The Hungry MouseMake Your Own Deli-Style Roast Beef
Forget the deli. Make your own roast beef at home. It’s simple and typically way more economical than hitting the deli counter every week—plus, you can personalize your roast beast with whatever flavors you like. All you need is a piece of meat, a few spices, and a really sharp knife.
Deli-Style Homemade Roast Beef: Stretch your grocery dollars
These days, I don’t know anyone who isn’t pinching at least a few pennies. This is a great way to save on your deli bill—and your lunch tab—without spending a ton of extra time in the kitchen. Once you season the meat, your oven does all the work.
For a price comparison, my eye round roast was $3.69/lb. When I checked the deli case at my local grocery store last night, they were selling their store-brand roast beef for $9.49/lb. Not a bad savings, eh? (That said, these are Boston prices. I’d love to know if the story is different in your neck of the woods.)
Make this with an eye round roast. You might also find this cut labeled “round eye roast” or “round eye pot roast.” You can substitute bottom round and top round as well. You’ll just need to mess around with the timing a little.
Now, the eye round is a relatively tough piece of meat. Not a problem. You can fix that quickly by slicing it paper thin (or as thin as you can get it), against the grain.
Deli-Style Homemade Roast Beef: How to slice a roast against the grain
Wait, against the grain? Mouse, what do you mean? Here you go:
The thinner you slice your meat, the more tender it will be.
Deli-Style Homemade Roast Beef: A note on method and timing
I follow Chris Schlesinger & John Willoughby’s roast beef technique from their fabulous book, How to Cook Meat.
Get your copy for $17.96 at Amazon—that’s more than 25% off the $24.95 list price.
(Pricing is accurate as of this posting and is subject to change.)
These guys have a great theory about cooking meat: Cooking time depends more on meat shape than it does on weight.
Which makes a lot of sense. If you think about it, you could have a roast and a steak that are exactly the same weight, but their cooking times will vary greatly based on their different shapes. The roast will take longer because it’s rounder and thicker. The steak’s weight is distributed across a flatter, thinner shape, so it’ll cook faster.
They explain that since eye round roasts are always about the same shape (that of a small-ish football), they always cook them for about 50 minutes, regardless of weight. I’ve used this method for years, and I couldn’t agree more.
Deli-Style Homemade Roast Beef: Customize your roast beef
My recipe makes a simple, fairly traditional roast beef. Because it’s blasted at 500 degrees for 20 minutes, I use ground spices. I’m fairly sure that fresh garlic, etc., would burn in that time. For the same reason, I don’t use anything with sugar in it.
Customize your roast with different spices. Here are a few ideas:
+Five spice powder + ground garlic + ground ginger
+Cayenne + celery salt + powdered rosemary
+Cumin + chili flakes + ground garlic
Deli-Style Homemade Roast Beef: How do I know when it’s done?
One thing to note. The eye round is a pretty lean cut of meat, so the longer you cook it, the drier it can become. Just a good thing to know. It will be at its juiciest at rare or medium rare. This is one of the rare cases where I actually do use a meat thermometer.
120 F = rare
126 F = medium-rare
134 F = medium
150 F = medium-well
160 F = well done
My roast came out medium-rare. I yanked it out of the oven after 50 minutes, when it was about 126 degrees.
Deli-Style Homemade Roast Beef
1 beef eye round roast
olive oil
freshly cracked black pepper
kosher salt
garlic powder
onion powder
Season the meat
Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Line a sheet pan or roasting pan with foil. Put a roasting rack in the pan on top of the foil. Set aside.
Grab your roast out of the fridge. Give it a quick rinse under cold water. Pat it completely dry.
Drizzle the meat with a little olive oil. This is imprecise. Use enough oil to coat your roast completely.
With your hands, rub the meat on all sides to coat with oil. Sprinkle evenly with freshly cracked black pepper.
I like my roast beef peppery, so I used a lot. But like I said, the seasoning is totally up to you.
Be sure to get underneath and on the ends, too.
Sprinkle all sides with kosher salt, to taste.
If you’re concerned about sodium in deli meats, this is a great way to control your intake. We tend to like a fair amount of salt on our roast beef, so I was generous.
Dust all sides with garlic powder and onion powder.
When your roast is completely seasoned, pat it down with your hands to help the spices adhere.
My seasoned roast looked like this:
Roast & tent your beast!
When your roast is seasoned, place it on the rack in your prepared pan.
Pop the pan into your preheated 500 degree oven.
Roast at 500 degrees for 20 minutes. Then drop temperature to 300 degrees for another 30 minutes.
For a medium rare roast, your meat should be in the oven for a total of 50 minutes cooking time. If you’d like it rare, pull it out sooner. If you’d like it more well done, leave it in a little longer.
Here’s that temperature chart again:
120 F = rare
126 F = medium-rare
134 F = medium
150 F = medium-well
160 F = well done
After 50 minutes in the oven, my roast registered about 126 degrees or so. (To check the temperature, stick a meat thermometer into the center of your roast.)
When it comes out of the oven, it should have a nice brown crust.
Loosely tent a piece of foil over the meat for about 20 minutes when it comes out of the oven.
After it’s rested for 20 minutes, it’s ready to slice!
Slice it across the grain:
Slice it as thinly as you can with a very sharp knife.
The inside should be a lovely, rosy pink.
Wrap your roast beef tightly and keep it in the fridge. Use it within maybe 4 days or so.
167 Comments on “Make Your Own Deli-Style Roast Beef”
Leave a Reply
Friend me up!
Buy my cookbook
I was in O! (Holy cow, right?)
…and Country Woman magazine!
Amazing candles, hand poured by one of my best friends
You won’t believe what happened to us last year
This is fantastic, lasts for the week by the looks of it so it can used in a few meals!
Thanks so much! Yes, it will totally make a bunch of sandwiches.
