Slow-Roasted Eye Round Roast Beef

Ingredients
1 boneless eye-round roast (3 ¹⁄₂ to 4 ¹⁄₂ pounds)
4 teaspoons kosher salt, or 2 teaspoons table salt
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Sprinkle all sides of roast evenly with salt. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Transfer roast to roasting pan, preferably one with a v-rack. 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.

4. Turn oven off; leave roast in oven, without opening door, until thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 130*F for medium-rare of 140*F for medium, 30 to 50 minutes longer. Transfer roast to carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice meat crosswise as thinly as possible and serve.

Note: I aim for somewhere between medium and medium-rare when I make this, so I cook it until it reaches 120*F and then leave it in the oven until it reaches 135*F.  Step 1 is crucial to making this delicious and tender.  

Comments
This recipe is from an issue of Cook’s Illustrated and it’s amazing.  Eye Round is a relatively cheap cut of beef and this turns it into something wonderful and flavorful.  The leftovers make fantastic sandwiches as well.  It does take quite a lot of time but with cooking and the salting, so be sure to plan ahead the day before.

Shown here with Horseradish Cream Sauce and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Cook’s Illustrated 2008