[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’m going to try this with a top round roast that was on sale for $5.99 lb.
I rubbed with Dijon mustard and used your spice mix except I added some adobo seasoning and a few shakes of msg. Threw it in a ziplock bag to marinate overnight.
What would be your suggestion for cooking this in a toaster oven. I know you usually drop 25 degrees for a recipe written for a regular oven.
My oven also has convection so that’s also an option.
What are your thoughts?? Keep regular temp and time or adjust??
$5.99 is an excellent price! I don’t think 25 degree will make that big of a difference as long as you have a meat thermometer and check for doneness.
The flavor was delicious and the twmp was perfect! If you don’t have a meat slicer, don’t try to use this for sandwiches as it is tough even with super thin slices. If I ever own a meat slicer would definitely use this recipe again
Hi! I wonder if the seasoning is enough to penetrate the meat. I like the meat reasonably salty throughout, and I am not sure that applying the seasoning on the outside would be sufficient to reach inside the roast. Your opinion would be greatly appreciated. Also, do you have a recipe for chicken breast deli meat as well?
Give it a try and if not salty enough, you can always add sauce afterwards. I don’t have a chicken breast deli meat because in order to be large enough to slice, would have to put multiple chicken breast together. Not worth the effort.
I’ve made this dozens of times. Have used this recipe with Top Round & Eye of Round. The seasoning is delicious. When cool.enough to handle, slice thin using a meat slicer and it makes perfect roast beef sandwiches.
Do you roast on a rack or no?
doesn’t really matter – just low and slow.
Hi!
This recipe was even better than my 36 hour sous vide roast beef- and so much simpler! I added garlic and rosemary, and placed the roast on a rack in a roasting pan. It’s perfect deli-style roast beef-tender, juicy and flavorful! Thanks so much for sharing.
Sous vide for a long time can tend to dry out the meat, at least that’s my experience, even at low temperature. This method prevents a lot of moisture loss.
I have an Annova. It’s a gadget that heats up water to a precise temperature and keeps it there. There is no chance of ever overcooking a piece of meat. Do you think if I browned and seasoned the roast, then cooked it in the Annova, it would work. Maybe I’ll cook it in the oven the first time and experiement, but it seems like cooking this without the risk of ever getting it further than medium rare would be ideal.
I also have an Anova but they have different purposes. This keeps the meat tender and juicy. As long as you have a meat thermometer, no worry about over cooking.
I don’t see anywhere, whether it says to cover it or not, or what to put the roast in – inside of the oven?
uncovered – you can put it in a roasting pan or a cookie sheet, doesn’t matter 🙂
OK… It’s in the oven!
2.25 lbs Top round. The Rump Cut was a triangle shape. And the top round was more a brick shape… We shall see!
I’m so gonna try this!
Has anyone tried this in an air fryer? Maybe on a rotisserie? I’ll turn my oven on if I have to but my Air Fryer has yet to fail me! 😆
I also have a Chef’s Choice slicer #615A. I’m stoked!!
~Jim
Excellent! I think air fryer can work – but since it’s long and low – the air fryer might dry out the outside. Might need to cover 1/2 way through.
I added 1 tsp each- thyme, rosemary, basil and oregano.
what do you roast the meat in and do you add any liquid to the pan
It can go in any pan. I just put mine in a cookie sheet. No need for liquid because it’s slow and low.
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!
Thank you for a fabulous recipe! I made this roast beef yesterday after seasoning a 4lb roast and leaving it to marinate overnight in the fridge. Used all the ingredients you recommended but I have a sun-dried tomato and rosemary blend that I added. Positively delicious! Can’t wait to do this again!
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
Have you tried freezing after slicing? I’m wondering if I could make a large batch and freeze what I wouldn’t eat right away.