+Jessie
this is awesome! You get so many meals out of that. The same thing can be done with Turkey and Chicken am I right??
Oh, you can totally do the same with a turkey breast! Chicken might be a little on the small side. In fact, I used to work for a caterer, and one of their specialties was thinly sliced roast turkey breast.
I don’t remember what the timing was for it, but I can figure it out for you if you like.
+Jessie
I would love to know about a turkey breast. I have one I need to cook, and I would love to make deli meat for my son to take to school for lunch.
yummmmmmmmmmmy! and Boston must be cheaper than where I am in PA, cuz I was at the deli today and roast beef (store brand) was going for over $10 a lb. The turkey was about $9 even!
WOW. What’s the world coming to? Sheesh. Even more reason to roast your own.
+Jessie
Thanks for demystifying roast beef — if you wouldn’t mind a question from a noob, how would you wrap it for storing in the fridge? I worry that saran wrap might take off some of that lovely seasoning. Aluminum foil? Parchment paper?
Thanks for stopping by, Anne!
Ya know, I keep mine in a big zip-top bag with the air squeezed out of it. Works like a charm.
+Jessie
I’ve done this several time before, love it. Such a good cheap way to create several weeks worth of sandwiches! I slice it and freeze it in ~1lb baggies. It freezes beautifully and lasts for a while. I never season it very well though, I gotta try your recipe. And someday I’ll get a really good knife so I can slice it paper thin.
Oh fabulous! How do you thaw it? In the fridge?
+Jessie
Yum! That’s what I had for lunch today
Oh, fantastic!
+Jessie
I love roast beef sandwiches, but hate the expense, so this looks great!
Thanks, Lainie! Yeah, this is totally a great way to save money. And it’s so very yummy, too.
+Jessie
I’ve been wanting to do this for ages, thanks for the recipe! It looks wicked good, I can think of a million things to do with it.
Oh yay! Glad it’s helpful. Let me know what you come up with?
+Jessie
We do this all the time. Economical and tastes better. We even bought a deli slicer – fresh, razor thin roast beef is amazing!
Oh, hello! Wow! Tell me about your deli slicer! Now you’re talking my language!
+Jessie
oh my gosh! i just thought of doing this and i think it is official i have a deli slicer my mother got me for my birthday and the game is on! i cannot wait to make my own deli meats i’ve been buying chubs but wasn’t brave enough to make my own until i read this! how simple! i also get to break in that new roasting pan i HAD to have!
Hello – Great Post! There’s not much better, then a rare roast beef sandwich, fresh from a Jewish deli! Question. We know that different cuts of beef taste differently once cooked. Have you experimented to see which cut tastes most like the deli’s? I know that all the deli’s use a cut, that is much larger then the eye of round, found in the markets I go to. Thanks
I think you need either a sharper knife or a longer one. Looks like 9-10 strokes per slice on your round. I’d use my slicer (14″ with cullens) for carving this bad boy. Otherwise, very useful tip. Thanks.
Heh. Neither, actually.
I used my 12″ chef’s knife, which my husband keeps razor sharp. I cut it when the roast was still warm and I was more than a wee bit tired, that’s all.
+Jessie
I can just imagine how amazing your kitchen smelled while this was roasting. It look simply amazing.
Wheee! It smells so yummy.
(Makes the dog nuts!) I actually have another one in the oven right now for this week’s lunches!
+Jessie
Thanks for a great and comprehensive post, with really helpful images. I learnt a lot today – including what it means to slice “against the grain”.
I’m new to this blogging stuff – just put up my second post about Johnny Appleseed Day (March 11). There is a recipe for good old fashioned apple pie there (but I expect you have loads from your Mom anyway!?).
I have bookmarked your site too
I cannot thank you enough for such a beautifully photographed and excellent tutorial. I love roast beef, and I am always looking for ways to save money. Plus, this recipe looks so beautifu… I can’t stand the ugly pre-packaged roast beef. This is on my project for lunch boxes!
Oh, you’re welcome! Thanks so much for stopping by! Like most folks these days, we’re trying our best to keep our grocery bill down. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out.
+Jessie
Yum, that’s beautifully cooked! I love roast beef.
I have always wanted to make deli roast beef at home. Thanks for the detailed step by step pictures. They always make things sooo much easier when you haven’t made something before. Thanks!
Wow…I just wrote deli meat on my grocery list and I’m glad I saw this post! I even went to culinary school, I can do this – and the only reason I haven’t is because I thought I’d get around to buying a meat slicer someday. What am I waiting for? I can sharpen my knives and get busy!
Great step by step photos. I’ve never been a big fan of delli roast beef, but yours looks delicious!
Amazing. I can’t believe the 50 minute rule worked so perfectly.
Thanks for a great post on a great site.
Wheee! Thanks for stopping by, Aaron! Did you try it?
Yeah, it’s kind of unbelievable, but when you think about cooking meat based on its size and shape, it makes sense. Cheers!
+Jessie
Oh yeah! Been eating it for the past two days and tomorrow.
Oh, fantastic! Yeah, I’m loving roast beef sandwiches for lunch these days.
+Jessie
Thank you for these wonderful recipes. I prepared a roast following your instructions and it came out perfect! Thank you! My whole family loved the roast – better than the best deli brand. I love the savings, and it’s so much healthier. I now on the market for a slicer! Thanks, again.
We’ve been making our own deli style roasts for along time. But I didn’t like the seasonings that my dh was using, so I googled and came found your recipe. It looks great! I’ll try it out tonight!
As for cost, I wait until my local store has bottom round roasts on sale (loss leader) and then get a half dozen and freeze them. So I only pay $1.98/lb for angus! Great price!
Another tip. I prefer warm roast beef sandwiches. So I cook the roast to rare/medium-rare. This way, when I heat it up, it isn’t overcooked.
thanks, this was really helpfull, i imagine ill make my own deli slicer for it.. wow just had an idea on how to as well, it’ll take awhile but when i do ill put the vid on youtube and leave the url for it on this site.
thanks again.
