- I'm gonna show you
how to cook roast beef that's juicy, tender, and
absolutely holiday-worthy. Plus, you're gonna love the pan gravy. Check this out. (jolly upbeat music) (Natasha grunts) Hey, everybody, it's Natasha
of natashaskitchen.com. I'm really excited about today. We're learning how to cook roast beef. This is a recipe everybody
should have in their repertoire because it's easy, stunning, and really one of the
less expensive roasts that you can make for the holidays. So if you wanna cook something impressive without breaking the bank, this is it. You guys are gonna love this. Also, leftovers are
perfect for sandwich meat. This is the ideal sandwich. My kids go crazy for this. All right, and I'm craving
some roast beef and gravy, so let's get started. Also, if you haven't already, make sure you click below to subscribe. And when you do, hit
that little bell icon, so you'll get notifications
every time we post a recipe. Plus, we're playing a game. Let me know where you
spot Sharky in the video. We've got him hidden, so just let me know in the
comments when you see him and where you see him. Okay, let's do this. I'm using a 3 1/2 pound top round roast. And before you roast it, you do wanna take it out of
the fridge at least an hour, preferably two hours before you roast. That'll allow it to
come to room temperature and roast evenly through, and it'll roast a little faster. Plus, before you roast it, note which way the lines
are going on the beef. So we can see that they are
going in this direction. So once it's roasted, we're
gonna wanna cut it this way. That's the most common mistake
that I see people making with roast beef, not
cutting against the grain. You wanna cut it against the grain. That'll make it soft,
tender, and easy to chew. All right, we're gonna set that aside while we make the marinade. (jolly upbeat music) We'll start with the herbs. You'll need about a tablespoon
of fresh rosemary leaves. To strip rosemary leaves, pinch the top of the stem
and pull the leaves down. It's the same process for stripping fresh
thyme leaves, easy peasy. You'll need about two teaspoons
of finely chopped thyme. Now, you can substitute with dried herbs, but for the holidays, I love using fresh herbs
for the best flavor. Next, you'll need one tablespoon
of finely chopped garlic. It'll be about three cloves. And I found the quickest and
easiest way to peel garlic is to cut off the end, then smash it with the side of the knife. The peel should come right off. Now, you can finally mince it up. And as much as I love my garlic press, I do recommend chopping it
by hand for this recipe. Whenever you're roasting on high heat, pressed garlic tends to burn, so it's better to mince
it up with a knife. Now, in a small bowl, combine
your extra light olive oil along with your finely
chopped rosemary and thyme, your minced garlic, salt, and
freshly cracked black pepper. Stir that together and set it aside to let the flavors meld
for at least five minutes. And I can tell you, this
mixture smells amazing. It pairs so well with beef. We also love it on our prime rib roast. Alright, our roast has rested, and I've patted it dry with paper towels. Now, we're gonna tie
it with kitchen string. Step is optional, but I do think it makes the
roast look more impressive and it gives it a rounder, more even shape for even roasting. Tie that tightly in one-inch
increments down the roast. You can see, these cuts of
beef tend to be pretty lean. So a quick tip, I do like to look for one that has a little bit
of fat on the outside. This will result in more pan drippings. Once you have that tied
all the way down the roast, tightly secure the end and
cut off any excess string. Now, spread the rub all over your roast, making sure to coat the sides and bottom. The best tool you have
for this is your hands. Just spoon the sauce
over the top of the roast and massage it into your roast. This will create a super
flavorful garlic and herb crust. Transfer your beef into a roasting pan with a wire rack on the bottom. And if you don't have a
specific roasting rack, you can get creative. I'm using my instant pot rack here. Using rack helps the roast
to cook evenly all around. Anytime you're roasting something, I highly recommend using an
in-oven meat thermometer, put that into the deepest
portion of your meat, and transfer it to the oven. Make sure the roast is in
the center of your oven and bake at 450 degrees
Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Now, without opening the door, reduce the heat to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for another 28
to 30 minutes per pound. With roast beef, it's
critical not to overcook it. For medium rare, bake to 135 to 140 for a final resting temperature
of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Once your roast is out of the oven, transfer it to a cutting
board and tent with foil. For the juiciest beef, make sure you rest that for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, we're gonna
make the pan gravy sauce. Remove the rack and set the
pan with any drippings in it over medium heat. Now, add red wine and scrape the bottom
