Oven-Roasted Weekend Beef

By Sam Sifton

Oven-Roasted Weekend Beef
Zachary Zavislak for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Brian Preston-Campbell. Prop Stylist: Pam Morris.
Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Rating
4(468)
Comments
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The recipe for the beef is based on a simple and not terribly expensive roast of beef, crusted in a sort of dry rub that is rather more tropical than what you find in most parts of New England, save those inhabited by the great John (Doc) Willoughby, who was the executive editor of Gourmet until that magazine’s demise. Willoughby has championed the intersection of American winter and Caribbean spices for years. This Willoughby-ish mixture — salt and pepper, coriander and cumin, brown sugar and paprika — is wonderful on fire-cooked beef, of course, but it’s still excellent when used in an oven until it goes tight and deepest brown over the meat.

Featured in: The Cheat: The Roast With the Most

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 2tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1tablespoon sweet Spanish paprika
  • 1tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1½teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1½teaspoons ground coriander
  • Red pepper flakes to taste
  • 1sirloin tip roast, approximately 3 pounds
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (or light a charcoal fire on one side of a large kettle grill, using a small pillow’s worth of briquettes). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

  2. Step 2

    Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Place the roast in the bowl and rub the spices all over the meat, pressing down so they adhere.

  3. Step 3

    Place the roast on the baking sheet and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until the meat registers an internal temperature of 130 to 135 degrees for medium-rare. Remove from the oven and let sit, loosely tented under foil, for 15 minutes before slicing. (Alternately, when the coals are covered with a fine ash, place the roast on the side of the grill opposite the fire. Cover, cracking the vent open a little, and cook for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the meat has reached an internal temperature of 130 to 135 degrees for medium-rare. Remove from the fire and let sit, loosely tented under foil, for 15 minutes before slicing.)

Ratings

4 out of 5
468 user ratings
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Comments

Thomas Greisen

Next time I do this will a garlic slivers into the meat. Also I think that 130-135 is to much. I will stop at 12o degs.

Otherwise just plain great.

Mary

After reading the other notes, I cut back on the salt and infused the roast with some fresh garlic cloves. Roasted to 125 degrees and let set for the 15 minutes before carving. Will definitely make this again and certainly for a good old fashioned family Sunday dinner.

Alexis

I've made this a few times since this recipe was published in 2010. I added about a tsp of hot Spanish paprika & a few arbol pepper flakes. Although the rub tastes very salty & a bit spicy, it's only on the outside of the roast so you don't get a lot on any one slice, so it works. Also good when cold. I used the oven method. Have made this before & will make it again!

k

Delicious. Served with NYT’s creamy coconut-lime rice with peanuts.

Leslie Gotfrit

Took about 80 minutes for a rare 3.25 sirloin tip roast, barely 115. Might have still been slightly frozen inside. Tender but just not that interesting. I reduced salt by 25%, reduce next time by 50%. Added 1 tsp Aleppo pepper, would add 2 tsp next time. It was greatly helped by gravy. Roasted it on a bed of root veg, cut into 3/4" chunks: turnip, yam, carrot, onion, beet and they were delicious. Then made gravy in the cast iron pan I roasted the beef and veg in while the roast rested.

joyhumanist

I cooked a three pound top sirloin for one hour exactly, nestling small potatoes cut in half around the beef, to 125 degrees. Put halved Brussels sprouts on the lower rack after 45 minutes, giving them 30 minutes to cook, first along with the beef and then while the beef rested. On the rare side of medium rare, and delicious. Will definitely do this again!

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