~michael
very nice.
excellent job on the explanation and thanks for using pictures for those of us who are not capable of abstract thought.
Jessie, Thank you so much for this recipe, I’ve made it a few times and it is so good! I like to soak the raw meat in red wine with a bit of sugar, oregano, and thyme added the night before and then season it the way you suggest. I cook 3-4 roasts at one time then freeze it in 1 pound baggies and just thaw them in the fridge for lunch meat. Thank you so much!
I’ll never go back to buying roast beef at the deli counter again…this recipe makes THE BEST roast beef sandwiches. I used some of it with some sauted onions and peppers on a cheese bun and the put it under the broiler with some mozzerella…delicious!
Oh wow! SO glad you liked it!
This is seriously one of my favorite things to do for lunches. It’s easy. It’s economical. You can customize the seasoning however you like. Your sandwich sounds amazing!
Cheers!
+Jessie
That looks delicious. I might have to try this sometime, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to eat it all!
If you’re trying to pinch pennies, I actually picked up $4/lb deli roast beef from the Market Basket in Somerville last week. I love that store.
I just made this roast beef and it was absolutely wonderful. It is amazing how sometimes a person can think that you are not capable of doing something this wonderful. I have been cooking for 20 years and I have NEVER made a roast this good. I always use to cook it for 5 hours on low heat which mean it was always VERY dry (this is the way my mother makes it). My family devoured the entire hunk of meat in a matter of minutes. I’ll have to do a bigger one next time so we can have leftover roast beef sandwiches.
Thank you so much for educating me and hundreds of others. I really love your website.
Ok I will admit I have’nt tried this recipie yet but it sounds great i went to the store and got all the spices and I have an electric meat slicer I got a the old service merchandise store when it was open years ago.Cant wait to try it.
Can’t wait to try this recipe, thank you! Has anyone figured how long for a turkey breast?
Thanks, Jennifer! (And thanks for stopping by!)
Oh gosh, you know…I haven’t done a whole turkey breast in a long time. If you give me a little bit, I’ll noodle out the timing and directions for you.
Cheers!
+Jessie
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. About what size is your eye round roast on average?
When I was making this, I knew it was gonna be good, but i had no idea it would be the best roast beef I ever had! I seasoned it with a mixture of seasoned salt (the orange kind), adobo, and black pepper. I had trouble slicing it thin, but when I was ready to freeze portions for next week, I put it in the freezer for a few hours. I waited until it was a little stiffer but not frozen all the way; that made it really easy to slice thin for later. Thanks!
I’ve got my eye of round roast in the fridge and I’ll be trying this this week. Looks awesome and very frugal which is a PLUS!
Jessie — Great post. I worked for several years at an upscale restaurant that did this, but instead of starting in a 500 degree oven, we’d sear the seasoned roast in a large pan or on a flat top grill with a little bit of oil (also, we used grape seed oil as opposed to olive oil, as it has a higher burning point, and is healthier than vegetable or canola oil.) Have you ever tried doing it this way? It’s always worked out well for me.
I coated mine with homemade Jerk seasoning, salt, cracked black pepper, and then stuffed 3 crushed cloves of garlic in it.
My God, you are awesome. I am the worst when it comes to cooking things but your step-by-step worked like a charm, and the meat was absolutely delicious.
When I was young we used to gather a bunch of friends from the church and do a “Beirute night”, “beirute” being a Brazilian sandwich influenced by Lebanese cuisine, which is made of thin slices of eye round roast beef covered with mozzarella, tomatoes and onions, in a pita bread. We used to spend the night eating, talking, laughing, playing, and having lots of fun. I always wanted to recreate this dish by myself but just once tried to do the eye of round using a pressure cooker, like people told me to do, and failed miserably.
But this weekend was the redemption. I am still full of beirutes myself. Thank you so much for teaching me how to make this delicious meal and helping me to revive great memories.
Thank you! Amazingly simple recipe, and a delicious result! I used a much thinner Arm Roast because that’s all I had… and it still came out PERFECT, 125-130 degrees in the center, pink and juicy, crispy on the outside. Wonderful recipe!
thank you, thank you!
This is great! My family loves it! The 1st time I used an eye of round roast; I just made it a 2nd time using a bottom round roast. It was even better this time. We are freezing some sliced. Hope it is as good when we thaw it. Thanks for a great money saving recipe!
Awesome, awesome recipe!!! I saved enough money with this technique to buy a Chef’s Choice 610 Home Meat Slicer to cut it so thin you can see through it. If you are looking for a slicer I can’t say enough about that model – I found one on Craig’s List for $50 but they are $98 on Amazon with free shipping and seem to be #1 rated by everyone that buys them. Mmmmm, deli meat…
This is fantastic. I am a roast beef junkie. I will pay the $9.00 a lb, but hubby refuses to buy it for me when he sees this. I can eat roast beef now till I can’t stand it any more. And I cut the roast in half after resting and wrapped good and froze the balance so it stays longer….Thanks again!
Oh, so happy to help! I swear: I make one of these almost every Sunday night, and have delicious (super-cheap) sandwiches all week.
Cheers!
+Jessie
just made this last night and it came out amazing! Thanks for the great recipe!
I scoured the internet for the perfect and simple recipe to make roast beef out of my eye of round roast. Thank you! It came out beautiful, juicy and delicious! I plan on serving it as part of a St. Patrick’s Day party this weekend with Brown Irish Soda Bread and a horseradish-dijon sauce. Hopefully it lasts until the weekend because I can’t stop picking at it!!
It sounds perfect, looking forward to making it. You mentioned it can also be done with turkey.
Thanks so much!
And yes on the turkey breast, although I haven’t done it in ages. If you’re interested, I can see if I can noodle out the timing/temp for you. It’s definitely a little different.
Cheers!
