Best 5 Slow Roasted Beef Cooks Illustrated Recipes

SLOW ROASTED BEEF (COOK'S ILLUSTRATED) RECIPE - (4/5)

Steps:

• Sprinkle all sides of roast evenly with salt. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 18 to 24 hours. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 225°F. Pat roast dry with paper towels; rub with 2 teaspoons oil and sprinkle all sides evenly with pepper. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until starting to smoke. Sear roast until browned on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer roast to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Roast until meat-probe thermometer or instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 115°F for medium-rare, 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours, or 125°F for medium, 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 hours. Turn oven off; leave roast in oven, without opening door, until meat-probe thermometer or instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 130°F for medium-rare or 140°F for medium, 30 to 50 minutes longer. Transfer roast to carving board and let rest 15 minutes. Slice meat crosswise as thinly as possible and serve. We don't recommend cooking this roast past medium. Open the oven door as little as possible and remove the roast from the oven while taking its temperature. If the roast has not reached the desired temperature in the time specified in step 3, heat the oven to 225°F for 5 minutes, shut it off, and continue to cook the roast to the desired temperature. For a smaller (2 1/2- to 3 1/2-pound) roast, reduce the amount of kosher salt to 3 teaspoons (1 1/2 teaspoons table salt) and black pepper to 1 1/2 teaspoons. For a 4 1/2- to 6-pound roast, cut in half crosswise before cooking to create 2 smaller roasts. Slice the roast as thinly as possible and serve with Horseradish Cream Sauce ), if desired.

SLOW-COOKER BEEF STROGANOFF

Steps:

• In 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add beef strips, onion and garlic; cook 7 to 9 minutes or until beef is browned.
• In 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-quart slow cooker, mix beef mixture, soup, mushrooms, salt and pepper.
• Cover; cook on low heat setting 5 to 6 hours or until beef is tender.
• Stir cream cheese into beef mixture until melted. Stir in sour cream until well blended. Serve over noodles.

SLOW-ROASTED BEEF

Steps:

• Pat roast dry with paper towels. Rub generously with salt (at least 1/4 cup) and pepper on all sides. Shake the roast gently, allowing any excess salt and pepper to fall off.
• Place a wire rack in a small rimmed baking sheet or lay 5 to 6 metal skewers across a large plate or baking sheet. Place roast on top of rack or skewers, making sure it is fully elevated above the bottom of the baking sheet. Place elevated roast on the bottom rack of your refrigerator, uncovered (or loosely covered with foil, if you are squeamish about raw meat), and let rest undisturbed for at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours.
• Transfer baking sheet with elevated roast directly from the refrigerator into a cold oven and set oven temperature to 225 degrees. Cook until the center of the roast reaches 120 degrees for rare, or 130 degrees for medium, as tested with a digital thermometer. Depending on the oven and the exact geometry of the roast, this will take 1 to 2 1/2 hours.
• Remove baking sheet with roast from oven and set on a trivet or on top of your stovetop. Let the roast rest on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet (any heavy skillet without a nonstick coating will do) over high until lightly smoking. Sear roast, turning occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 4 minutes total.
• Carve into thin slices with a sharp knife and serve what you'll eat today. When finished, carve remaining roast. Carefully lay fanned slices into zipper-lock freezer bags in layers no thicker than 1/2 inch. Squeeze out as much air as possible and stack sealed bags on an aluminum baking sheet. Place in freezer until completely frozen. Store frozen for up to 2 months.
• To thaw, place one bag of frozen sliced steak on an aluminum baking sheet at room temperature until defrosted, about 45 minutes. It is important to use an aluminum sheet, as the high thermal conductivity of aluminum greatly speeds up the thawing process. Use thawed sliced steak as desired.

SLOW-COOKER EASY POT ROAST

Steps:

• Spray 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In slow cooker, place beef. Sprinkle with pepper and salt. Place potatoes, carrots and garlic over beef. In medium bowl, mix broth, tomato paste, thyme, mushroom soup and onion soup mix with whisk until smooth. Pour over beef and vegetables.
• Cover; cook on Low heat setting 7 to 8 hours or until beef is tender. Remove beef from slow cooker to serving platter. Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to serving platter with beef; cover to keep warm.
• In small bowl, mix cornstarch and water with whisk until smooth. Stir into liquid in slow cooker. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 10 to 12 minutes or until slightly thickened. Serve gravy with beef and vegetables. Garnish with parsley.

SLOW COOKER BEEF ROAST

Steps:

• Place beef round roast in slow cooker, then add carrots, onion, and celery. Season with garlic powder and black pepper. Pour Worcestershire and barbeque sauce over meat and vegetables. Cook on Low until the meat is tender, 6 to 8 hours.