You can find out how to make the best roast beef in the oven and how to do it right. Once you try this easy way to roast beef in the oven, you won’t want to cook it any other way. It will be flavorful, juicy, and tender every time. You will have roast beef perfection for any special occasion or Sunday dinner.
Cooking a roast beef to perfection in a convection oven is easy once you know the timing. With the right temperature and cooking time you’ll end up with a beautiful medium-rare roast beef that is juicy tender and full of flavor. In this article, we’ll walk through everything you need to know to cook the perfect roast beef in your convection oven.
What is a Convection Oven?
Before we get into roast beef cooking times, let’s review what exactly a convection oven is and how it differs from a standard oven. A convection oven has a built-in fan that circulates hot air around the oven cavity. This circulating hot air cooks and browns food much more evenly than a standard oven.
The increased airflow also means convection ovens cook food around 25% faster than standard ovens So if a recipe calls for cooking something for 60 minutes in a standard oven, you’d want to reduce the time by about 15 minutes in a convection oven.
Convection ovens are great for cooking roasts, chicken, turkeys, and anything else you want perfectly browned on the outside while staying juicy on the inside. The circulating hot air really helps create that browned exterior while locking in moisture.
Choosing the Right Roast
When cooking roast beef in a convection oven, you want to choose a well-marbled cut of beef for the most flavor and tenderness. Look for cuts like ribeye roast, tri-tip roast, or sirloin tip roast. Ideally, you want something that is 3-5 pounds to serve 4-6 people.
Make sure the roast is tied securely with butcher’s twine so it cooks evenly. You can ask your butcher to do this if it doesn’t come pre-tied.
For added flavor, you can coat the roast with oil, seasonings, or a spice rub before cooking. Things like fresh rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder all make great roast beef seasoning.
Convection Oven Roast Beef Cooking Time
Now let’s get to the cooking time. A 3-5 pound roast beef will take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to reach the perfect medium-rare doneness in a convection oven. Here are more specifics:
- 3 pound roast: Cook for around 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes
- 4 pound roast: Cook for 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes
- 5 pound roast: Cook for 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours
You’ll want to roast the beef at 350°F in the convection oven. This higher convection oven temperature helps the roast develop a nice sear while still cooking through gently.
Checking for Doneness
Always use a meat thermometer to check for doneness instead of relying on cook times alone. You want the interior of the roast to reach 120-125°F for a perfect medium-rare.
About 15-20 minutes before the estimated cook time is up, start periodically checking the roast’s internal temp. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat without touching any bones.
Once it hits 120-125°F, immediately remove it from the oven. The roast’s temp will continue rising about 5-10 degrees as it rests. Don’t let it go past 130°F or it will be overcooked.
Letting the Roast Rest
Letting roast beef rest is one of the most important steps for juicy, tender meat. As soon as you take the roast out of the oven, loosely cover it with foil and let it rest for <b>at least 20 minutes, up to 30 minutes</b>.
This resting time allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. If you slice into the roast right away, the juices will spill out onto the cutting board instead of staying in the meat where they belong.
As the roast rests, the internal temp will rise by about 5-10° so it will reach a perfect medium-rare of 130°F after resting.
Slicing and Serving the Roast Beef
Once rested, you can remove the butcher’s twine before slicing into the roast. Use a sharp carving or chef’s knife to slice across the grain of the meat into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices. Cut just before serving to prevent the meat from cooling down too much.
Serve the roast beef slices with any accumulated juices from the resting period spooned over the top. This juice is full of great beefy flavor.
Delicious side dishes to serve with roast beef include:
- Yorkshire pudding or popovers
- Au jus or gravy
- Horseradish sauce or cream
- Roasted potatoes or root vegetables
- Creamed spinach or roasted Brussels sprouts
And that’s it! With this timing for a 3-5 pound roast beef cooked at 350°F, you’ll get perfect results every time. The convection oven really helps create an evenly cooked, juicy roast with a beautifully browned crust. Just be sure to let it rest before slicing into the beef for the most tender, mouthwatering roast beef. Enjoy!
What Are The Different Meat Grades and How Do They Matter When You Cook
So years ago, I was a co-manager at a Kroger store. During my training, we received a fair amount of training at the store. I spent a month working in a butcher shop. It was there I learned about different grades of meat.
Typically in grocery stores, you will see three distinct grades of meat, those are select, choice, and prime.
Prime grade beef is the beef that is the highest quality. The fat marbling is throughout the meat. There is a lot of marbling in prime beef; less than 5% of all meat is graded as prime beef.
The next best grade of beef is Choice. It has less marbling than Prime but more than Select.
What I really like to do is check out what grade of beef is on meat that goes on sale. The price difference between Prime and Choice grade beef is something I like to look at. If it’s not that big, I’ll pick the Prime beef.
The fat is what gives the meat its flavor and lets you make gravy and Yorkshire pudding.
There are a lot of discussions about how to season a roast. If you want to marinate your roast, you must do it a couple of days in advance. It takes time for the flavors to penetrate past the outside surface area of the meat.
If you take the meat from the package and cook it, your options are more limited. The flavors you add aren’t going to make it all of the way through the meat. Salt and pepper are the only things you need to make roast beef taste great.
You can always serve your roast with beef gravy, au jus, or a wine reduction sauce. There is no need to worry about getting a special seasoning together. I promise salt and pepper will do the job quite well.
How to Cook Roast Beef in the Oven
- Let the meat sit out for an hour at room temperature before you cook it.
- Preheat your oven to 325°F.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper on the roast. For leaner roasts, first, drizzle the meat with olive oil. You can tie the roast up with twine if you want to. This will help it keep its shape and cook more evenly.
- For every pound of meat, bake the roast on a baking sheet with a wire rack for 25 to 30 minutes. This will make a medium-sized roast. For instance, it will take about 120 minutes to cook a 4-pound roast.
- Determine what level of doneness you prefer. Put a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat to check its temperature. It will continue to cook after you take it off the grill, so try to take it off when the meat is 10 degrees less done than you like it.
- Allow the meat to rest for 15-30 minutes before enjoying!
How to Cook a Beef Sirloin Roast in a Convection Oven
FAQ
Should you use a convection oven for roast beef?
Does convection roast cook faster than regular oven?
How long to cook a 3 pound roast at 250 degrees?