+Jessie
i must ask does it make a difference if it is a gas stove or electric and if your not sure can i ask wheter your stove was eithwer gas or electric?????
Oh gosh, it doesn’t make a difference at all. (I’ve done this in a gas and an electric oven.) The temperature in your oven is what matters. If you have doubts about your oven, pick up an oven thermometer. They’re inexpensive, and can make all the difference if your oven temp is off a little.
Good luck!
+Jessie
I used bottom round and it came out beautifully. I did brine for a couple days just to ensure good flavor and juiciness. I will never go back to the deli for roast beef! I’m so glad I found your page and didn’t listen to all the other websites that say to cook a bottom round for 2+ hours or braise in liquid.
Thank you so much. I was going broke making lunches for the four (sometimes seven) teenage boys how hang out at my house. My first RB turned out gone in about twenty minutes, lol. They insist I make another. You Rock!
I am definatly interestead in time and temp. for turkey breast! Please, please, please! I am cooking the roast right now! My son is on a special diet and hasn’t had any kind of lunch meat in almost 2 years… due to preservatives and powders added that he can’t have. We are both very excited! Thanks so much.
I just made this and it is delicious – tastes like a great steak! However, I’m having a hard time slicing it thin for sandwiches even though I did let it sit for 20 minutes (tented). Any tips? Maybe I’m using the wrong kind of knife. I don’t have a meat slicer.
Thank-you for sharing.
i have been saving this way for 6 years now and on the money I would have spent for deli i paid for my slicer in the 1st year.
Also owning one you can go in with family friends buy one and you slice for both and all save.
I went to http://www.sausagemaker.com/64137meatslicer12.aspx and let me tell you, my freezer has sliced ham, roast beef, turkey all ready for use.
Just as a pig farmer told me I pass along to you slice the meat and fold your slice over push into sandwich bags till 1in. thick high, i do 5 sandwich per 1gallon freezer bag.
Just pull out a little bag let defreeze in fridge, or if ham is cubed for omelets just add as you use per omelet and throw right in pan frozen let water naturally cook away and crisp em.
I do enough for six months at a time, keeps perfect.
Hams here go on sale 99 cent a lb. a lot better than the 6.99lb at the deli.
On this site you will find also sausage grinders and rotisseries
Thanks for your herb recipe love to try others mixes too.
I’m in the Boston are, too, but I don’t pay ANYTHING like those prices. You probably go to Shaw’s or Stop & Shop. Find your nearest Market Basket and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the savings!
This is a great post. I’m in Colorado Springs and for deli roast beef with no additives I can pay anywhere from 5.99-8.99/lb depending on if it’s on sale.
I’d much rather make my own, as you noted I can buy a lb of meat for much less. I hadn’t even thought of it that way. I was just trying to be healthier!
LOVE Boston, been there only once, but was amazed by it. The west is so completely different.
Thanks SO MUCH for demystifying “cutting across the grain”! Makes perfect sense.
Great photos, great step-by-step instructions. About to go make this for 30 hungry Celtic musicians in Southern Colorado! Thanks again!
Thanks so much! Love the recipe! I used it on venison. Love it! Great help, but our prices here are much lower! We pay from 4.99 to 7.99(maybe) a lb. Ithought 4.99 was outrageous in Ohio. but I guess I was wrong!
this girl really knows her s&%@ this has worked for me time and time again always great. problem is i cut a big roast into small 3 to4 lb roasts and i devour it by the next day as we have roast beef that night little snack latter on then next day a little with eggs and sandwitches for lunch. gone gone gone and there are only 2 of us forgot i usually give 1 ld away for braggin rights. i need to find grocery style cuts. i also cut it with a deli style slicer that makes it all the better. thank you very much for sharing , very simple as i can do it and i am a man also a pollock, so this must be simple
I just googled homemade roast beef lunch meat, and it brought me to this first. My interest was of course for cost savings, then I HATE that all deli roast beef I have seen has – “caramel color added.” EWE! Finally, I saw a slicer on sale for 60.00 at Farm & Fleet. I’ve been wanting one forever. Looks like I’m going shopping!
I made this tonight for the first time and it was wonderful. My husband loved it for dinner, and I wrapped and refrigerated the rest of the roast for sandwiches for the rest of the week. I plan to make this Christmas Eve. I never knew what kind of roast to buy for rare roast beef. Thank you for sharing a wonderful recipe that I know I will use for years to come.
New favorite for moose round. Thanks!
My oven smoked a lot during the 500 degree period. Maybe I used too much olive oil? It seemed like the drippings were causing the smoke, not the meat. Any ideas?
After making this recipe five times and about to make for a sixth, I thought I should leave a note of thanks!!. This recipe is great and works out every time for me. My suggestions for others is to set your meat thermometer for 15 degrees less then you want it. With the oven at 500, my roasts generally continue to rise in temp after I pull them out. I like rare, and 120 comes and goes quick.
I love the crust on the roast, it is really the first time I have enjoyed garlic powder in a recipe. Personally, I leave the fat cap on. It is generally half an inch thick and I love the tasted of fresh out of the oven roasted fat.
Again, thanks for a great recipe.
After trying this for the first time in October my family loved it so much we decided to make for Christmas dinner. I think we might have a new tradition at hand. Thanks for the easy simple directions and fabulous resluts each time! Merry Christmas.
I bought a hunk o’ meat from the grocery and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with it. I stumbled across your page and am SO HAPPY that I did. I can’t keep my mouth off of it! And I am typically not a roast beef fan, my husband is. Hopefully I won’t shovel it all in before he gets home from work!
Thank you so much for this recipe and the step by step instructions. DELICIOUS!
I am sooooo excited!! I have mine in the oven as I type this!! I, as well, have a deli slicer and am so looking forward to using this! I bought one last week and followed a different recipe that had mine in the crockpot FOREVER and it did NOT turn out how I expected. Thanks for all the helpful pics and great tutorial!!
