How To Make Melt in the Mouth Roast Beef with Gravy

5 from 5 votes

How To Make Melt in the Mouth Roast Beef with Gravy

Need an easy roast beef recipe for a Sunday roast or special occasion? This easy recipe will produce the juiciest and most tender roast beef, with minimal effort!

Prep Time10

Cook Time2

Resting time30

Total Time2 40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: people

Calories: 477kcal

Author: Briana

Equipment

Ingredients

For the beef roast:

3 pounds bottom round beef roast (or your cut of choice)
1.5 tablespoons kosher salt, divided (to taste)
1.5 teaspoons coarse black pepper, divided (to taste)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the braising liquid & gravy:

32 ounces beef stock, divided (4 cups)
4 ounces dry red wine (can be replaced with more beef stock)
8 cloves garlic
8 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 ounces heavy cream
½ teaspoon xanthan gum (substitute with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch or 4 tablespoons of all purpose flour)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 250°F. In a small bowl, combine most of the salt, and pepper. Then add in ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of onion powder, ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika, and ½ teaspoon of thyme. Season the roast really well on all sides. Reserve a bit of salt and pepper for later.
Heat a skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and sear roast on all sides until brown. This will take roughly 10 minutes, then transfer meat to a plate.
To the skillet, add about half (2 cups) of beef broth and ½ cup of red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the beef roast back to the pan, then add in fresh thyme, 8 garlic cloves, and 2 bay leaves. Add to the oven, uncovered, and cook using a meat thermometer until the temperature reaches around 115 - 120°F to enjoy the roast medium-rare.
Remove the roast from the pan, set it on a plate, and tent the roast with foil. Leave the thermometer inside to monitor the temperature. Allow the roast to rest tented for at least 15-20 minutes, and allow the temperature to reach 125°F - 130°F depending on your preferences. Don't skip this step.
Meanwhile, prepare the gravy. Remove the bay leaves, garlic cloves, and thyme from the pan and discard. Add the remaining 2 cups of beef stock, and allow the sauce to simmer over low heat. Add in 2 tablespoons of butter, and 2 ounces of heavy cream, and then whisk in 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard.
Sprinkle in up to ½ teaspoon xanthan gum slowly to thicken the sauce (see notes if using flour or cornstarch), simmer for 10-15 minutes. Don't allow the sauce to boil or you will curdle the cream. Adjust seasonings, and when the gravy coats the back of a spoon, you're ready. Cut the beef thin, and serve with gravy and sides of choice. Enjoy!
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently.

Notes

Always use a meat thermometer to ensure the proper internal temperature is reached. Undercooking or overcooking your meat will result in tough or dry meat.
Take the meat out and tent it about 5-8°F before the target temperature is reached depending on the size of the roast. Larger roasts will come up in temperature more than smaller roasts.
Don't skip searing, tenting, and resting the meat, which allows for the temperature to come up properly, as well as seal in the juices and creates flavor.
Plan on serving about ½ a pound, or 8 ounces of meat per person. This is a good rule of thumb. For those with big appetites, you may want about ¾ a pound or 12 ounces per person.
Leave the string (kitchen twine) on. Assuming that the string used to tie up the roast is cotton or safe to withstand heat, the string is meant to keep the roast in place so it's easier to carve later on for a better presentation, so we recommend keeping it on.
However, if the roast comes in a plastic netting, you should not sear the meat with it on, but be aware, that the roast may fall apart, so you may want to have your own kitchen twine to tie up the roast.
To use flour, use ¼ cup of all purpose flour, and change the method a little bit. What you will need to do is melt butter in a skillet, then add in the flour, cook until the "raw" smell goes away. Once this happens, stream in the cooked beef stock and red wine, stirring constantly to prevent any clumps. Add in the rest of the ingredients as usual.
For cornstarch, take a small amount of the beef stock and whisk in the cornstarch in a separate small container to make a slurry. Stream in the cornstarch slurry and stir to thicken.

Nutrition