How to Make the Perfect Eye of Round Roast

Nothing brings the family together quite like a roast beef dinner, and my foolproof recipe for making the perfect Eye of Round Roast will impress everyone! Perfectly tender roast beef that’s flavorful, and, most importantly, easy, this roast beef recipe is a keeper!

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This is my tried and true beef eye of round roast recipe, and I’ve been doing it this way for more than 20 years.

It’s a steakhouse-quality dish that always comes out tender, juicy, and bursting with flavor. It’s good stuff, y’all! 

Plus, it’s budget-friendly. This affordable cut of beef often goes on sale, so snag one and pop it in the freezer until you can call the family together for a delicious meal. 

I came up with this dish back in 2000 when my late husband and I had two kids under 2. Money was tight, but we still liked to eat well! Mike loved the leftovers sliced thinly on a sandwich, and he often requested this amazing dinner. I think he asked for the roast beef just to enjoy his favorite sandwich the next day!

What is Eye of Round?

Eye of round is sold as roasts, but you can also find it as steaks. It is cut from the rump where the muscles are used for movement, so while the meat is very lean, it is also less tender. Eye of Round is often ground and sold as ground beef or tenderized and sold as cube steaks. 

This is also an inexpensive cut of meat, and with my tips, you’ll turn this into a show-stopping centrepiece roast everyone will love!

How Much Eye of Round per Person?

I usually look for about ½ pound per person of uncooked weight.

Ingredients

• Eye of round roast
• Steak marinade – Allegro and Lawry’s Steak & Chop are my favorites
• Steak seasoning blend – I like McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning
• Garlic – A few fresh cloves.
• Butter – Salted or unsalted is fine.

Other Tools

I use a meat tenderizer for the marinade and tenderizer to penetrate the meat. But, you could also use a fork with long tines.

A digital meat thermometer is also essential! If you overcook this roast, it’ll be dry and tough. Use your digital meat thermometer and cook the roast to 130-F degrees.

How To Make The Best Eye Of Round Roast

This is my foolproof way to make the most tender, juiciest, and best tasting roast!

1. Poke holes all over the roast with your meat tenderizer (I loooooveeee my meat tenderizer!) or a fork.
2. Pop the roast into a zipper-top plastic bag and add the steak marinade. Refrigerate it overnight or for at least 4 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 250-F, then drain the meat from the marinade.
4. Cut deep slits into the roast with a sharp paring knife, then stuff garlic cloves into the slits.
5. Sprinkle the roast with the steak spice seasoning.
6. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on all sides – color is flavor!
7. Transfer the roast to a rack in your roasting pan. You could add more steak spice if it came off in the skillet.
8. Slow cook the eye of round roast in the oven at 250-F degrees until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 130-F.
9. Remove the roast from the pan and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

What To What To Serve With Eye Of Round Roast Beef

It’s meat and potatoes time! Serve thinly sliced roast beef with potatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes, biscuits, or any of your favorite side dishes.

Tips

• You can use your favorite marinade recipe. I like the convenience of using a store-bought marinade.
• If your garlic cloves are too big, cut them in half or even into quarters, so they go into the slits in the meat easily. 
• Let the roast rest! Have a glass of wine, make dessert, or do something while the roast rests before slicing. Trust me; it’s worth the wait!
• Thinly slice the roast against the grain, so it’s the most tender. Only slice what you need for dinner.

Mike’s Favorite Leftover Roast Beef Sandwiches

Chill the leftover roast in the fridge overnight, then it’ll be easier to slice thinly. 

I’d make a little garlic mayo (just minced garlic and mayonnaise) and put it in a small container so my late husband Mike could spread it on his bread at lunchtime (no soggy sandwich this way!) and make his ‘roast beef sandwich’. Mike looovveeedd him some garlic (and hot peppers!). This was one of his favorites, both hot and cold. And mine too, for that matter. 🙂

Got Leftovers?

Use your leftover Roasted Eye of Round in a sandwich or this Philly Cheesesteak Pizza!

Frequently Asked Questions

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Foolproof Eye of Round Roast

Ingredients

• Eye of Round Roast the size is up to you as we are working with internal temps – not lengths of time for cooking. You can also use a rump roast or another cut of round roast
• 1 bottle steak marinade I like both Lawry’s Steak and Chop & Allegro a lot or any garlic-y one
• Steak Seasoning
• Garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

• Poke holes all in the roast with a fork or meat tenderizer like I use. Marinate it in the steak marinade in a resealable plastic bag overnight in the fridge.
• When ready to cook, drain the marinade off with a colander. Using a sharp paring knife, cut deep slits all over the roast. Stuff those slits with garlic cloves. Sprinkle the roast with steak seasoning.
• Heat the butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on all sides. Transfer the roast to a rack in your roaster. Sprinkle with additional steak seasoning if desired.
• Place your meat thermometer in the thickest part of your roast. Cook the roast in an oven preheated to 250 degrees until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees. Remove the roast, and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing.