is more flavourful than Eye of Round and more tender than Outside Round.

Raw, Top Sirloin Premium Oven Roast

Top Sirloin Premium Oven Roast

This premium oven roast has maximized tenderness at an intermediate price. Top Sirloin cuts have good beefy flavour.

Raw, Prime Rib Premium Oven Roast

Prime Rib Premium Oven Roast

The favourite of the restaurant buffet and Sunday night roast beef dinner, the Prime Rib is ever tender and flavourful. As a premium Oven Roast, this cut is luxury priced and delivers a tender eating experience.

Raw, Rib Cap Off Grilling Steak

Rib Cap Off Grilling Steak

Rib Steak is ever tender and flavourful and trimming off the Cap means there is less waste, so better value for your money. One of the most flavourful tender steaks. Good for pan-searing, broiling or grilling.

Raw, Eye of Round Oven Roast

Eye of Round Oven Roast

One of the leanest beef cuts with the mildest flavour, this cut is generally sold at a moderate price. To maximize tenderness, cook to medium doneness at most. let cooked roast rest for 15 minutes and carve across the grain into thin slices to maximize tenderness.

Raw, Outside Round Oven Roast” width=

Outside Round Oven Roast

Taken from the lean round, Outside Round is more flavourful than Eye of Round and less tender than Inside Round. Best oven roasted at low temperatures (275°F) to at least medium-rare 145°F (63°C). Carve across the grain into thin slices to optimize tenderness.

Raw, Centre Cut Tenderloin Premium Oven Roast

Centre Cut Tenderloin Premium Oven Roast

This centre section of the whole tenderloin is also known as the Chateaubriand and is characterized as having a nice even shape that makes it ideal for making Beef Wellington. Tenderloin is a soft textured beef cut with less marbling and a unique mild flavour. As a premium Oven Roast, it delivers an extremely lean and tender eating experience at a higher price point.

Raw, Eye of Round Oven Roast

Eye of Round Oven Roast

One of the leanest beef cuts with the mildest flavour, this cut is generally sold at a moderate price. To maximize tenderness, cook to medium doneness at most. Let cooked roast rest for 15 minutes and carve across the grain into thin slices to maximize tenderness.

Raw, Rib Eye Premium Oven Roast

Rib Eye Premium Oven Roast

This boneless Oven Roast is ever tender and very flavourful. As a premium Oven Roast, this cut is luxury priced and delivers a tender eating experience.

Raw, Inside Round Quick Roast

Inside Round Quick Roast

Inside Round Quick roast is an Inside Round Oven Roast that has been cut to be about 1 lb and shaped much like a Tenderloin. This lean cut can be oven roasted in less than an hour. More flavourful than Eye of Round and more tender than Outside Round. Best oven roasted at 275°F (135°C) to at least medium-rare 145°F (63°C). Carve across the grain into thin slices to optimize tenderness.

Raw, Butt Tenderloin Premium Oven Roast

Butt Tenderloin Premium Oven Roast

This tenderloin section is the larger end of the whole tenderloin and is characterized as soft texturized with less marbling that delivers a unique mild flavour. As a premium Oven Roast, this cut is luxury priced and it delivers an extremely lean and tender eating experience.

Raw, Sirloin Tip Oven Roast

Sirloin Tip Oven Roast

Sirloin Tip is a moderately tender Oven Roast sold at an intermediate price with good beefy flavour. To maximize tenderness, cook to medium-rare 145°F (63°C). Let cooked roast rest for 15 minutes (at least). Carve across the grain into thick slices to serve.

Raw, Strip Loin Premium Oven Roast

Strip Loin Premium Oven Roast

This Oven Roast has a thinner flatter shape than most roasts, so it will cook in less time that many other roasts. Strip Loin is characterized as having an excellent blend of frim texture and fine marbling delivering exceptional flavour and tenderness.

Raw, Short Tenderloin Premium Oven Roast

Short Tenderloin Premium Oven Roast

This tenderloin section is the smaller tapered end section of the whole tenderloin and is characterized as having soft texture with less marbling and a unique mild flavour. As a premium Oven Roast, it delivers an extremely lean and tender eating experience at a high price point. With the tapered end, the thinnest portion can be used for excellent stir-fry strips or fondue/grilling kabob cubes.

Classic Gravy

Heat roast drippings in the pan used for roasting the beef, using medium-high heat; stir in 2 cups broth or stock.

Stir up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Thicken by cooking until broth reduces or thicken with cornstarch (see Cook’s Notes). Strain (if desired) and skim off fat; return to pan. Heat and season to taste. Add splash of heavy cream and/or balsamic or wine vinegar if desired.

Cook’s Notes:
To thicken with cornstarch, gradually stir together equal amounts of cornstarch and cold water. (Note: 1 tbsp cornstarch thickens 1 cup liquid.) Whisk into sauce and bring to a boil, cooking just until thickened.

