A friend extraordinaire, wants to improve her beef roasting skills and who doesn't need to hone those, anyway?  You know, a "Sunday" roast, rather than a hulking mass of prime rib.  Oh, don't get me wrong, there's nothing quite like a perfectly cooked medium-rare prime rib, but it's nice to know how to roast a more reasonable (both price and size) type of roast.  You know…a good Sunday-dinner-with-the-family-type of roast.  That's what we're doing here. There are different types of beef for dry or oven roasting.  We're going to do two different types, a sirloin cap roast (they run about 1-2.5 lbs) and a rump tip roast (they run about 3 pounds).  Either of these is a good size for 2-4 people and you'll probably have some leftovers.  So, we're roasting up some hunks of meat.  We love good rare to medium-rare roasts.  Now, if you're the type of person that prefers meat well-done, well, then I'm not certain we can really, truly be friends.  At least not close friends.  Oh, I'll accept you around our table, but we'll never be sharing a roast for dinner.  You'll be having chicken or pasta and that's okay.  We love chicken and pasta, too, but this post is all about red meat!

We're going to go with the low-and-slow method here.  I read about it over at seriouseats.com; they were cooking prime rib.  It makes perfect sense, but we're not cooking prime rib.  However, I think we can use their technique for different types of beef for roasts and make it easy enough so you can go with timing, rather than needing to use a thermometer.  We'll see…

First, the meat.  You want a reasonably tender piece of meat, but you don't have to spring for tenderloin, rib eye roast or more expensive cuts.  Sirloin is a nice option.  Top sirloin will work, tri-tip will work well, too.  I chose a nice Sirloin Cap Roast and then, a Rump Tip Roast.Marbling in BeefWhichever hunk of meat you opt for, it should have some nice marbling…that's those little veins of fat that run through the meat.  You want those.  They melt during roasting and keep the meat moist as it cooks.  This is very important.Sirloin Cap RoastI "dry aged" the sirloin cap roast, in the fridge, for 4 days.  I put the coarse salt on the meat, put it on a rack, so as to allow the air to circulate around the meat and just let it be.  It will have more flavor and be more tender if you have time to do that.  I could write a post just on dry-aging, but I want this to be about the slow-roasting process. You can find out more info about "dry aging" beef here.

Seasoned Sirloin Tip RoastWhatever cut you choose, the hunk of beef needs to be at room temperature before you season and roast it.  I usually rub the meat right after it came from the fridge and then let it stand.  You're going to want to take the meat out of the fridge at least 2 hours before you want to roast the meat.  Make certain the oven is preheated to 275°F.  For more rare, I usually roast the meat for 13 minutes per pound, so for the sirloin cap roast (which weighs in at 2.25 lbs), I went with 30 minutes.  For the Rump Tip Roast, we wanted to try for a more medium-rare, so went with 14 minutes per pound (the rump was 2.9 pounds) or 40 minutes.   After the allotted time is up, turn the oven off for 1 hour, not opening the door for any reason; no peeking!  We're also cooking these to an internal temperature of 120°F – 125°F.  Not peeking will require self-restraint on your part…mmmm…it does smell good in the kitchen.

Just before serving, we browned it under the broiler for about 3 minutes.  This is just to crisp up the top.  Because the meat already rested earlier, and wasn't in the oven long enough to really cook anymore, you can slice the meat immediately, and serve it immediately.After broiling, remove the meat from pan and you may slice the roast immediately…look no meat juice is running around the board.  That's because the meat had already rested.  Remember?  It was perfectly pink, moist and delicious.

Slow-Roasted Sirloin Cap Sunday Roast

  • 2-3 pounds sirloin tip, cap, tri-tip, rump tip or other tender-type roast
  • Rub:
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground dried porcini mushrooms

Remove the meat from the refrigerator at least 2 hours before you want to roast it.  Allow is to come to room temperature.  About 2 hours before serving, move the oven grate to the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 275°F.

Combine the dry rub ingredients, making into a spreadable paste; rub into the hunk of (now room temperature) meat.  Set on a grate, in a heavy skillet; I use cast iron.  Slide the pan into the oven.  Set the timer for 13 minutes per pound; in this case, I went with 30 minutes for a 2.25 pound roast.

When the timer rings, turn the oven OFF and leave the roast in the oven.  DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN!!!  Reset the timer for 60 minutes.  After the 60 minute "rest", remove the pan from the oven, cover loosely with foil and let stand in a warm place (the microwave works pretty well).  You can roast the meat up to 2 hours ahead of time.

Just before you're ready to serve, move an oven grate to the upper third of the oven.  Preheat the broiler to HIGH, about 4-5 minutes.  Place the pan under the broiler, so the meat is about 3-4 inches from the heat source.  Broil for 3-4 minutes or until the "crust" crisps.

Remove from the oven, place the meat on a cutting board and slice immediately.  Serve immediately with jus or gravy, and a dollop of horseradish, if you wish.

Slow-Roasted Sirloin Cap "Sunday" Roast Recipe©Marcia Lahens 2020.  All rights reserved.

We enjoyed roasted potatoes with onions and bacon, steamed green beans, and  mushroom-red wine gravy with shallots on the side.  It was a good Sunday dinner Roast.

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