You may be wondering how long you should cook your roast beef to ensure that you get the perfect result. Basically, cooking roast beef requires similar factors for cooking time like pork chops or baby back ribs. One of the major factors that would determine the length of cooking your roast beef is the amount of meat that you will be cooking. The method of cooking is also one of the factors: whether you will grill it or cook it in the oven. Whatever factors you have, the tips and ways that will be presented here will significantly help you in making you roast beef the way most people want it: juicy and tender to the bite.
Remember that some beef parts take longer time to cook. Beef tenderloin is the best choice in cooking roast beef. But beef tenderloin doesn’t usually come cheap. So if you are in a budget, a rump roast is also a very good alternative. It is about half the cost of beef tenderloin. However, the texture of a rump roast is coarser compared to tenderloin which would make your roast beef a bit chewier but the flavor is still excellent. You can always ask the butcher for a nice tender cut when you purchase your meat.
Before you start cooking your roast beef, it is advisable that you let the meat sit in a covered dish for several hours. This process will make the beef reach room temperature. Setting the beef in room temperature means that you will no longer have to warm the meat in an oven. Most of the time, warming the beef in an oven can result in uneven heat distribution to parts of the meat which could cause it to toughen when the actual cooking is done.
You could also marinate the beef while it is sitting. You can sprinkle some of your favorite garnish, herbs, spices or meat tenderizer. This will allow the flavors to properly sip in to the meat before you start the actual cooking process. Once your meat has achieved the desired room temperature, place it on a shallow pan that is commonly used for roasting. In cooking roast beef, almost every time, the strip of fat is on top to achieve a juicier result. This will also make the meat get more flavor while it’s cooking and would also protect the top layer from burning.
Just like with baby back ribs and pork chops, timing is also very important in cooking roast beef. Cook your roast beef for around 15 minutes at 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Then turn down the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and continue cooking your beef for 16 minutes per pound. That means that if you have 3 pounds of beef, cook it for around 48 minutes more.
One of the best ways to determine your meat is done is to use a cooking thermometer. When the temperature has reached approximately 150-160 degrees Fahrenheit, your roast beef is done. If a cooking thermometer is not available, use a skewer or a short knife and punch through the thickest part of the meat. Once you see the juice is coming out clear and not pinkish, you know that the inside of the meat is done.
