Perfectly succulent oven-roasted beef

I’m not great at roasting meat. I struggle to find the balance between perfectly succulent and dry and tasteless. However, I’ve learnt that with a good piece of meat and some simple herbs, there is a way to make a roast beef that’s so tender and full of flavour that I rate it better than the kind you find in the supermarket.

When it comes to roast beef, the most common cuts are round roast, sirloin roast, bottom round roast and eye of round roast. None of these are particularly cheap cuts — to make this recipe, I was looking at between $13 and $19 a kilo depending on the cut — so we’ll only have a roast occasionally.

One recommendation I was given when I picked up my roast was to allow it to sit, uncovered at room temperature, for 1-2 hours before prepping and cooking (I don’t know if it helped, but this roast was definitely tasty). Seasoning your meat can allow you some creativity, but this recipe keeps it simple. If you’re not a fan of rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper, feel free to substitute for whatever you prefer (and let me know in the comments, so I can give your combination a go myself)!

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1.5kg round roast beef

Method

1. Preheat oven to 235C.
2. In a small bowl, combine oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub all over beef.
3. Place in a roasting pan fitted with a roasting rack. Roast for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 165C and roast for 1 hour and 45 minutes (medium) or 2 hours (medium-well).
4. Remove from oven and rest for 15-30 minutes before serving.