Simple and delicious….what more can be said? My roast turned out perfectly. Excellent step by step instructions that helped even my 13 year old newbie foodie manage this one!
this recipe seems delicious!! i have never done it this will be my first time, i also have been buying roast beef at the deli and paying over $8 a pound and its well done and not good. But i have this other recipe to add the meat in french onion soup to warm it then add on huge buns with hot peppers provolone cheese and bake in the oven and a spicy mayo mmmm i cant wait to try it!! thanks for he great recipe.
wow….that looks so good. can i have a slice ?
I have been wanting to learn to do this for years and out of necessity I finally decided to look and your recipe sounds just like something I will like. I am going to put one in the oven tonight. Thanks!
I have cooked the roast and tasted it and it is wonderful! Thanks again!
i plan to fix a couple of these this weekend and i wanted to ask if you can freeze (vacuum freeze) the meat after you slice it and how it might turn out later – or would you vacuum freeze the whole round without slicing and just slice it after thawing ?? or is this a bad idea ??
Hey Scott,
Thanks for the note. I’ve honestly never frozen one–and I’ve never used a vacuum freezer. I think fresh is always better. That said, if you need to freeze it, I’d freeze the whole thing, then thaw it and slice. Let me know how it goes, and what you decide to do!
+Jesssie
So did you ever get the turkey method figured out? Somewhere I read someone boiled it with seasonings and then when you slice it it holds together nicely like deli meat. I have a turkey breast in the fridge just calling to be made into slicing meat.
Also, can you make a similar suggestion for a beef brisket?
This had to be the BEST and easiest recipe. I used Black Angus and had to keep it in the oven for about 10 minutes more. Cannot wait to try other cuts, and spices! I had been looking and looking for a good recipe so I could use my deli slicer, and have it medium rare-rare. Added a few other spices, want to make more! Thanks again
Try this:
http://www.vandorngourmets.com/products/steak-chop-seasoning
Fabulous!
This is such a great treat! Thank you for sharing. My roast beef came out simply awesome!
Medium rare is how I like it, and your timing was absolutely perfect for the cut of beef I had.
And I used a seasoning I picked up at a farmers market.
Fabulous!
http://www.vandorngourmets.com/products/steak-chop-seasoning
Pingback: Share The Seasons » Boiled Corned Beef Dinner
Thanks for this recipe, it was actually the first entry on Google after searching “how to make your own deli meat”. I’m looking forward to trying it out. I was actually directed to your website before from a friend on your sourdough starter. Unfortunately that didn’t go too well; got to try it again.
Anyway, I really need to save money, and with the bad news on the sodium nitrites they use in deli meat, this sounds like a much healthier, cost-effective alternative. THANKS!
Thank you! For someone who has tried several times, and never could get it right. My husband loved it, as well as my children.
Pingback: Deli Roast Beef « Honey Run
Wow! thanks so much. My family love beef, but I never knew how to do it. I am so glad I stumbled across this. I have to make roast beef for 100 people. I have one oven. Do you have any pointers on how many I can cook at one time and how does that effect the time that I cook them?
Would love to know the timing for a turkey breast. This roast beef was delicious, but I would think turkey would bake much longer since you have to worry about salmonella, right?
Thanks!
Thanks for the yummy recipe! We made one Easter weekend. It was ment to last 2 days at least but we couldn’t stop eating it!! It was so good!! I’m making one tonight too, this time my roast is a little bigger
THANKS AGAIN!!
Jessie thanks for this info…as everyone says! I will be trying it this week. I am in western Michigan, and the only roast beef my hubby will eat is Dietz and Watson’s London Broil ($9.99 lb)…so I am going to give your recipie a try with the eye of round cut and also a London cut. I will let you know the results on taste differences because I think the London cut will be a bit juicier….maybe? He likes it rather rare, so maybe that’s why. A tip on a sandwhich for all to enjoy….melt mozzerlla on the beef, then add steak sauce, miracle whip or mayo, carmelized onions and mushrooms. Serve on a sub bun or a kaiser bun. It’s wonderful and heavenly!
Thanks to all for the ideas!!
Doesn,t the salt make it tougher that is should be? I have heard to never put salt on meat unitl it is pretty much done cause it dries out the meat.
Nope, it shouldn’t make it tough at all.
It’s true that salt does draw moisture out of meat (i.e. jerky, etc.). That said, you’d need to let a piece of meat sit around in a ton of salt for a pretty long time for it to toughen it up. My rule is that I always salt right before I cook. Never had an issue.
Hope that helps!
+Jessie
Thanks for the recipe. What do you think about brining the meat or turkey before doing this recipe.. will you recommend that ?.. If possible, I would appreciate making a post like that about home made Deli roasted Turkey, my children like it too much and it is expensive for me. Thank you
Hi,
I made roast beef according to your recipe/instructions for innumerable times, and it always smells, looks, and tastes FANTASTIC! Even when I get a roast beef sandwich at a deli or cafe, I don’t even like it any more….
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe (and the delish photos)….
-Maddy
Thanks so much Jessi, I too have been looking for a recipe to make deli roast beef at home. Can’t wait to try it. I live in the south, LA, (lower Alabama) and fortunately prices are considerably lower but relative in comparision between buying the sliced deli roast beef or making your own. We (my husband and I) both love roast beef sandwiches and Boar’s Head is a big seller here and is very expensive. I too would be interested in the Turkey Breast time frame should you come up with one. Thanks again.
Pingback: I CU
Pingback: [Cooking] Roast Beef « THE Blog
the recipe is great and so easy! my question to you is this- have you tried vacuum packing this ? and if so how long is it good for if its vacuum packed?
i would like to do this too,but i would like to cook 3 or 4 of them and just vacuum packing them.
can you freeze the roast beef after it has been cooked?/ like cook it vacuum seal it and then freeze it?
