[updated 2022]
The main difference between deli roast beef vs regular roast beef is that the deli-style roast beef is thinly sliced and usually used on a sandwich while the roast beef is thick cut and served on a plate hot. Now, the fortunate factor about deli roast beef is that it’s usually served cold or quickly reheated so there is no concern of overcooking when serving. Also, given that it’s thinly sliced, it’s more tolerable to tougher and cheaper cuts of meat. In fact, a good deli roast beef should be lean but still tender. This is where we have an opportunity to take a cheaper cut of meat and make it taste expensive.
Whenever I go to a sandwich shop, I prefer roast beef over turkey or ham for my protein because the flavors are just more intense. Whenever I go to the supermarket to look at buying roast beef to make my own sandwich, I notice that they add caramel color as well as sodium phosphate and other non-natural ingredients. So now, I make my own roast beef for my sandwich just to feel healthier and I can pile on the meat and still come out ahead in terms of price. Yay for home cooking!
Ingredients:
- 3 to 4 pounds rump roast
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp crushed black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
Directions:
There are basically two main points to making a tender roast beef from a cheap cut of meat. First, it’s gotta be slow roasted to slightly above rare. Any higher will start to cause the meat to toughen. Second, you need to slice as thin as possible across the grain. This is another good reason to own a food slicer.
So now we need to prepare our roast. Pull the roast out of the refrigerator pat dry the roast with a paper towel. Rub generously with olive oil. Next, sprinkle on the dry ingredients and gently massage the spices into the meat. Pro Tip: It’s easier to pre-mix the spice rub first before adding to the meat.
Let the roast rest on your counter until it comes up to room temperature which usually takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour. While you are waiting, preheat the oven to a gentle 200°F.
While many recipes call for a searing in a 500°F oven or in the skillet either before or after roasting, for this recipe, we are only going to slow roast. The reason is because searing the meat will create a crust that I just don’t prefer in my roast beef sandwich so I choose to forgo the searing.
Very important is to invest in a good meat thermometer. A popular instant-read thermometer is ThermoPro TP03 and their highly rated leave-in thermometer is the ThermoPro TP-16. I personally do not prefer the instant-read thermometer for this recipe. It’s a lot easier to just use a meat thermometer and leave it in the meat while roasting. Depending on the size of your roast and the thickness, it can take anywhere between 3 to 4 hours. Once the roast reaches 130°F, pull out the roast and tent with foil and let it rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. Technically, you can let it rest and chill overnight in the fridge before carving since this is supposed to be deli-style roast beef for a sandwich anyway.
- 3 to 4 pounds rump roast
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp crushed black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- pat dry the roast
- rub with olive oil
- rub with the remaining ingredients (salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder)
- allow roast to come up to room temperature (about 1 hour)
- roast in oven at 200°F for 3-4 hours until internal temperature reaches 130°F and remove
- tent roast and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before carving
I made this last night, this was the best roast beef I’ve ever had. The seasoning it delicious, and the beef was tender and juicy. Love love love this recipe. It will be the go to for now on. Thank you for sharing.
glad you enjoyed it!
Hello Mike I’m from the UK and we use different names for our beef joints and i wondered if i could use a piece of topside of beef about 5 or 6lb for this recipe. Looking forward to your reply thank you.
Hi Harold. The key for deli roast beef is that the cut needs to be lean and then cooked rare. I think topside beef equates to round in the US so I believe it should work. Make sure to cut against the grain when slicing! Good luck!
You have absolutely nailed the two most important factors to exquisitely flavorful and tender home made deli roast beef, well three if using rump roast is a factor. The slow roast to just above rare, (I sous vide) and using a meat slicer. Honestly the meat slicer might be the number one need. In deli lingo, “thin sliced” means 1/16” or less. Another term is wafer-thin. No way to slice consistently thin sliced pieces with a knife. Get a meat slicer and enjoy roast beef, ham, and turkey breast right at home for far less than buying from the deli.
For sure – meat slicer is great not only for deli meat, but also for cheeses and frozen meat for shabu shabu! I’ve also recently experimented with sous vide roast beef. I should post a new recipe using sous vide. ~Mike
I MADE THE RUMP DELI ROAST BEEF EXACTLY AS DIRECTED AND IT WAS DELICIOUS!!! LOOKED JUST LIKE THE PHOTO.. NO DRIPPINGS SO THE JUICES REDISTRIBUTED BACK INTO THE MEAT.. I USED THE THERMOMETER UNTIL IT REACHED 130 DEGREES AND LET IT REST FOR AN HOUR WHILE MY ROASTED POTATOES COOKED. I MADE A HORSE RADISH MAYO DIP WHICH WAS DELICIOUS WITH THE MEAT AS WELL AS THE POTATOES AND ASPARAGUS… YUMMY!!!! CAN’T WAIT TO MAKE IT AGAIN!!! THANK YOU FOR THE PERFECT RECIPE!!!
