Is a Boneless Beef English Roast a Prime Rib

Shortly after I wrote a column on the specific steps to roast a cheap cut of beef so that it turns out like prime rib, I got an email from faithful reader, Mary B. We went back and forth a bit as she prepared this for guests. I thought you would enjoy the feedback.

Roast beef on cutting board with saltcellar and pepper mill

But first, here's a quick refresher on how to do that:

1. Make sure you have a good oven thermometer (to measure the heat inside the oven) and an ovenproof meat thermometer (not instant-read, but one that you will insert and leave in the meat the entire time it is in the oven). Gauging the e xact temperatures of both the oven and the meat are the secret.

2. Tie the roast with white cotton string so it's compact and evenly shaped and salt it well.

3. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.

4. Remove the plastic wrap and place in a roasting pan, uncovered.

5. Insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast and leave it there.

6. Preheat oven to exactly 250 F using an oven thermometer, not relying on the one that is built into the oven. This is critical. Rarely is an oven calibrated exactly so that the internal heat measures exactly the same temperature as the setting dial.

7. Leave the roast in the oven until its internal temperature is exactly 130 F.

8. Remove the roast from the oven, quickly wrap it in foil and allow the meat to rest for exactly 20 minutes.

Mary B: Having guests tomorrow so hope you can answer quickly! I am planning to make a chuck roast using the method you describe in your article—but wondering if you can give me a ballpark figure on how long this may take for a 3-pound chuck roast? I need to make the rest of the meal to finish at about the same time! Roasting it at 250 F, will it take approximately two hours? Four hours?

Thank you for your wonderful column, I am a faithful reader!

Me: Well … I am so excited! This is going to be awesome.

For an inexpensive slow-roasted beef to be transformed from a bargain cut into a tender, juicy roast, it is important that you salt the meat a full 24 hours before roasting and then cook it at a very low temperature, which allows the meat's enzymes to act as natural tenderizers, breaking down its tough connective tissue.

I'm hurrying here because if this is for tomorrow, you have no time to waste! Tie it up and then be generous with the salt and rub it in. You can also season with pepper or additional spices at this point if you want, but just be sure you are super generous with the salt.

Next, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it put it back into the fridge for 24 hours. Take the roast out of the fridge about two hours ahead of roasting to allow it to come to room temperature.

Remove the plastic wrap and place in the roasting pan. Once it's in the 250 F oven, you want the internal temperature of the roast to come to 130 F for rare; about 150 F for medium, or 160 F for well. So you need to watch that carefully. Your 3-pound roast (depending on how densely you tie it up) will take 2 to 2.5 hrs for rare … a bit longer to reach the higher temps. But it will go fast, so watch that thermometer carefully. When you do take it out of the oven, wrap it in foil while it rests.

After 20 minutes, remove the string(s), carve it across the grain, and enjoy!

Oven and Beef

Let me know how this turns out for you. Or just invite me over. That works, too.

Mary B: Thanks again for your help on the prep for the meat. It turned out fabulous and I will definitely use this method again and again. And thanks for your column. I have read it for years and love my daily email from Everyday Cheapskate.

Me: So happy to hear that it turned out great. Thanks for being there!

Roast beef on cutting board with saltcellar and pepper mill

A good meat thermometer (not instant read but the kind that will be inserted in the meat and remain there during the entire roasting time in the oven
A good oven thermometer to gauge the internal temperature of the oven.

3 lbs roast beef
1 tbsp salt

Make sure you have a good oven thermometer (to measure the heat inside the oven) and an ovenproof meat thermometer (not instant-read, but one that you will insert and leave in the meat the entire time it is in the oven). Gauging the exact temperatures of both the oven and the meat is the secret.
Tie the roast with white cotton string so it's compact and evenly shaped and salt it well.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Place the roast inside a roasting pan, uncovered.
Insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast and leave it there.
Preheat oven to exactly 250 F using an oven thermometer, not relying on the one that is built into the oven. This is critical. Rarely is an oven calibrated exactly so that the internal heat measures exactly the same temperature as the setting dial. See NOTES
Leave the roast in the oven until its internal temperature is exactly 130 F.
Remove the roast from the oven, quickly wrap it in foil and allow the meat to rest for exactly 20 minutes. See NOTES

For an inexpensive slow-roasted beef to be transformed from a bargain cut into a tender, juicy roast, it is important that you salt the meat a full 24 hours before roasting and then cook it at a very low temperature, which allows the meat's enzymes to act as natural tenderizers, breaking down its tough connective tissue.
Tie it up and then be generous with the salt and rub it in. You can also season with pepper or additional spices at this point if you want, but just be sure you are super generous with the salt.
Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it put it back into the fridge for 24 hours. Take the roast out of the fridge about two hours ahead of roasting to allow it to come to room temperature.
Once it's in the 250 F oven, you want the internal temperature of the roast to come to 130 F for rare; about 150 F for medium, or 160 F for well. So you need to watch that carefully. Your 3-pound roast (depending on how densely you tie it up) will take 2 to 2.5 hrs for rare … a bit longer to reach the higher temps. But it will go fast, so watch that thermometer carefully.
When you do take it out of the oven, wrap it in foil while it rests.
After 20 minutes, remove the string(s), carve it across the grain, and enjoy!

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