I live in Texas and things here are high at our local grocery store I bought my roast @ $3.59 a lb the deli was selling it at $8.98 a lb on sale.
I had a savings of $5.39 a lb the savings was so great I asked my butcher for a 6 lb roast and I now have enough to freeze for dinner and then lunches for like ever!
This is my first try at it I had so much fun making it and the smell is not only driving me crazy but the dog and cat are going nuts too! Oh it smell so good!!!!!!!! I can’t wait till dinner!
Thank you so much!
About what size roast do you typically get for this?
Hi Jessie, Just wanted you to know that is the best roast I have ever cooked!! We have our own beef and we will use this alot!! I do have one question, we love sundried tomato turkey. I was wondering if you could tell me what kind of spices you would use for that flavor or just what spices you would use for turkey cooked this way? Thanks, I didn’t believe it until I tasted it. Wonderful!! Thanks, Tish
My family loves Arby’s roast beef sandwiches but not the cost. I love to cook so I did a search and found this website. I just made this tonight and my family couldn’t be more pleased. I cooked the meat to 154 degrees and then let it rest for 20 minutes and it was juicy and wonderful.
Thank you!
Lori
I just took this out of the oven and cut off a taste…4 tastes later I’m wondering if there’s going to be any left when my husband comes home from work….
Delicious !! You’re a genius – this is the best method ever to cook a roast !!
Can’t wait to try out my new slicer in 20 mins or so !!
Decided I would search a recipe for home made roast beef for sandwiches. Your recipe is perfect and I absolutely love and appreciate the very clear instructions and photographs! I’ll be trying this out for the coming school/work year and I’ll be passing it along to my son and daughter-in-law as well as to my newly married daughter. Thanks!
Thankyou! Can’t wait to try. Yesterday here in Maine my husb bought roast beef deli meat that was ON SALE $9.99 lb! I thought, “That’s it! I’m going to do this myself!” Found your helpful site. Can’t wait to try. Your pics are great. I need a GOOD knife and that I will buy! I enjoyed reading all the readers’ comments, too!
I live in Maine and yesterday my husb bought deli roast beef for $9.99 lb ON SALE! I thought, “That’s it! I’m doing this myself!” Thank you for this helpful guide. The pics are great. Can’t wait to try. I plan on buying a GOOD sharp knife! Can’t wait to try!!
This is completely awesome. Deli Roast Beef is one of my vice’s that I cannot really afford. I found this and have a nice roast sitting on the counter resting before slicing right now. This will not only cut down on the cost of my lunches for the days I have to go into the office, but lets me control what is in the food that I am eating. I have been trying to make all of my food lately to save money, but mostly because I want to know what is going into my body and not have to deal with all of the preservatives. You are so much my hero right now!!!
Great recipe for eye of round. I’ve tried this cut of beef several times, only to have it come out overdone and tough. The only thing I can complain about was the “coating” of seasonings was soggy. This may either be from letting it rest “tented” too long, or the olive oil coating to get the seasonings to stick or a combination of the two. Regardless, the flavor is great, and next time I’ll not let it rest tented so long to see if that doesn’t change the sogginess of the seasonings. Will be making this many more times in the future, and just ordered a meat slicer to make it even more enjoyable to get the slices super thin! Will also be buying turkey breast in the future as well, to slice my own.
I thawed out what I thought was a round roast… It turned out to be 3 LARGE roun steaks haha… I tied all of them together and followed the directions to a tee!! I had to cook it longer because It was strait ou of the fridge, but it (they) turned out wonderful!!! So tastey and juicy!!! Thank you for the recipe!!! I will try it again and again!!! This will save my family a bundle!!!
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a simple and wonderful receipe. Thank you soooooo much; the family is still enjoying the beast! I used a Sirlion Tip, doctored it up with seasoning salt, garlic, and fresh cracked pepper, and it was out of this world.
Pingback: Home Made Eye of Round Slices | Gluten Free
I was running out the door to a funeral and thought the meat was finished-it is still VERY pink even on the ends-excellent but I am afraid the inside is raw. No, I did NOT check the internal temperature….foolish, I know! What are my options?
What do you think about slicing all of the meat and freezing it in portions for a week’s worth of sandwiches?
I have followed this fantastic recipe for almost a year now. It always comes out perfectly. I have found that it is more flavorful to cook the roast and cut it into smaller portions and freeze those individually. It doesn’t take any longer to defrost and slice then if you sliced and froze. Plus this way the slices stay separate. I make several roasts on the weekend and have ready made lunch whenever I want.
I have a roast beef in the oven per your directions on this page and it smells amazing, thank you for these easy to follow directions and pictures-I always forgot which way the grain was! Now, did you ever post any instructions for turkey breast? I have an Empire (Kosher) Turkey breast waiting to be cooked in my refrigerator, I would love to be able to make deli style turkey breast too! Thank you so much!
I was excited when I came across this preparation method. I was looking for a cheaper and healthier way to have deli style roast beef and tried it the dame day. I was even more excited when the results surpassed all my expectations, it puts the store bought stuff to shame. I have made a roast almost every week, for about the past year now, and each one has turned out perfect. I like to use a generous amount of thyme and sometimes a little sage in addition to the listed spices for an Italian twist. Makes the best Philly’s, French Dips, and cold sandwiches or great just rolled in slice of cheese for snacking. Thank you so much for sharing
Great recipe!
I have a dumb question. Do I cook it at 500 degrees in Bake or Broil mode?
What a great recipe! I love the visual with the pictures, really helps when you have questions :0)
Could you use the same seasoning for Crock pots?
Hi, I was searching online for a good deli style roast beef recipe and stumbled on this wonderful blog. I would just like to know what type of roast is this, round roast? rump roast? What is the cut of the meat? Botton of the round or Top of the round? Any help is welcomed. Thanks
This makes it sound soooooooo easy! Thanks so much for this recipe! Deli Roast Beef in Dothan, AL is about $7.98 to $8.49 a pound; to make it at home will run $2.98 per pound (on special).