Can I cook this in my Instant Pot on low pressure? If so for how long for medium rare?
It’s too risky to cook in Instant Pot because the margin of error is increased due to the shortened cooking time with pressure cooking. You can probably use the IP with Sous Vide mode at 130 degrees for 12-24 hours (depending on personal preference). I’m testing out sous vide deli roast beef recipe and hope to publish soon. ~Mike
I don’t do the cooking in my house but very much want to make this roast beef!! I have an allergy that does not allow me to use dried seasoning. How would I substitute the dried for fresh herbs? Thanks
I think fresh herbs would work as well. You may just need to use more on the rub and let it marinate much longer – maybe overnight so the flavor can penetrate the meat. ~Mike
This was excellent. Moist tender Followed recipe exactly. Used a 2 lb eye of round cooked 2 hours I figured one hour per pound. rested it for 30 minutes. Best EVER!
Hey, Mike!
I love to smoke meats! Will this work in a smoker?
Hi Mike! I don’t do much smoking but I would imagine that it should work in a smoker as long as the internal temperature is kept at around 135. ~Mike
What brand of meat slicer do u use.
Hi Gary,
We have a review of a meat slicer that we use: Chef’sChoice 609 Meat Slicer.
Chef’sChoice brand is reasonably priced and highly rated on Amazon.
~Mike
So many thermometers out there, can you please recommend a real good one. Thank you. Can hardly wait to try this recipe after reading all the positive reviews. Thanks for sharing.
For instant-read thermometer, ThermoPro is a highly rated brand on Amazon at a decent price. They also have a leave-in thermometer as well. For the oven, I usually use the leave-in thermometers. ~Mike
interested in HOW MUCH SHRINKAGE in this method…40-50% after slicing??
have an upcoming event for 100 and need to know how much to buy
Because we cook at low temperature, there isn’t much water loss. I would guess still 15-25% by size (not sure by weight). ~Mike
This looks amazing!! Going to make this and surprise the hubby. He is a roast beef fanatic. I’m not telling him I made until after he eats it lol
Let us know how he enjoyed it 🙂 ~Mike
I made the best French Dips for dinner tonight using this recipe for cooking my round rump roast, the dripping made a great au jus, I just added hot water to it. nothing else, the flavor was excellent!!
Sounds yummy! ~Mike
I followed this recipe exactly, 2 different times, and both times it came out so tuff you couldn’t chew it. Used rump roast both times, cooked them to 130° , let set for 30 minutes under a tent, sliced against the grain. They were like shoe leather and the taste was very bland.
I’m not blaming the recipe itself, I’m assuming that it was the choice of meat. Next time I will use something different.
Seems like you did everything correctly so I’m not sure why the roast came out tough. Can try eye of round and see if that turns out better and make sure to slice as thin as possible. ~Mike
I bought a eye round roast. Do I trim all the fat off? Can’t wait to try!
You can keep the fat on to roast as it would provide more flavor. But definitely trim the fat after it’s done cooking. ~Mike
Made this today and it is perfect! Thanks!
I am making this now and am going to buy a meat slicer. Can you share with us which slicer you bought and what you think of it? Thank you.
We have a review of a meat slicer that we use: Chef’sChoice 609 Meat Slicer.
Chef’sChoice brand is reasonably priced and highly rated on Amazon.
~Mike
I was reading through these comments and came across this one about the “Chef’s Choice 609 Meat Slicer”. I also have this slicer and it is perfect for slicing cooked meats like this roast. I have found the thinner the slice, the more tender it comes out.
Yup, that’s right – can’t go wrong with a Chef’s Choice Meat Slicer. I find it easier to slice after chilling in the fridge for awhile. ~Mike
Absolutely perfect. So simple and just right. I will never buy deli roast beef again!
Oh my, but this was good! I picked up a top round roast onsale for $2.99/lb at my market. Followed the recipe, but pulled it at an internal temp of 135 for my liking. After cooling, we sliced it super thin on the slicer. It was perfect all the way through! My husband and I must have eaten a pound right off the slicer! Thank you for the advice about cooking low and slow at 200 degrees and not browning the roast prior. This made all the difference! Now I have healthy, high quality deli sandwich meat for my family all week long that only cost me 2.99/lb! Thank you!
Awesome! The key is all about slicing it thin and against the grain and keeping the meat rare. ~Mike
This is such a simple and delicious recipe. It’s practically impossible to screw it up. I added a touch of paprika just to give it some color, You do need a very sharp knife or slicer to properly enjoy this recipe.
This turned out awesome! Super tender. Only took just over 2hrs for my 2lb roast. I used eye of round instead of rump roast and will definitely be making again.
Looks great! I’m trying to cook up some deli roast beef for my baby shower sandwiches which unfortunately means I’ll need to cook it more (medium well?). Do you think it will be too tough?
The more well cooked, the tougher the meat will become. That being said, if you have a meat slicer and slice it super thin and slap on some mayo and mustard, it should still taste wonderful. ~Mike
Can you use eye of round instead of rump roast?
