This roast beef recipe is rubbed with fresh rosemary and garlic; this tender, fall-apart roast is then finished with delicious gravy.
Roast beef is one of my favorites to make for my family. It’s usually a dinner you think of having on a Sunday night or for a special occasion. There are always a variety of sides that can go with it, and there are so many different rubs or spices that make great combinations, but my favorite mixture is fresh rosemary and garlic.
This recipe works great in a roaster, clay pot, or slow cooker; they all make this beef roast taste amazing. For this recipe, I will be using a roasting pan or electric roaster; if you want to cook it in a clay pot, take a look at this recipe, and you can use the same rub there.
Table of Contents
What’s the best cut of beef to use?
With so many different cuts of beef to use, I know it can be overwhelming. Here are my top suggestions:
- Top round roast
- Bottom round roast
- Eye of round
- Top sirloin roast
- Chuck roast
Ingredients you need to make Roast Beef
Let’s dig into what you need to make this roast beef so you can put it on your dinner table.
- Roast There are different cuts of roast you can use, but I like to use chuck roast or top round, which are good because they can be a little tough but become nice and tender when you slow roast them.
- Salt/Pepper When you season your roast, you want to make sure you add a good amount.
- Oil I like to use a good oil like olive oil, but you can use vegetable oil as well.
- Garlic Use a lot of garlic; as the roast cooks, it practically melts, and you’re just left with this delicious garlic flavor.
- Onion Yellow or white onions work well here.
- Rosemary You can use fresh or dried; I prefer fresh because it has more flavor; 2 tbsp fresh and 2 teaspoons dried will yield the same results.
- Low-Sodium Beef Broth Choosing a low-sodium food is best to control the salt content. (It’s easier to add salt than to take it away.)
- Flour for thickening up the gravy.
- Milk or cream for making the gravy nice and creamy.
Beef Temperatures
Here are the temperatures for the different levels of doneness for beef. Everyone likes beef at a different temperature, so this helps you know the ideal temperature you’re looking for. Personally, I like to try and achieve between 145°F and 150°F.
- Medium rare (red) 57ºc / 135ºf
- Medium (pink) 63ºc / 145ºf
- Medium well (slightly pink) 66ºc / 150ºf
- Well, done (little or no pink) 71ºc / 160ºf
One thing to remember is that when you check the temperature of the meat be aware that the meat with continue to cook as it rest outside of the oven. You might want to take it out just before the desired temperature.
How to make Roast Beef
What I love about this roast beef is that with just a few ingredients, this recipe practically makes itself; all you need are a couple sides and you’re good to go. Dinner that you can set and forget.
- Room Temperature Before starting, make sure you have allowed your meat to come up to room temperature for at least 1 or 2 hours.
- Preheat Oven set the temperature to 450 ˚F
- Prep the roast Pat the meat dry with a paper towel, and using a sharp knife, pierce the meat in several places so that you can place slices of garlic clove inside each hole.
- Seasoning combines oil, fresh rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper; stirs to combine; and then rubs over the roast.
- Roasting Pan place the roast into your roasting pan and place it into the oven.
- Cook at the high temperature of 450˚F for 15 minutes
- Lower Temperature reduce the oven temperature to 325˚F and continues to cook until the beef reaches the desired temperature.
- Rest Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes before cutting and serving.

How to make the best roast beef in a crock pot or slow cooker (optional)
- Room Temperature Before starting, make sure you have allowed your meat to come up to room temperature for at least 1 or 2 hours.
- Prep the roast Pat the meat dry with a paper towel, and using a sharp knife, pierce the meat in several places so that you can place slices of garlic clove inside each hole.
- Seasoning combines oil, fresh rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper; stirs to combine; and then rubs over the roast.
- Brown roast Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Dry the roasted chicken with paper towels before seasoning it with fresh rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. Roast in a pan until brown on both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side, and then transfer to the slow cooker.
- Beef Broth Pour beef broth and Worcestershire into the pan that you seared the roast in and scrape up any brown bits from the pan, and then pour into the slow cooker.
- Cook on low covered slow cooker and cook on low heat for about 8-9 hours.

What to serve with Roast beef:
- When I think of a comforting meal like roast beef, I think of some beautiful sides to go along with it.
- Mashed potatoes are the perfect side to serve with roast beef, and then adding the gravy on the side is the perfect pairing.
- For a vegetable, I would suggest green beans, asparagus, or air fryer Brussels sprouts.



Perfect Roast Beef Rosemary and Garlic
Equipment
- 1 Roasting Pan
- 1 slow cooker optional
- 1 clay pot optional
Ingredients
- 1 (3-4) pound beef roast
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp Rosemary, fresh or dried
- ½ tbsp thyme, fresh or dried
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450˚F.
- Take the roast out of the fridge at least 1 hour before cooking, and up to 2 hours before cooking.
- Pat dry the meat with paper towels.Using a sharp knife, cut slits in the roast and insert the slivered garlic evenly around the whole roast.
- In a small bowl combine olive oil, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper; mix until thoroughly incorporated.
- Rub the rosemary mixture all around the roast.
- Transfer the roast to the oven for 15 minutes @ 450˚F
- Reduce heat to 325˚F and continue to roast until internal temperature reaches the desired doneness. This can take anywhere from 1 hour and 20 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the size of the roast and desired doneness.
- Remove from oven and let the roast rest for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting.
This looks and sounds so yummy. Thank you for sharing this easy to make roast beef recipe. 🤗
Pastor Natalie (Examine This Moment)
Letstakeamoment.com
Woooow this looks so yummy. I cannot wait to try this.
My grandmother made the most delicious Sunday roasts with these these kinds of cuts of beef. I’ve never mastered doing, but your recipe will guide me.