Classic Roast Beef Recipe

I’ve been contemplating what to serve for my main course this Christmas Eve. Do I go with the traditional ham? A simple roast turkey? Stuffed cornish hens?

I was browsing my collection of recipes and came across an old classic- the roast beef. It’s a simple recipe that is oh-so-flavorful and quite the crowd-pleaser, too. Serve with some yummy sides like acorn squash and simple mixed greens for a delicious and hearty holiday meal.

Photo by: Paul Whicheloe for Katie Brown Entertains

Classic Roast Beef

What you’ll need…
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup huckleberry jam
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons pepper
8-lbs top round beef

Get started…
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. To make glaze, mix the brown sugar, jam and syrup in a bowl until the sugar is fully incorporated.
3. Generously salt and pepper the roast and then use a brush to glaze the roast on all sides. Do not pour the glaze on the roast once it is in the pan, because the copious amounts of sugar will result in a burnt flavor when you deglaze the pan.
4. Place the roast in the oven and cook until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees for medium rare. Baste with pan juices while it cooks. Roasting times will vary, but generally, it takes about 12 minutes per pound of beef. So, for an 8-pound roast, it should take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
5. Once the roast is done, remove from the roasting pan and let it stand for about 15 minutes to give the natural juices time to reabsorb into the meat. While it rests, the roast will also continue cooking.
Serves 12.

Hints and Clues
-Use a reliable cooking thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the roast. If you are using an instant read, pull the meat all the way out of the oven and make sure to push the thermometer into the center of the meat at its thickest part.
-Be sure to continually baste the roast with pan juices while it is cooking.
-During the roasting, if the glaze starts to burn on the bottom of the pan, add a small amount of beef broth or water to the pan. Make sure the broth does not touch the beef, so only add enough to ensure that the sugar on the bottom stops smoking.

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