This is how to transform an economical beef into something really special – use a herb garlic roast beef marinade to inject extra flavour, juiciness and tenderise. The marinated roast beef comes out of the oven with a deep golden crust, blushing pink, unbelievably juicy and bursting with flavour!
** Follow the Roast Beef Cut guide below to determine which cuts are best for marinating**
Marinated Roast Beef
This is a recipe that was born during the days when I was a poverty stricken uni student who refused to live on packet ramen day after day. I wanted roast beef and gravy, damn it! But of course, my budget would never stretch to Prime Rib, so I’d purchase the best value roast beef cuts I could find then end up chewing my way through dry, tasteless roast beef.
Because that is, after all, the reason we pay top dollar for premium cuts – it’s tender, juicy and full of flavour.
So I started marinating the economical beef I purchased, to add flavour and juiciness. And I never stopped! 🙂
Use this roast beef marinade for economical roast beef cuts to add flavour and juiciness!
Roast Beef Marinade ingredients
Here’s what you need. The ingredients in this are pretty similar to my Steak Marinade. It’s a great one for beef because it adds savoury flavour without overwhelming ie it complements and enhances the beef flavour, rather than overtaking it completely.
(PS Soy sauce acts as a brine in this recipe, injecting salt into the flesh. As opposed to adding Asian flavours – there is nothing remotely Asian about this roast beef recipe!
Best Roast Beef Cuts
Use this recipe on any economical beef roast cut. It would be wasted on expensive cuts, so do not use it on Prime Rib, beef tenderloin or any cut of roast beef that you’ve paid top dollar for.
Here’s a list of some of the most common roast beef cuts – I’ve done my best to translate the name of cuts between Australia, the US and UK!
Great for this roast beef marinade
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Oyster Blade Roast (Aus) / Top Blade Roast (US) – great for this marinade! Pretty tender cut with decent flavour, very good value. Looks like the pictured roast beef but has a thin line of membrane in the middle.
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Bolar Blade (Aus/parts of UK) – perfect for this marinade! An economical cut with fair flavour and is reasonably tender but is enhanced by marinading. This is pictured in the post and video. This cut doesn’t really exist in the US, it’s part of the cow shoulder gets mixed up in chuck meat.
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Eye of Round Roast (US) / Girello (Australia) – ideal for this marinade because it’s a leaner, tougher cut of meat with less beefy flavour. In Australia, this cut of beef is usually sold in medallion steak form or pre marinated at supermarkets, so it’s not really available.
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Silverside (Aus/UK) / Bottom Round Roast (US) – this is one of the tougher cuts of roast beef, usually slow cooked. It’s used for corned beef and to make things like Pastrami. This marinade is ideal for adding flavour to this cut and it can be cooked to pink as pictured, as long as the beef is sliced very thinly.
Optional Marinade
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Rump Roast (Aust) / Top Sirloin Roast (US) – tender, juicy and marbled and a good quality one doesn’t need marinating BUT if you get a very economical one, it will certainly benefit from marinading.
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Topside Roast (Aus/UK name) / Top Round Roast (US) – probably the most popular cut for a classic roast beef (ie not marinated). If you’ve purchased a good quality one, there’s no need to marinade. But if you’ve purchased a good value one, this roast beef marinade will certainly enhance it.
Do not use marinade for these beef cuts
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Tender, juicy, prime beef cuts – Prime rib / standing rib roast, scotch fillet roast (which is standing rib minus the bone), tenderloin, strip loin roast / Porterhouse roast. These are pricier, quality cuts and a marinade would be wasted on them!
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Slow cooking cuts – Brisket, chuck and ribs. These are tough cuts of beef that need to be slow cooked to breakdown the tough fibres. Because of this, I typically do not marinade them as the slow cooking time is when the flavour is infused into the beef – recipes like Pot Roast, Beef Stew, Short Ribs in Red Wine Sauce and Brisket in BBQ Sauce.
How to make it
The making part is very straight forward – marinade, plonk on veggies and roast on high (240C/450F) to get a nice crust, then turn down to 180C/350F to finish cooking.
MOST IMPORTANT STEP is to rest the beef for a minimum of 20 minutes, ideally 30 minutes, to allow the juices to get sucked back into the beef. If you do not rest, the meat juices will run everywhere the second you cut it = less juicy beef. 😢
How long to marinade roast beef?
Because we’re talking about a piece of meat that’s somewhat larger than chicken breast, you’ll get the best results if you can marinate for 2 to 3 days. Anything less than 24 hours is better than not marinating at all, but it’s less effective.
Final Tips!
- Take the beef out of the fridge 1 hour prior – key to take the chill out of the core a bit to encourage even cooking
- Slice thinly against the grain – No matter what cut of beef you are using, slice the beef thinly against the grain for the most tender bite. Here’s a diagram for how to slice against the grain – just look for the direction of the meat fibres and cut 90° across them.