Wow to my surprise the time was considerably longer the 50 mins didnt even come close to my roast being done still bloody. smells good though lol…well just have to put it bak in an see what happens.
Just purchased Eye of Round wholesale price $2.78 a pound. make sure you let it rest after taking out of oven, at least 15 min before slicing. I am going to sous-vide mine and slice for sandwiches. Eye of Round is very economical and should always be roasted not braised, it could be braised but not the best cut for braise.
The eye is the center of a top round, don’t use bottom round to roast to much connective tissue, again it could be roasted but not the best choice.
Great recipe, my family loves it!they don’t like traditional braised or pot roast, but love this deli style. To keep the cost even lower, I get my eye of round at Costco. You cane get two roasts, each about 3 lbs, for less than $20 at Costco in Seattle. And beats the heck out of deli roast beef! Way yummier. We eat about 1/3 of the roast for dinner and then have au jus sandwiches for lunch, etc throughout the week.
WOW…Used this recipe with my own spice rubs from Penzys Spice co. This came out perfect!
I LOOOOOOOOVE this recipe! I’ve used it several times now. I would love to use eye of round, but my budget allows for bottom round. It’s still tender when you slice it thin and I make it rare-medium rare, but the flavor burst is INCREDIBLE! Thanks!
I’m planning to make this tonight. The eye round I bought is more tenderloin shaped…definitely not football shaped. What should I do about cooking time?
Loved finding this recipe. I changed up a bit and made cajun roast beef. Took Tony Chachere’s and granulated garlic and put that onto a sheet pan. Then I put on the olive oil on and rolled the meat over the spice to get a nice even coating. Great
This is my second time making your roast beef and yummy! Since the first time I made your roast beef I have no longer bought store bought lunchmeat. I have made ham and roast turkey and the kids love them! I luckily acquired a meat slicer at a garage sale so I slice it all up and freeze in 1lb bags. Thanks for the motivation!
When storing the meat, does anyone have any ideas as to how to retain the red color of the roast beef? It always looses the red color on the cut edge of the meat.
Jennifer – i save mine in vacuum sealing bags. I bought a re-furbished deli slicer from cabelas for $49.00 and use the Debbie Meyer vacuum sealing system. You can get a starter set-up, the actual portable hand held sealer ( super convenient) and some bags to start for well under $50.00. They work real good. I just checked in the freezer and had some left over strip steak i sliced up for sandwiches on january 15 and they are still perfectly red. – Dennis
Thanks! I am trying as much as possible to eat home-made preservative and chemical free food, and I found this recipe after buying turkey breast and roast beef cold cuts for 23$/pound (organic, preservative and chemical free (i actually know the person who makes them)!!!! I am in Toronto, where even the the non-organic but natural would be for 10-15$/pound.
I am going to try it and post my comments soon. However, I would like to smoke it based on a recipe for Turkey i just found on this link and that I would think would be of interest to everyone on this site http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-turkey-pastrami. I just ordered my stovetop smoker, and I think it would work fine in the oven too (I’ll wait to get the manual to double check). I guess smoking with oak or hickory would make the meat just perfect!
Thanks again for the recipe, and will add my comments on it once I try it in the smoker
I tried this with a bottom round roast a little over a month ago and it worked very well. I since made a brined pork loin on the grill (using a smoker box and rotisserie attachment) that I sliced for sandwiches in a similar manner. I found a meat slicer at the thrift store this past weekend. I’m trying a sirloin tip roast tonight. Man, I’m loving this. Thanks for opening my eyes to the deli in my own kitchen!
I’m not necessarily convinced I’m saving money when you compare the cut of meat used in deli roast beefs and the weight lost during cooking and definitely not if I put any value to my time and effort, but it’s delicious and more nutritious for sure, not to mention fun and fulfilling.
A few tips:
1. Invest in good thermometers, both meat and oven; you’d be surprised how far off your oven or old school meat thermometer can be.
2. Good advice on the meat temperatures; so often we cook an expensive roast to 145+ per USDA, Betty Crocker, or your mom’s old meat thermometer for medium rare beef only to slice it up for the big meal and find its everybody’s favorite – well done, gray meat.
3. I’ve found the meat is good for 2 weeks in the fridge.
4. If you’re worried about not eating all the sandwich meat before it turns, have a roast beef dinner the night you cook and then slice just the leftover portion for sandwiches.
5. You definitely want to chill (not freeze) the meat before slicing with a knife for sandwich meat.
6. The perfect complimentary sauce for a roast beef sandwich includes mayo, horseradish, whole grain mustard, and fresh cracked pepper corn. Top with a thick slice of cheddar and tomato and you’ll be in heaven.
7. The better the cut, the better the roast beef. Next time you win in Vegas, try a NY roast or tenderloin for truly phenominal melt in your mouth roast beef.
Just an update, the sirloin tip roast worked out pretty well over all. It takes substantially longer to cook and since it’s not a uniform shape like the eye of round, it did not cooked very uniformly.
Pingback: Frugal Living: Homemade Deli Meat
I’ve been looking for someone to explain this in a simple way for quite some time. Took me quite a bit of googling to find it but I’m glad I did. Its in the oven right now!
As for the prices, I’m in northern NV and we get “Prima Della” for about $6.98/lb but theres this bacon-wrapped roast beef for a dollar less thats just as good and – hello?! BACON!
I’m going to toy around with the bacon wrapping now that I’ve got this part down.
I’ve bookmarked this and I’ll let you know how it comes out!
Just made this for dinner and sandwiches this week. It was a HUGE hit! Even my super, picky 9 year old gave it 5 stars!! Thank you!
