Roast Beef

Last night I cooked the most perfect roast beef  I have ever cooked.  In my attempt to lower our meal budget  I bought a top round roast on a whim when I saw they were half-off at Ralph's.  I have been buying meat on sale these days and just rely on almighty Google afterwards to find a recipe for it.  I find it easier to plan our meals this way and at the same time save money.  Thanks for the internet it has never been easier to find recipes.

In my research on roasting beef I learned a few key points:
1) To help the roast cook evenly, take the roast out of the refrigerator and let it get to room temperature, at least an hour before cooking.

2) Quickly sear on very high heat then lower to 250F.  Roasting at low temperature result in even cooking, almost all meat cooked in medium-rare .

3) Use a meat thermometer, do not wing it.  Better to error on the rare side  Set thermometer for 130°F for a medium-rare roast (125°F for rare; 145°F for medium)

4) Let the roast rest and redistribute its juices for at least 15 minutes before slicing into it.

For ribeye roast, sear at 500F for 15 minutes then lower to 250F.  For medium-rare, allow for 15-17 minutes per pound total cooking time.

Roast Beef
Cook time: 2 hours 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS
3 to 3 1/2 lbs of Top Round Roast (pick a end cut with a lot of fat marbling)
Olive oil
8 slivers of garlic

1 teaspoon chopped rosemary

Lawry's seasoned salt
Freshly ground black pepper

You will need a meat thermometer

METHOD

1.  Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2.  Preferrably start with the roast at room temperature (remove from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking) and stick to following Elise's method for cooking time.  I on the other hand was pressed for time so I cooked mine straight out of the fridge.

3. With a sharp knife make 8 small incisions around the roast. Place a sliver of garlic into each incision. Coat roast with olive oil then sprinkle with the rosemary and a little seasoned salt.  Generously sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

4.  Place the roast directly on an oven rack (in middle of oven), fatty side up, with a drip pan on a rack beneath the roasting rack. 

Note: This arrangement creates convection in the oven so that you do not need to turn the roast. The roast is placed fat side up so that as the fat melts it will bathe the entire roast in its juices.

5.  Brown the roast at 375°F for 30 minutes then lower the heat to 250°F.  The roast should take somewhere from 1 hour 45 minutes to 2.5 hours additionally to cook. (When I checked the temperature on my 3 lb roast  after 1 hour and 45 minutes, it was at 135° to 140°).

6.  Pull the roast from the oven when the inside temperature of the roast is 135° to 140°F. Let the roast rest for at least 15 minutes, tented in aluminum foil to keep warm, before carving to serve.

7.  Cut thinly across the grain and serve with Au Jus and creamy horse radish.