Jump to:
- About This Eye of Round Roast Recipe
- What is Beef Eye of Round?
- Is It a Good Cut of Beef?
- How to Cook Eye of Round Roast
- Ingredients for Eye of Round Roast in Crockpot
- How to Cook Eye of Round Roast with Vegetables
- Do You Have to Brown a Beef Roast Before Cooking It in a Slow Cooker?
- How Long Does it Take to Cook Eye of Round in the Slow Cooker?
- How to Make Roast Beef Gravy with the Braising Liquid
- Serve Roast Beef and Gravy
- You Might Like
- Recipe
About This Eye of Round Roast Recipe
Beef eye of round can be outstanding when prepared correctly and one of the surest ways to achieve tender meat is to cook it low and slow with moist heat.
To that end, pot roasting (braising it) in a slow cooker or a Dutch oven is an excellent choice.
In this recipe we demonstrate the method using a slow cooker (crockpot), but if you would rather employ a large Dutch oven (oval shaped works perfectly) the process if almost identical. We give you complete instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
What is Beef Eye of Round?
The eye of round is an oblong shaped muscle nestled in the lower part of the bottom round primal cut of beef.
It is seamed from the outside round and trimmed before sold as a roast or thin steaks.
Is It a Good Cut of Beef?
Overall, eye of round is very lean with a particularly tough texture due to the lack of fat marbling. Consequently it is often sold blade tenderized, especially if precut into steaks.
At the same time this cut is notably flavorful and can be prepared in a number of different ways that address and accentuate its unique characteristics. It tastes similar to beef chuck tender roast.
How to Cook Eye of Round Roast
The following methods are the most popular when it comes to how to cook eye of round steak:
braising - the technique which we use in this eye of round roast in crock pot recipe; you can also braise in the oven
thin-slicing roast - should be marinated, then roasted in the oven at high heat, only briefly before it dries out
sous vide - followed by a quick sear for a flavorful finish
curing - for bresaola, a dry-cured meat with roots in Lombardy, Northern Italy
dehydrating - after marinating, for beef jerky
Ingredients for Eye of Round Roast in Crockpot
Eye of round roast. You need an average sized cut weighing about 3 to 4 lbs (the whole muscle can reach 8 lbs).
Spice rub. To flavor the outside of the beef roast. You can use your favorite or the suggested one in the recipe card.
Onion, garlic, olive oil, tomato paste, brown sugar and thyme. To create an aromatic and balanced base for the beef roast. You can add one or two bay leaves too.
Flavorful liquid. A combination of beef broth or stock and dark beer or beef stock and red wine/cooking wine like Marsala deepens the flavors of the braising liquid. We love to use dunkel lager in this recipe with its hints of chocolate and dominant dark sweetness. A dash or two of worcestershire sauce won't hurt either.
Vegetables. While you can absolutely slow cook this beef cut without any vegetables adding a few chunky carrots, celery, onions, potatoes or even mushrooms is both traditional and easy.
TIP: Beer styles that will add the best kind of richness to this roast will be malt forward, with toasty notes and minimally hopped. Look for porter ales, dark German lagers, chocolate stouts.
How to Cook Eye of Round Roast with Vegetables
As with many beef recipes the workflow for this roast is very straightforward, with two distinct stages. The prep time is minimal.
Create flavors. To do this you will sear the well-seasoned eye of round on all sides, over medium-high heat. Browning it makes a big difference (see below). Next you will prepare the braising liquid, as per the steps illustrated above and pour it into the slow cooker or a Dutch oven.
Braise. You will place the browned eye of round amidst the braising juices, surround it with vegetables (if using) and cook it in the crock pot or oven, low and slow, until it is fork tender.
Do You Have to Brown a Beef Roast Before Cooking It in a Slow Cooker?
It is much better if you do.
The high heat sear creates an array of flavors via the Maillard reaction. As part of this reaction proteins and sugars on the surface combine to form new aromatic compounds which contribute to an even better tasting beef roast.
TIP: Browning works best when the beef is at room temperature and its surface is dry.