Great detailed directions… I have 2 really big Bridal shower picnics this summer… At the one we’re having pulled pork and the other roast beef with Aujus…
Needless to say I want to get as much done ahead of time, since there will about 75 people at both… I’m going to make my eye roasts following your directions, the rarer the better, it will be sliced on my meat slicer, frozen the reheated in a crockpot for a very short amount of time to keep the rareness…
I heat the crockpot with Aujus on med/high, until I’m about 5 minutes to serving time… Then I add the defrosted meat… It stays perfectly rare and juicey…
thanks again for the great recipe, your idea on the spices sounds perfect…
Thanks for this blog post! I have six children and we eat a mostly natural, organic, local, whole-foods diet (meaning very few packaged/processed foods.) As you can imagine, our grocery bill is outrageous and shocking! I have done turkey breasts and hams and sliced them myself for lunch meat (we have a countertop deli slicer that I think is one of my best kitchen gadgets ever!); however, I have not tried my favorite, roast beef. I stopped at a local health food grocery to pick up a few things as well as a late dinner for my daughter and I to eat on our 45 minute drive home. The roast beef deli meat that I love there has gone up to 14.99 a pound! I gave in but bought just 1/2 pound (I needed something high-protein to eat right then if I was going to make it home after not eating all day/night lol) but then marched over to the meat counter and bought a bottom round roast, antibiotic-and-hormone-free, locally raised, pasture raised, on sale for 4.49 a pound! I have cooked other types of roasts with the blast-then-lower method (I frequently do tri-tip roasts that way) but hadn’t thought to do my deli-meat experiment like this! I can’t wait to get my roast in the oven! It seems like this will make a really good french-dip style sandwich, too…if portions are frozen rare, they can be taken be defrosted and then just slightly warmed on the stove without it getting too done, then piled onto a crusty bun and served with au jus (will have to figure out how to make and freeze some of that), some steamed veggies or even a potato, and a salad! Super fast busy night meal for the meat-eaters in my family! Looking forward to digging around the rest of your site!
No one has commented in awhile, so I thought I would chime it:
Very good info here. I like to finnish a little lower – 275f, but it really depends on your over.
Keep on eating
Love this recipe – I have made this twice before but could never cut it thin enough since I did not have a slicer but since I really loved the meat I went out and bought a meat slicer so I can’t wait to use it on the roast beef that is in the over right now. Thank you so much
I have a food vacuum sealer so that I could seal up some of this and freeze it in smaller packages. Then I can get out a small package at a time and thaw it out in the fridge to use for sandwiches or in a main dish. Can’t wait to try this!
If I am keeping it in the fridge.. do I slice it all or slice it as needed for sandwiches?
I sliced some off to freeze.. I guess I will just wrap those slices tightly and put them in the freezer..?
If I made this ahead of time and froze it, can I put it in the crockpot to warm for a group lunch? If so, would I put any “juice” in the crockpot for it to simmer in?
Thanks
Wow! Great step by step pictures! Perfect for a “visual” like myself!
)
)
One question though (I’m such a dummy in the kitchen! No improv for me! Gotta follow a recipe! lol), your cooking instructions are for a roast of how many pounds? 3lbs? Cause I’m guessing that for a smaller roast I’d leave a little less longer?
Thank you for sharing your great recipe!
i kicked this up a notch eliminated lining my roasting pan with foil and transferred the pan to the stove made an au jus sauce created a French dip Omg it was yummy! !
i am trying your roast beef today. can’t wait. here is another recipe that is soo yummy. it is using a rump roast.
get a rump roast
slice slits in the top of it and push down quartered garlic slices
lather the top of the roast with grey poupon ( however you spell it )mustard
what ever weight the rump roast is times the cooking times by 3 minutes 20seconds
if you have a 2.4lb rup roast you would cook it 8 minutes .
you would cook it at 500 degrees. once the 8 minutes runs up DO NOT OPEN the oven. let the roast sit in the oven for at least 4 to 5 hrs. the roast will continue to cook until there is no more heat in the oven. my mother used to make this for me as a kid and i still make it today. it comes out medium rare. it is awesome!!!
Pingback: How to Make Your Own Deli-Style Roast Beef | vomitingchicken.comvomitingchicken.com
This is awesome, I am so glad I came across this recipe, Thank you so much for your work on the info and the very easy to read post.
I got a new meat slicer for xmas guess what i am having the next day roast is out of freezer already . i have been cooking for over 30+ years as a chef . another great rub olive oil koasher salt diced rose mary and coat well
This recipe has become our Christmas dinner tradition! Three years ago I posted that my family loved this easy and delicious recipe and sure enough this is our third year of enjoying it for Christmas. Thanks again!
Made this today and was called while I was at the gas station to be told how good this was. This is not something that EVER happens. I did have to adjust the time but was a big hit with my family
I was getting fed up with paying $7.00-$8.00/lb for deli roast beef and ending up with something that was full of gristle and over salted and half the time sliced with the grain to make meat floss and depending which store I go to not even real meat at all. One of our local stores had eye of round for $3.00/lb the other day, so we bought a bunch and decided to try making our own. It’s funny, you know it can be done, but never bother finding out how. I didn’t have a slicer, so even with a real sharp knife, it was still a little thicker than I like but the flavor was good. I will say that the 50 minute rule didn’t work for me. My roast (which was actually half an eye of round…about 2.5 pounds) was still at 100 degrees after the 20 minutes at 500 and 30 minutes at 300. That’s ok for me because I always use a digital probe thermometer with meat anyhow so I just kept it in until it hit 122 and then pulled it and it was perfect after a rest and carry over. I’m wondering if the 50 minute rule is possibly based on a roast that has been allowed to come to room temperature before roasting, but I didn’t see that in the recipe. I would like to figure out how to get the salt flavor to penetrate the meat a little more.
Pingback: Replace lunchmeats with healthier, homemade options (52 ways to save money on a healthy diet series)
I have not bought deli roast beef since I found your recipe a few months ago! Thank you thank you thank you