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Sliced roast beef on a wooden cutting board next to wine, rosemary, and an orange.
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5 from 2 votes

Easy Roast Beef Recipe

This Christmas roast beef comes out juicy and tender, with garlic, rosemary, and a hint of orange zest working quietly in the background to build flavor. It starts with a blast of high heat for that golden crust, then finishes low and slow to keep the center perfectly pink. What you end up with is rich, savory beef that slices like butter and begs for a spoonful of pan gravy on top.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 45 minutes
Rest Time30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 25 minutes
Course: Beef
Cuisine: British
Keyword: easy, family dinner, healthy, holiday dinner, keto, low carb, main dish, paleo, roast, whole30
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 662kcal
Author: Bethany Galloway

Ingredients

  • 1.87 kg 4.13lbs topside roast (or round roast, rump roast, bottom round)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 garlic cloves halved or in thirds
  • Zest from 1.5-2 medium oranges
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1 sprig of fresh rosemary leaves finely diced

Instructions

  • Begin by taking your meat out of the refrigerator and removing any plastic or paper packaging.
  • Pat the meat down with a paper towel, and if it's not already, tie it with kitchen twine. All you need to do is tie it 2-3 times tightly around the middle. This will help it cook more evenly.
    Patting beef with a paper towel.
  • Sprinkle the salt all over the meat and rub it in.
    Salt sprinkled over beef.
  • Wrap the meat back up in parchment paper and allow it to sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
    Beef wrapped in parchment paper on a wooden cutting board.

After two hours

  • After two hours have passed, preheat the oven to 190 degrees C/375 degrees F and place a clean rack in the middle of the oven.
  • Meanwhile, zest one orange and place it in a small bowl along with the black pepper, finely diced fresh rosemary, and olive oil, mixing it all together well.
    Seasoning ingredients mixed in a bowl.
  • Slice the garlic cloves in half or thirds if they're quite large.
  • Unwrap the meat and pierce holes into the flesh for the garlic. I did 3 on the top and bottom, and two on the remaining two sides.
    Piercing holes into beef with a knife.
  • Slot the garlic into the holes.
    Garlic in the holes in the beef roast.
  • Rub the olive oil mixture all over the roast.
    Seasoning all over beef roast.

Cook the meat

  • Place a roasting pan in the bottom of the preheated oven underneath the middle rack and place the meat on the rack over the pan.
    Adding beef and a roasting pan to the oven.
  • Bake for 30 minutes and then decrease the oven temperature to 110°C/225°F.
  • Bake on the low heat until the meat inside reaches 135-140°F. This took 1 hour and 45 minutes for me. The general rule of thumb for medium rare is about 30 minutes per pound after you turn the heat down in the oven. I recommend checking the meat temperature 30 minutes before you think it should be done, just in case.
  • Check the internal temperature by inserting a meat thermometer into the center of the roast to make sure it is cooked to your preferred temperature. If it needs a little longer, check it in bursts of 10-15 minutes until it's ready. I've detailed below the different temperatures the meat needs to reach for different amounts of "doneness".
    Thermometer checking the meat temperature.
  • When the roast beef has finished cooking, allow the beef roast to rest for at least 30 minutes. This allows the temperature to rise a little more and keeps it nice, tender, and juicy inside.
  • Cut the twine and then thinly slice the beef on a cutting board and serve it with your favorite side dishes.
    Cutting the twine with scissors.
  • If your roasting tray managed to catch enough drippings, make gravy! See the post above for details.

Notes

  • Know the weight: Jot down the roast’s weight before you toss the packaging or you’ll be guessing your cook time later.
  • Use a thermometer: Don’t rely on the clock alone. An instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out completely.
  • Don’t skip the rest: Letting the beef rest for 30 minutes is what keeps it juicy. Cut too early, and you’ll lose all those good juices to the board.
  • Garlic goes in early: Tuck the garlic in before cooking so it softens from the inside and infuses flavor as the meat roasts.
  • Citrus makes it pop: The orange zest doesn’t make it citrusy, it just lifts the flavor and keeps the beef from feeling too heavy.
  • Cheap cuts are fine: You don’t need a prime rib roast. Bottom round, rump, or chuck all work with this method.

 

ROAST BEEF TEMPERATURES:

I always begin by roasting the beef at 190°C/375°F for 30 minutes and then turning down the oven temperature to 110°C/225°C. After turning down the oven temperature, I cook it for:
  • Rare: 20 minutes per pound (450g).
  • Medium: 25 minutes per pound.
  • Well-Done: 30 minutes per pound.
 
This is the temperature the meat should read right after you take it from the oven and before resting it for 30 minutes:
  • Rare: 54°C/130°F
  • Medium-rare: 57°C/135°F
  • Medium: 62°C/145°F
  • Medium-well: 65.5°C/150°F
  • Well-done: 68°C/155°F

 

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS

  • Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • Freeze: Slice it first, then freeze in portions so you can grab what you need later. Thaw fully before serving.
  • Reheat: If you must, keep the slices thin and reheat gently in a skillet. Anything more aggressive and it’ll dry out fast.
  • Best use for leftovers: Sandwiches, wraps, salads - anything that gives the beef a second life without needing to warm it much.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 662kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 96g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 281mg | Sodium: 834mg