How Long Does it Take to Cook Eye of Round in the Slow Cooker?
Depending on the size of your roast and model of crock pot, on low it will take up to 8 hours to achieve tender meat. On high cook the eye of round for about 5 hours.
The best way to know if you need to cook it a little bit longer is to simply check for tenderness with a fork.
How to Make Roast Beef Gravy with the Braising Liquid
A gravy both moistens and flavors the finished, tender pot roast. You can make it by essentially thickening the juices from the braise.
Step-by-step. To make roast beef gravy start by melting butter over medium heat and whisking an equal amount of flour into it. Gradually add the pot roast juices as you whisk to prevent any lumps from forming. Once you reach the desired consistency - taste and season as needed, then simply transfer it to a serving dish.
Serve Roast Beef and Gravy
When braised eye of round is so tender that it is best presented broken up into chunks and generously drenched with gravy, as shown below.
For a more appealing presentation we like to add fresh herbs to the serving platter.
Besides the vegetables that you cooked as part of the dish consider these pot roast sides:
Pan Seared Asparagus
Mashed Potatoes with Herbs and Pilsner
Drop Biscuits (with Beer or Soda Water)
Irish Brown Bread
Easy Broccolini or Garlicky Green Beans
Leftovers, when reheated in a pan with liquids from the braise are great for sandwiches, you may season with a bit of salt and pepper and add just a tiny bit of mayo.
You Might Like
Porter Pot Roast | Tri Tip Crock Pot Roast | Balsamic Braised Brisket |Braised Beef Chuck Roast | German Beef Stew with Mushrooms and Black Lager | Beef Osso Buco
Recipe
Beef Eye of Round Roast Slow Cooker
Ingredients
EYE OF ROUND ROAST
- 3-4 lbs beef eye of round
- 2 teaspoon each garlic powder dried oregano, paprika, coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil or more as needed
- 1 onion large diced
- 3 cloves garlic rough chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 - 1 ¼ cup dark beer or wine*
- 4-5 sprigs thyme
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 - 1 ½ cup beef stock
VEGETABLES**
- 1 lbs gold or red potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 large carrots cut into thick bite-sized pieces
GRAVY
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon AP flour
- 2 cups pot roast juices braising liquid
Instructions
BEEF EYE OF ROUND ROAST SLOW COOKER
- Bring the eye of round to room temperature and pat it dry. Mix the spices, salt and pepper and rub all over the meat.
- To a suitably sized skillet over medium-high heat add the olive oil and sear the eye of round on all sides until it is nicely browned. Set it aside and lower the heat to medium.
- Saute the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes, Stir in the tomato paste, cook 1 more minute.
- Add the wine or beer to deglaze the skillet. Scrape off any brown bits from the bottom of skillet and and bring to simmer. Stir in the brown sugar and thyme. Transfer all to the slow cooker.
- Place the browned roast on top of the braising mixture. Arrange the vegetables around the meat and add the beef stock. Close the lid and cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat is fork tender/on high for 5 hours or until the meat is tender.
- Once you are satisfied with the tenderness of the roast, remove it from the slow cooker onto a platter. Arrange the vegetables around it. Keep warm while you make the gravy (see steps below).
BEEF EYE OF ROUND ROAST DUTCH OVEN
- Preheat the oven to 325 F.
- Complete steps 1 thru 4, but transfer the braising mixture to a suitably sized Dutch oven.
- Place the browned roast (and any natural juices from while it was resting) amidst the braising mixture. Arrange the vegetables around. Add the beef broth.
- Place the lid of the Dutch oven and cook in the oven for about 3-5 hours or until the roast is fork tender. (Begin checking after about 3 hours.)
- When you are satisfied with the tenderness of the beef remove it from the Dutch oven onto a platter, arrange the veggies around it and keep warm while you make the gravy.
GRAVY
- Strain the remaining braising liquid. Set aside.
- In a sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Gradually add the braising liquid (about 2 cups or just less) while continuing to whisk to make sure that no lumps form.
