This easy method turns an economical cut of beef into super tender, flavorful Deli Style Roast Beef. Skip the deli and make your own lunch meat at home!
I’ve been a regular at the grocery store deli counter for most of my adult life. It’s so convenient to have sliced deli meat on hand when you have a lot of people to feed every day and lunches to pack for work. Since my husband requests deli roast beef be added to the grocery list every week, I decided it was time to try and create my own deli roast beef at home.
Friends, the result is nothing short of amazing! This recipe has opened my eyes to inexpensive cuts of beef and what can be done with them.
There is technique involved in properly cooking an inexpensive beef roast. I go through that process in detail in my recipe for Tender Eye of Round Roast Beef with Gravy. This is the same base recipe but instead of slicing and serving it with gravy for dinner, it is chilled and thinly sliced to create the most delicious roast beef sandwiches we’ve ever had.
This recipe yields a Deli Style Roast Beef that is far lower in sodium than the store bought variety. You can reduce the sodium even more by adjusting the amount of salt used. Just one of the many benefits to making your own deli meat at home!
Ingredient Notes
The Best Cut for Deli Style Roast Beef
My favorite cut and the one tested for this recipe is the eye of round roast. It is a lean, flavorful, and relatively inexpensive cut of beef. It requires a special roasting technique to cook it to tender perfection. But fear not! It is incredibly easy and foolproof if you follow the directions. My local Costco regularly carries a two-pack of prime eye of round roasts at a great price. This cut should be easy to find at most grocery store chains.
Although I haven’t tested it for myself, I believe this recipe would also work well with a top or bottom round roast. One of my recipe testers used a top sirloin roast with a fabulous result leading me to believe that a sirloin tip roast would also be a good choice.
Roast Beef Seasoning Mix
A mixture of dry spices creates a flavorful crust as the roast cooks. I’m betting most, if not all of these spices are likely stocked in your pantry. Kosher salt has more oomph than table salt and I highly recommend using it in dry rubs like this one. Granulated garlic has a grainy texture and I prefer it over garlic powder for this spice mix but either can be used. In addition you’ll need freshly ground black pepper, rosemary, thyme, onion powder, and paprika.
How to Make Deli Style Roast Beef
The most important aspect to ensuring a perfectly pink and tender result is to watch the roast closely towards the end of the cooking time. Check the temperature as directed in the recipe card below with an instant read thermometer. Do not allow it to roast beyond 135 F. for the best result.
- Remove your roast from the refrigerator and allow it to rest on the counter for 1 hour to take the chill off. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Pat your roast with paper towels to dry the surface coat all sides of the roast with olive oil. Sprinkle all sides with the dry rub mixture. Place your roast on a wire rack on a foil lined baking sheet with the fat cap side facing up.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes or until nicely browned. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F and continue to roast for another 40 to 50 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 130 to no more than 135 degrees F. (medium rare). Begin checking the temperature after 35 minutes by inserting an instant read thermometer through the center of the roast from the side.
- Allow the roast to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Even better, allow it to rest for 20 to 30 minutes then wrap it with foil and refrigerate it for several hours or overnight.
- Slice it across the grain as thinly as possible. Whether you are using a meat slicer or sharp knife, it will be easier to get nice, deli style thin slices if the roast is chilled.
How to Store Cooked Roast Beef
Wrap the cooled, sliced roast beef in heavy duty foil and place the foil packet in a plastic storage bag. Label it with the date and refrigerate it immediately. It can also be stored in shallow, airtight deli meat container.
This Deli Style Roast Beef should be refrigerated and used within 3 to 4 days for the best quality and food safety concerns.
For longer storage, I recommend portioning it out and sealing it with a vacuum sealer. Vacuum sealed deli meat stored in the refrigerator will stay fresh for up to 10 days. Pop it in the freezer and store it for up to 2 to 3 months. Safely thaw frozen cooked meat completely in the refrigerator before serving. No vacuum sealer? Wrap the deli meat securely in wax paper and then a layer of heavy duty foil before freezing.
Serving Suggestions
- Pile it on your favorite bread or sandwich rolls with a variety of toppings for super tasty roast beef sandwiches for lunch or an easy dinner.
- Add it to your next charcuterie tray, even if it’s just a casual Netflix and chill snacking session!
- Smear slices with a little softened cream cheese and roll it around blanched asparagus for tasty Roast Beef Rollups.
- Use it to make delicious Italian Roast Beef Sliders.
Deli Style Roast Beef
Video
Ingredients
- 2 ½ to 3 ½ pound eye of round roast, (top or bottom round or top sirloin or sirloin tip also work well)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or enough to generously coat all sides
Roast Beef Seasoning Mix
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Remove your roast from the refrigerator and allow it to rest on the counter for 45 minutes to 1 hour to take the chill off.
- Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F.
- Combine all the Roast Beef Seasoning Mix ingredients in a small bowl.
