A flavorful sirloin roast is the perfect cut of beef for roast beef sandwiches with mounds of thinly sliced medium rare beef, a beef salad with crisp greens, ripe tomatoes or beets and blue cheese, or a sumptuous roast beef dinner.
It seems that not every butcher or market carries the same cuts of beef, so if you are unable to find a top sirloin roast, other options that work well include an eye of round roast or a sirloin tip roast. These are all flavorful, lean cuts of beef that share one thing in common: cooking them at a low temperature yields the best results.
Season The Meat a Few Hours In Advance Is Another Important Tip
There are numerous dry rub choices available these days, which makes it easy to season a roast with the flavors you prefer. Rubbing a dry rub into the meat a few hours up to a day in advance will definitely add to the flavor of the meat, but go carefully when adding salt, as some rubs are high in added salt.
Because this roast cooks at a low temperature, I like to use a combination of fresh herbs, minced garlic, and olive oil. Since there is no high-heat cooking phase, the herb crust doesn’t burn, and the flavors just dissolve into the meat. The olive oil adds another dimension of flavor and a little good fat.
Why Convection is Best for a Juicy Evenly Cooked Beef Roast
To help retain the natural juices in meat, it’s important to cook the roast on a rack in a shallow pan. Placing the meat on a rack prevents the pan's heat from leeching moisture from the meat and allows the heated Convection air to circulate evenly around the oven, cooking the meat from the edge to the center.
This roast can be cooked in either the Convection Roast or Convection Bake mode. The important thing is to use a low temperature of 325°. You can even drop to 300° if you have plenty of time. Before you heat the oven, arrange the racks so you can place the pan with the beef roast in the center of the oven.
The next thing to consider is timing. If your oven is equipped with a meat probe, using the probe will give you the best results. Remember to insert the probe at an angle and be sure the tip is in the meat, not touching the pan.
If your oven has a little metal cap over the probe receptacle, just push that aside with the blunt side of a knife to insert the sensor. Be sure to cover your hand to avoid contacting the hot oven wall. When you close the oven door, you can program it to your preferred internal temperature target. In order for the probe to activate, you may have to touch the probe symbol again or touch start to activate the probe, so be sure to take a quick look at the User Guide to confirm how your oven works.
My 3-lb, room-temperature roast took 60 minutes to cook through. If your oven doesn’t have a probe, I recommend testing the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer after the roast has been in the oven for approximately 50 minutes. That way, you will have a good sense of the progress. Remember, when you choose the target internal temperature, the internal temperature will continue to rise as the beef rests.
The circulating heat of Convection will do an amazing job cooking the beef roast; however, some important steps for success are in your hands. Remember to bring the roast to room temperature before cooking and allow for 15 - 20 minutes of resting time before carving.
Will There be Pan Juices?
Cooking your beef roast, as outlined above, will definitely yield some pan juices. If you would like to increase the pan juices, add ½ - 1 cup of beef stock to the base of the pan. When the beef comes out of the oven and is resting, pour off the juices and skim off the fat. The pan juices can be used to make gravy or to serve with hot roast beef sandwiches.
This sirloin roast is so easy and delicious, and the thought of the wonderful sandwiches and salads we enjoyed makes my mouth water. Another mouthwatering, crowd-pleasing meal is Fried Chicken, so be sure to check out my next post, in which I will explain how to achieve fabulous results with Oven Baked Fried Chicken.
Larissa, Your Convection Enthusiast
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