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Start high, then go low(ish) – this recipe starts high at 240C/450F to get the crust going, then finishes roasting at 180C/350F until it’s perfectly pink and super juicy inside.
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Roast on veggies OR a rack – this encourages more even cooking of the roast by elevating it off the base of the pan (well, skillet in my case. Handy to make gravy afterwards rather than man handling a roasting pan on the stove 😇).
You can just use a rack, I personally think anyone would be made to turn down tasty roasted veg that have sucked up the flavour of the marinade AND been basted with juices from the roast beef, but who am I to judge? 🤷🏻♀️
Gravy is optional here – we’ve added good flavour into the beef so you don’t need it. But I’m never one to turn down gravy, so I’ve popped the recipe in the notes.
But truly, it’s great even without. This beef is so juicy, it is literally squirting juices everywhere when you cut into it – and that’s even after resting it for a good 30 minutes.
I really hope I managed to capture how tender and juicy the beef is in the recipe video! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Marinated Roast Beef
Ingredients
- 1.5kg / 3 lb Top Blade Roast, Bolar Blade, Eye of Round Roast, Oyster Blade Roast or other economical roast beef cut (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Marinade (Note 2):
- 3 garlic cloves , minced (2.5 tsp jar)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) soy sauce
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
Vegetables (optional):
- 3 potatoes , cut into 5cm/2" chunks
- 4 carrots , peeled cut into 4cm/1.7" pieces
- Salt and pepper
Gravy (optional, Note 4)
- 4 tbsp (50g) flour
- 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) beef broth (stock), low sodium
- 3/4 tsp black pepper , coarsely ground
Instructions
- Mix Marinade ingredients in a large ziplock bag.
- Add beef, marinade for 2 days (24 hrs min, 3 days max).
Cooking:
- Take beef out of fridge 1 hour prior.
- Preheat oven to 240C/450F.
- Toss vegetables in all beef marinade liquid, spread out in ovenproof skillet, top with beef.
- Drizzle with oil, roast 20 minutes.
- Turn oven down to 180C/350F (160C fan), roast for a further 35 - 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the centre registers 44°C / 111°F for medium rare (Note 3 for more temps).
- Remove beef onto plate, cover loosely in foil and rest for 20 - 30 minutes (internal temp will rise to 52°C / 125°F which is perfect medium rare!).
- Return vegetables to oven to brown a bit, if needed.
- To serve, slice beef thinly. Serve roast veg and juices in the skillet OR make gravy (below)!
Gravy (optional)
- Remove vegetables, leave juices in skillet. Skim excess off fat from surface, leave behind 2 tbsp.
- Place on medium high heat on stove. Add flour and stir for 1 minute.
- Slowly add beef stock while stirring. If needed, use whisk to remove lumps.
- Bring to simmer for 2 minutes until thickens to gravy consistency. Stir in pepper and salt if needed. Serve with beef.
Recipe Notes:
- Oyster Blade Roast (Aus) / Top Blade Roast (US).
- Bolar Blade (Aus/parts of UK)
- Eye of Round Roast (US)
- Silverside (Aus/UK) / Bottom Round Roast (US) - no CORNED silverside, it's been brined already. Use corned silverside for Pastrami.
- Rump Roast (Aust) / Top Sirloin Roast (US)^ - only if you get super economical ones.
- Topside Roast (Aus/UK name) / Top Round Roast (US)^- only if you get super economical ones.
- expensive roast beef cuts like prime rib / standing rib roast, scotch fillet roast (which is standing rib minus the bone), tenderloin, strip loin roast / Porterhouse roast.
- chuck, brisket, ribs or shank (these need to be slow cooked, recipe needs amendment)
- Mustard - can leave out or use other mustard
- Balsamic - 2 tbsp vinegar
- Sugar - honey, maple, other liquid sweeteners
- Herbs - any of choice
- Onion powder - garlic powder, or omit
- Rare is 49°C/120°F. Remove from oven when it is 41°C/ 106°F.
- Medium rare is 52°C / 125°F. Remove from oven when it is 44°C / 111°F. Medium rare is my preference.
- Medium is 55°C / 130°F. Remove from oven at 48°C/118°F.
- Medium well done is 57°C/135°F. Remove from oven at 49°C/120°F.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
1 dog
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Fills the vacuum cleaner twice every week
SO. MUCH. FUR!!!🙄
Made this several times (as well as your steak marinade) both are awesome! Unfortunately my husband bought pot roast cut, I already marinated before I realized. Does anyone know if it will still work at the suggested cook times or I should try lower heat for longer? I don’t have a slow cooker.
P.S. Much love to dozer and Nagi, every single recipe is a hit and I love how you explain everything. Has made me a master chef! X
I did not enjoy this recipe. I’m sorry but the marinade did not work for the vegetables. They actually had a bitter char at the bottom of potatos from sugar and bitter aftertaste from vinegar. The beef was tasty.though. . No juice left in pan to make gravy it dried in pan. Not a fan.