- Pat your roast with paper towels to dry the surface and then drizzle with olive oil and use your hands to rub the olive oil, coating all sides of the roast.
- Sprinkle all sides, including the ends, with the seasoning mix. Place your roast on a rack in a roasting pan with the fat cap side facing up.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes until nicely browned. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F and continue to roast for another 40 to 50 minutes or until internal temperature reads 130 and no more than 135 degrees F. (medium rare). Begin checking temperature after 35 minutes by inserting an instant read thermometer through the center of the roast from the side. Watch it closely because the temperature can rise quickly towards the end of the cooking time. I don’t recommend cooking this roast beyond 135 degrees for the most tender, delicious result.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing. Alternately, after the resting time, wrap the roast in foil and refrigerate it for several hours or overnight before slicing. It will be easier to slice thinly when chilled.
- Use a meat slicer or a sharp knife to slice the roast against the grain as thinly as possible.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Way to much rosemary, dominates the flavour completely . 135F is over cooked, made it very dry.
I don’t find 1 teaspoon rosemary, along with the other spices overpowers a roast but I’m sorry the seasoning wasn’t to your liking. You can absolutely play around with the amounts and even omit the rosemary, if you don’t like it. As far as the internal temperature, I suggest pulling the roast out of the oven when it reaches 130 degrees F and no more than 135 degrees F which is considered rare to medium-rare which yields a result like what you see in the photos in this post.
Would this work with chuck roast? It’s the only meat I have in my freezer at the moment. Anything I need to consider or change to make this work? I am craving a beef sandwich right now! lol!
Hi Carter. Chuck roast is not a good cut to use for this recipe. It it is a tough cut that requires a long cooking time to break down and become tender. If you want to make a sandwich with chuck, I recommend checking out my Crock-Pot Italian Beef Sandwiches or Crock-Pot French Dip Sandwiches.
This recipe indeed works deliciously with a bottom round roast, which are very reasonable at Sams Club. I use a power meat slicer to make homemade roast beef slices that are better than Boars Head at a third of the price. Thanks for a wonderful recipe I use over and over.
Hello! My problem is my instant thermometer is kaput and I want to make this lovely recipe in a couple of days! Can I judge it as rare/medium rare by eye, feel, or inserting a thin knife into it before ending the cooking process? I’m positive it will be delicious, I just don’t want to risk overcooking it! Thank you!
Hi Susan. That’s a tough one. The touch test that works well for steaks isn’t as reliable with larger cuts like an eye of round roast. Ideally, you shouldn’t cut into roast beef until it rests to allow the juices time to redistribute. Honestly, I would suggest purchasing a new instant read meat thermometer. They’re available in grocery stores and on Amazon with quick delivery. It’s the best way to do it!
This is the 2nd time preparing this roast beef. My wife is spoiled now! Few things I changed were dijon mustard instead of oil for rubbing the roast. I ended up with bottom round on sale, and it does well. And I put a few cups of beef stock with a bouquet garni in the pan during the last half of the cooking to make a au jus for dipping. Thanks for the inspiration with this recipe.
Very tasty – I used a sirloin tip and my husband loved it. Seasoning is perfect. I used our meat slicer to cut it very thin.
I have used this recipe many, many times now and everyone loves it! It is so easy and you get great deli meat for a fraction of the price with no added junk/reservatives, This is a regular staple in our home.
Followed recipe exactly as written. The roast is perfectly cooked and the seasoning adds so much flavor! Thank you for a great and easy recipe. We will be using this regularly.
You’re welcome! So happy it turned out so well for you. 🙂
Try roasting it at 190F until it reaches 135. (4 or 5 hours for an eye of the round). Then finish it on either a grill, or a 500F oven. Then it will be truly like deli meat. I’m going to try your spice rub. Mine is lacking.
This is a great recipe for traditional roast beef deli meat! I have made it 3x now, and I’ve started to experiment a bit with the seasonings to give it a bit of a different flair. We can easily get through an eye of round roast made into deli meat in a week with sandwiches, but I’m going to buy a vacuum sealer and make several roasts at once so I can put deli meat in the freezer!
I am not a fan of roast beef. I daily eat eye of round steaks. After trying this recipe, I I won’t be cutting up eye of round roast into steaks anymore
This is so good I have to portion it so I don’t eat so much. It’s like candy 🤤 I rub mustard on the roast instead of oil 👍 Thank you for this game-changing recipe.
I love hearing this! Happy you’re enjoying the recipe. 🙂
How could this be heated for hot roast beef sandwiches without it toughening up?
If you want to serve it warm, you can add a little beef broth to moisten it and warm it very gently in a skillet or in the microwave. No matter what method you use, the beef will cook further if you re-warm it. It’s delicious served cold!
For hot roast beef sandwiches, I heat up the jus/gravy, then put the sliced roast beef directly in that to heat through.