of the pan to deglaze. Bring that to a boil and continue cooking until the wine is reduced by half. Add 1 1/2 cups of beef stock. Bring that back to a light
boil and add your seasonings. I'm using onion powder,
garlic powder, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. (jolly upbeat music) Stir that together. Now, to thicken the gravy, we're gonna make a corn starch slurry. Combine cold water and corn starch. Stir until it's well-combined, and drizzle that into your gravy mixture while stirring constantly. Bring that back to a simmer and continue cooking
for about three minutes or until the gravy is thickened. Now, turn off the heat
and melt in your butter. Continue stirring until the
butter is fully incorporated. Then season to taste with more
salt and pepper if needed. The gravy is ready. If you do like a silky smooth gravy, you can strain it through a sieve. (jolly upbeat music) Once that's strained,
transfer it to a gravy dish. All right, our gravy is
done, our roast has rested, and it's time to carve it up. And eat it, too, we are going to eat it. And seriously, if you
don't already have one, get yourself an in-oven thermometer. In the long run, it will
definitely be worth its salt because it'll save your meat from getting overcooked or undercooked, and that's really good in the oven, also on the grill, in the smoker. It is such a handy thermometer. I will link to it in the notes. Okay. Remove the string because
nobody wants to eat string. It's very unpleasant. And even though it tastes
good, it doesn't go down easy. I'll just snip that
away, comes off easily. And it's just some basic kitchen twine. This one's the red and white. I love that it's kind
of Christmas-colored. Okay, get rid of that. You can suck on it for a
little bit if you want to to get all that flavor. Just kidding. That's kind of weird. (Natasha chuckles) Oh, okay. Here we go. We're gonna carve it. And remember what I said about
cutting against the grain. This is so important. I have seen so many roasts
that have been sliced raw and it just gets tough and hard to chew. Okay, so find which way the fibers go. On here, they go this way. You wanna break those fibers, so when you cut against the grain, you're breaking the fibers, making it so much easier to chew. All right, got my handy low carving set. Also, with roast beef, you
do wanna cut thin slices. Another thing I see is people cutting this big
old honks of big medallions. This is not a prime rib, okay? With prime rib, you wanna do that so it doesn't cool down too quickly, but with this one, you
wanna cut it thinly. So just shave it away. The end pieces will be
a little more cooked. So, for the folks who want their meat a little bit more well done, look at that. That is gorgeous. Gorgeous. Perfectly cooked. And that is why you need a thermometer. (Natasha chuckles) All right, just shave nice, thin slices. You know what I love about this meat? Leftovers are amazing. This is the perfect sandwich meat. Shave it nice and thin. Use your leftover meat and sandwiches for lunch the next day. Oh, I think this is the
best-looking one I've made, and I've made like three
of them in the past week to get ready for this video because I wanted it to be perfect for you. Wait until we add the gravy. I'm just gonna load up my plate. Okay, here we go. Get several generous
slices 'cause I am hungry. (Natasha chuckles) I mean, when this roasts
in the oven for a while, you work up in appetite smelling
those yummy aromas, right? All right, here we go. Now, the gravy. This is probably my favorite part. Oh, just imagine this over your beef. It makes every bite so delicious. Imagine it over our
creamy mashed potatoes. All right, I'm just gonna dig right in. Here we go 'cause this is calling my name. Get myself a big bite. And you can see it cuts through so easily 'cause we've thinly sliced it, we've cut it against the grain. And... (jolly upbeat music) (Natasha hums) Absolutely holiday-worthy. Plus, when your meat is this lean, make sure you don't overcook it. Anytime you overcook beef, it'll be tough. So that thermometer is key. But, wow, this is just irresistibly good. You can really taste that little notes of red wine in the gravy, and
the garlic and onion powder, and that little bit of butter actually makes the gravy super luxurious. Because this is a lean cut, it doesn't release a whole lot of fat. So adding that little bit
of butter off the heat, swirling it in, makes the
gravy creamy and so good. I hope you guys love this. Let me know if it makes
it to your holiday table. And Merry Christmas, happy holidays. I hope you guys have a
wonderful holiday season, and we'll see you on the next
episode of Natasha's Kitchen. David, I've got steak. My son just got home from school. Somebody's eager. - Smelled it right as
I walked in the door. - Did you? Smelling good. He didn't even have time
to take off his coat. Okay, that's how good this is. (jolly upbeat music) I think his face says it all. Good, huh?
- Mm-hmm. - That gravy. You like that gravy? - Mm-hmm. All right, we're gonna go eat. Bye!