I made this today with a slight variation. I LOVE Worcestershire Sauce so doubled it. Didn’t have balsamic but used Italian red wine vinegar and it turned out so damn nice I did make it into a gravy. I cooked this similar to how you suggested cooking the Brown Sugar Garlic Butter Roast Pork which I made a few weeks ago. Cutting the roast into chunks, marinating and then roasting it in the electric frypan! It is brilliant! Can’t thank you enough for turning a boring chore (cooking for just me and my cat) into something delicious and easy!!!!
I have tried this recipe, and it turned out perfect! I have never been happier! Thanks, Nagi.
Marinated 1.75 kg bolar for about 24 hours. Mostly cooked at higher heat, 225 c, for about an hour or so. Beautifully medium rare after a 20 minute rest. Just enough time to bake Yorkies. British partner thanked me for cooking his native cuisine! 😀
added in rating
Yep – it works.
It’s yum – mega yum!
As some others have commented I was a tad dubious with the amount of soy sauce & balsamic – esp the soy, but went ahead anyway.
But…
with these differences:
1 head of garlic on account of no onion powder;
grain mustard instead of dijon;
only had high quality balsamic (thick) so diluted that with sherry vinegar;
only had 1/4 cup soy sauce in the pantry (low salt at that) so made up the rest with teriyaki & caramalised fig balsamic (it was in the pantry & needed to be used anyway);
Added a bit of extra sea salt flakes to make up for the reduced salt soy sauce;
Maple syrup instead of sugar;
Mixed herbs (no thyme);
heaps of fresh rosemary (it’s taking over the garden bed).
Everything else pretty much as per the recipe.
Lots of yummy glumpy sauce remaining in the tray after roasting so turned that into gravy.
I was also concerned about overcrowding the veg, esp in such a small roast tray (same size as the skillet in the recipe) but it worked a treat. (also added chunks of fresh beetroot straight from the garden.
Thanks tineats team – another magnificent dinner thanks to your easy recipes.
And now have some magnificent cold leftover roast beef for snacks & lunches!
YUM!
Can I put this in my Dutch oven instead of a cast-iron skillet and cover with its lid instead of foil?
I’d also have liked an answer to this, maybe they updated the recipe with the answer, ill check again. Please respond to questions about your recipes
I loved the result of this recipe.
I will follow it again , I’d recommend the lightest soy sauce possible in the marinade.
Accompanying vegetables – I added Brussels sprouts and purple sweet potato. These went well with the roast, but usually I steam the sprouts and roast a purple sweet potato in its jacket. I can’t get chestnuts to accompany the sprouts, but the sweet potato is a good substitute. Plenty of butter with both.
I’m not a fan of roast beef, but this was delicious! Marinated bolar roast 3 days – it was beautifully flavoured, juicy & veggies/gravy lovely This recipe has single handedly alleviated my fear of roasting beef in the future
Substituted Hoisin sauce for Worcestershire and a blend of white wine/rice vinegar for the one you posted and it came out awesome! Cooked it to about 111 degrees and let it rest. When it was time to carve it was insanely juicy! Best roast I’ve done and honestly better than most you would get at a fancy restaurant. The marinade is definitely sweet (considering my alterations) but it’s in a good way (and didn’t taste too Asian). Great recipe!
Hi Nagi thanks for this lovely recipe I marinaded a beef Bolar Blade roast for 2 days and then followed cooking instructions, took it out of the oven at 48C yes a bit higher than recipe states but after 30 mins rest it only came up to 51C (I left the probe in and wrapped it in foil) any reason why it wouldn’t come up any further??(I was expecting 56C…..
Wow, this sounds amazing! I can’t wait to cook this for my husband. I love that you included the different temperatures and when it should be pulled from the oven so as to not over cook. Thanks so much for sharing all of this wonderful information!!♥️
In the oven now. Following temp and time guidelines. But internal temp only about 80°. Will add 15 minutes. 🤞
Marinated a piece of bolar blade for 3 days using this recipe and method and one word- AMAZING. Don’t even need gravy. Beautiful, full of flavour and melt in your mouth tender. The family is very impressed. Thank you for a great recipe Nagi.
Tonight was the second time we used this recipe. First time I marinated for 3 days and this time only 1 full day. Perfect both time! Cooked for 3 and a half hours on 140° with a small amount of water in a cast-iron pot with the lid on
Marinade looks amazing. Thinking of putting the roast in my countertop rotisserie? Thoughts?
I tried out this recipe and it was a big hit! However, I personally didn’t like it that it tasted sour though.
I’m wondering if I did something wrong? Is there anything I can use to replace the vinegar, so that I have a more savory note rather than sour?
Absolutely delicious, full of flavour and tender, used a blade roast, sliced and eaten cold with salad.
Marinated the beef for 2 days and put it in the slow cooker…amazing flavour and made delicious gravy too. Thank you will definitely be on high rotation!!!
I never marinated the beef bottom roast but it came out so yummy! Now I will await what the other members of my family think.