Sous Vide Roast Beef

Eye of round roast is cheap, lean, and not always the most tender of cuts.

But the sous vide method changes that.  After eight hours at 131°F, you get a roast beef that’s pink edge to edge. It's tender enough to serve as a roast and perfect to slice for sandwiches.

I’ll show you two small steps that I found in testing made a big difference in turning this economy cut into something my family asked for.

And this technique I use on sous vide eye of round will work for other lean cuts like bottom round roast, top round, or a rump roast. You can also check out my sous vide chuck roast recipe.

Start the Night Before

To get the most out of eye of round, I recommend you start the night before.  Salt the meat, and let it sit on a rack over a sheet pan in the fridge overnight.

This gives the salt time to permeate the muscle fibers.  It not only seasons the meat, but also makes it more tender.  It’s a small step that makes the meat juicier, tenderer, and more flavorful.

If you are short on time, you can salt and let the meat sit at room temperature for an hour.  But I recommend salting overnight for the best sous vide eye of round roast.

Why 8 hours?

Cooking a piece of meat all day in some way other than your slow cooker can seem odd if you are new to sous vide cooking.  

But it is sort of the same thing.  We can cook sous vide steak for just an hour or two, because it is only 1 ½” thick.  With a roast, it takes time for the heat to get to the middle.

The eye of round is loaded with connective tissue.  When we keep it at 131°F for 8 hours, the collagen softens, and the muscles relax, but you still get a perfect medium-rare sous vide beef roast.

The Ice Bath

Here is a trick that I found made a big difference when I was testing.  When the roast is done in the sous vide, drop the sealed bag into a bowl of ice water.  I recommend you let it sit for 10 minutes.

It sounds like an odd move, so allow me to explain.  

A hot sear on an already warm roast will keep the meat cooking under the surface.  You’ll end up with a gray ring around the roast where the meat is tough and overcooked.  Chilling the outside gives you a buffer.  The surface will brown fast, without the inside getting overcooked.

Turn the Bag  Juices into Au Jus

If you want roast beef with au jus, the juices in the bag give you a head start. Strain them into a skillet with broth and a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce.  Let it reduce, and then add a pat of butter off the heat.  You’ve got an easy au jus you can serve alongside, or use it to make a French Dip Sandwich.

Want Thin Slices?

This is fantastic make-ahead deli roast beef. Chill the whole roast and slice it cold. A cold roast is much easier to slice thinly.

Reheating

A quick dip in warm au jus or a few seconds in a low pan does it. Blast it in the microwave, and you’ll cook off all the pink you worked for.

Pile it on a roast beef panini, or set out a bowl of creamy horseradish sauce.