More on how to make gravy

Carving Prime Rib

  1. Piercing meat with fork, tilt roast so that bones are vertical.
  2. With carving knife, cut parallel to bone, removing the large chunk of meat.
  3. Set roast cut side down; carve across the grain into slices. Cut between bones to separate them for serving.

Cook’s Notes:
You can set cutting board into rimmed baking sheet to collect juices.

To simplify carving, at time of purchase, ask the butcher to cut meat from the bones and then tie them back on. After roasting, just snip the twine and remove bones.

Use a gentle sawing action and a sharp carving knife to minimize loss of juices while carving.

Cook like a pro

Take the guesswork out of cooking and use a thermometer to cook beef just the way you like it. There are two kinds to consider when cooking roasts: oven-safe or instant/rapid read.

Thermometers

Oven Safe

You leave the thermometer stem inserted into the meat while it cooks so you can monitor the cooking progress. They come with a dial face read or as a digital-read thermometer with cable and monitor.

The digital model lets you monitor cooking without opening the oven door – most models even send out a signal when your meat is cooked to the doneness you select.

Digital Instant/rapid-read

These thermometers are NOT oven-safe so don’t insert before roasting. To use, remove roast from oven near end of cooking and insert thermometer stem to check meat temperature.

Doneness

Medium-rare 145°F (63°C)
Beef Burgers/Medium 160°F (71°C)
Well-Done 170°F (77°C)

Oven Roast Recipes

Rotisserie Roast Beef with Apple Onion Salsa

The flavourful mustard paste here is great used as a rub on your favourite roasts or steaks before grilling. Rotisserie roast the beef or cook on the grill by indirect heat roasting.
Beef Rubs

Robust Rubs for Grilling Steaks

If you want a switch from simple salt and pepper, try a rub. Rubs can be wet or dry and work well on any Grilling Steak. Combine ingredients and rub mix into the meat. Cook right away or refrigerate for several hour before grilling. These recipes make enough rub for a least 1 to 2 lb (500 g to 1 kg) of steak. Any remaining rub can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Putting-On-the-Ritz Roast Beef

Putting-On-the-Ritz Roast Beef

Impress everyone with this elegant roast beef recipe, infused with garlic, coated with herbs, and served with wine gravy. If using a Prime Rib you may need to allow an additional 30 to 45 minutes.

Oven Roast Beef Stuffed with Mushroom Barley Risotto

With beef tenderloin and a rich risotto made from barley and mixed mushrooms, this recipe is a showstopper. To simplify meal-planning, make the risotto ahead and store covered tightly in the fridge for up to 3 days. The recipe makes 5 cups of risotto which is plenty for stuffing the roast with 3 cups remaining that can be served as a meal unto itself or as a side along with the roast.
Mushroom-Crusted Roast Beef

Mushroom-Crusted Roast Beef

Add something new to your roast beef repertoire with this Mushroon-Crusted Roast Beef recipe. Made from dried mushrooms, the crust adds an intense mushroom flavour to both the sauce and the roast beef. 
Juniper Berry and Rosemary Petite Tender Beef Roast with Pea Purée

Juniper Berry and Rosemary Petite Tender Beef Roast with Pea Purée

This is an elegant starter course, or serve as a main for just 2 to 3 people. Chef Jean-Francois of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise uses dried pine needles instead of the rosemary as the chef’s cooking philosophy is all about local.

Roast Beef with Peppercorn Wine Sauce and Yorkies

A Strip Loin roast has a thin shape so it cooks more quickly than chunkier roasts like Prime Rib. It also a snap to carve and little to no trimming required to serve. The Yorkies recipe here is courtesy of an old edition of Home & Gardens and the Frizzled Onions is a recipe that hails from Canadian Living. This is a real recipe-swap kind of recipe!

Grab-And-Go Tortillas

Believe it or not, roast beef is the perfect start to a speedy 'grab and go' meal like this one! Use a small Beef Oven Roast (try a Quick Roast such as Top Sirloin, Sirloin Tip or Inside Round) or use a Grilling Steak instead if you like.
Savoury Sunday Beef Roast

Savoury Sunday Beef Roast

Nothing could be more simple or delicious than a savoury beef roast. This recipe provides a comforting dinner, plus roast beef leftovers offer many easy weekday meals.

Rouladen-style Roast Beef

Inspired by Emily Richards @ERiscooking, this stuffed rolled roast is an easy way to take a budget roast like Eye of Round and turn it into something you’d be proud to serve to company. It’s very lean so you may even consider wrapping it in bacon – who doesn’t like bacon after all? Other options for filling: add asiago or Parmesan to the mixture, use pesto instead of mustard.
Beef Prime Rib Au Jus

Beef Prime Rib Au Jus

Au Jus is just a fancy name for making a beef gravy recipe.
Maple Glazed Tenderloin with Harvest Vegetables

Maple Glazed Tenderloin with Harvest Vegetables

Tenderloin is one of the most tender cuts of beef so it's easy for kids to love it -- don't save it just for company! You can sub in carrots and/or parsnips for the sweet potatoes or brussel sprouts if you like.

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