Yes, you can. The key about these leaner cuts is cook it rare and slice thin against the grain. ~Mike
With the meat shortage it was hard finding roast beef. I Had a rump roast in the freezer and it came out perfect! Thanks so much for this simple recipe. It’s become a family favorite.
Is it best let it cool on the rack or put it in the fridge immediately once it reaches the interal temp so it stops cooking
I think it’s negligible at this point but chilling it in the fridge makes it much easier to slice thinly. ~Mike
Can I use a whole eye of round? Thanks!
Yes, that should be fine. Just make sure to slice it thin and keep it rare! ~Mike
Ok so after taking it out of the oven. How long till I can fridgerate it. Can’t slice it till tomorrow. Is that ok
That’s no problem. In fact, it’s easier to slice thinly when it’s chilled in the fridge! ~Mike
I made this last night and it really came out great! I had a 3 lb. London Broil / Top Round piece of meat. Instead of olive oil I coated it with 1 tsp each of soy sauce, worcestershire sauce and Kitchen Bouquet. I then added the mix of garlic, onion, salt and pepper as indicated in the recipe. I put it in the oven with a probe but after an hour and a half the probe malfunctioned. So checked it with an instant read therm. at 2 1/2 hours and it was 132 degrees. My piece of meat was more rectangular than square so I think that is why it got up to temp so quickly. Next time I make this I will leave out the salt as it is not needed with the soy mixture. I just finished a cold roast beef sandwich with some nice horseradish/mayo on it. This was as good as any deli. Thanks for showing us how EZ and delicious it is to make deli roast beef at home.
I have made this recipe several times now. The first time I rented it for about an hour and then sliced it using a meat slicer… The second time I rented and let sit in the frig for over 24 hours… I saw a noticeable difference… The first was a little chewy the second was well rested and in my opinion much better. I love the recipe.. I did not sear because I to don’t want the crisp crust in a sandwich. I have to be 💯 honest I used my own spice mixture… similar to what I would use on a prime rib roast… but the olive oil is a must… thank you for your post.. I have been buying Deli roast beef for ever and many times spending $12+ a pound and not med/rare in many times.. I knew there had to be a way to do it myself…. Sooooo happy
Great recipe, but umm, make sure you have your thermometer set to Farenheit and not Celcius like I did.
Kept wondering why my meat wouldn’t go above 65 degrees. Then I realized it was on Celcius, so I cooked it to about 160F.
Going to try again soon with this in mind, lol
I used this recipe with a high-quality eye of round roast. It was by far the best deli-style roast beef I have ever had!
Hi Mike!
Your recipe and instructions look very interesting. We are going to try them out, but we have a question first:.
What is a purpose of rubbing the meat with oil prior to rubbing it with the salt/species mix? Does it help with flavor or meat texture?
Thanks,
Alla and Greg
Rubbing the oil helps in a few ways. First, it allows the salt and spices to stick better to the meat. Second, many spices are oil soluble so it will bring out more of the flavor. ~Mike
I have made this twice and it’s a great recipe, however this last time I made it, my husband sliced it and it was under, way to rare is there anyway to fix it. The flavor is great just to under.
Just dip it after slicing in hot auju
Cook it longer and use a meat thermometer.
Medium rare is 131-134 degrees.
Yes, temp check various locations of the beef or cook to a higher internal – say 135-140 if you like less pink
Toss it in a pan after its sliced for a second just to cook a little more
Made this today – just used oil and salt for my first try – I also like it without the crust from searing. Great outcome!
I have made this at least 10 times now! So glad I found your recipe! Easy and delicious! Thank you!!!!
I made this recipe a few days ago – I did not think it would generate the same flavor as such as “deli” roast beef. I was very surprised – used a 4.11oz. rump – internal temp was at 130 within 2.5 hours in a 200 degree oven! Tented for 30 mins – temp rose to 135 degrees – Came out AWESOME! Thanks for helping to think outside the box!
This has helped me also to make the decision to purchase a meat slicer!
That’s great! Meat Slicer makes a huge difference for slicing thin. Make sure the roast is actually refrigerator cold for easy slicing.
My roast came out perfectly rare but after slicing the meat was kind of chewy maybe almost to rare?
With this type of cut, we need to slice against the grain and very thin (1/8″) or else it can be chewy. ~Mike
140 internal temperature
Thanks for this recipe Mike. I made it for a group of 12 people for lunch with salad and lovely fresh baguettes and it was a huge hit! I will be using this recipe very often
Thanks!! Glad you like it. ~Mike
Could I make this as instructed, thin slice then serve in au jus? Would putting it in warm (not boiling) juice cook it too much and make it tough? I made this a couple weeks ago and it was awesome. Just thinking of two different ways to serve it for Christmas.
Typically this cut is served room temperature or cold. I think it may be tough if it’s heated more. For au jus, sirloin would be a more appropriate yet economical cut. ~Mike
Can you use a chuck roast for this?