- Once the gravy has your desired consistency, remove it from the heat and transfer it to a gravy boat for serving with the eye of round roast.
Lisa
Wow such a delicious use of eye of round! I used red wine and chicken broth (all I had) for deglazing. The gravy turned out perfect! Served with roasted asparagus but next time I’ll definitely make some dinner rolls!
Milena Perrine
Thank you, Lisa for taking the time to share your experience!
Lisa A
This was a huge hit! I didn’t have any beer or open wine so I substituted Coke zero and it was great… The meat was so tender! Definitely a keeper!!!
Eleanore
Delicious. I used regular red cooking wine for the deglaze, and I opted not to thicken the braising liquid before adding it back to the meats and vegetables. Cooking took about 3.5 hours, but I could have pushed it to 4. Will make again.
Milena Perrine
So grateful you came back to share your experience and adjustments, Eleanore!
Paul
Made this for supper today. It was delicious but the meat just fragmented and I cooked it a lower temp for only 3 hours. Perhaps he meat was just super tender but I was a little disappointed
Marie
This recipe was so easy to follow, including making the gravy. The beef tasted great and turned out very tender.
Meli
Do you think Guinness would be a suitable beer to use in this recipe? I don’t drink it so can’t tell if it fits the description of the recommended beer. We just have some leftover from company that was here during Thanksgiving. Thanks for any advice!
Milena Perrine
Meli, you can use Guinness. Add an extra tablespoon or tablespoon and a half of brown sugar to balance the beer's roasty bitterness. (Guinness is brewed with some roasted barley in the grain bill). Enjoy!
Alex
It's been a while since I cooked with eye of round. It was recommended in a heart healthy diabetic cookbook and I tried it in some recipes a few years ago.
Today I followed this recipe, deglazed with a chocolatey/fruity stout beer, and just placed my dutch oven in the oven. Can't wait to see how it turns out. Smells heavenly so far.
Carlie
I have a slow cooker with a probe, what temp should I cook the roast to?
Milena Perrine
Carlie, the temperature is not a useful guide here. Simply cook it until fork tender (will probably be around 195-200 F). It will be cooked in the sense of food safe quite a while before it is fall appart tender so reaching a certain temperature is not a helpful indicator with this recipe and method of cooking in general.
Enjoy the tender meat!
Liz
Wonderful recipe! The eye of round is my new favorite pot roast cut. I used red wine & the braising liquid was delicious when transformed into gravy. Double thumbs up!
Milena Perrine
Thank you so much for sharing, Liz!
Caroline
The beer makes the tastiest gravy I've had in a long time. I never imagined it.
Milena Perrine
Thank you for sharing, Caroline!
Kira
I don't have any beer or wine. What can I use Instead.
Milena Perrine
Beef stock would be perfect.
Christine Weber
Mine is in the crock pot. I deglazed the cast iron skillet with a little white wine vinegar (no beer or wine available) and just substituted more beef stock. It looks amazing and smells amazing. Chris
Tracie Chinetti
It was very good. I added pepper and Worcestershire sauce in the pot and gravy. We used beer. I used about 1/2 the amount of broth in the crockpot and it was perfect. I would have used it all.
Melissa
My husband and I don't drink alcohol, so the only alteration I made was that I used a raspberry blush white balsamic vinegar in place of the beer/wine. It turned out amazing. I'm definitely making this again.
Kate
Opps! Just found the beer, deglazing the onions. Sorry! Please disregard my previous comment. Will let you know how it goes.
Milena Perrine
Awesome! Enjoy:)
Kate
First time using your recipe. Don't know where the beer is added, never mentioned when to add it. Guessed and added to braising liquid.
Milena Perrine
Hi, Kate. That would be step 4 in the picture sequence and also step 4 in the recipe card instructions. You use the beer (or wine) to deglaze the pan/skillet with the onions etc. It becomes part of the base for the braising liquid.
What did you deglaze with?
As long as it finally makes it to the Dutch oven or slow cooker it will lend flavor, but it is much more useful as deglazing liquid.
Robert
I prepared this exactly as written, except I doubled the recipe. Wonderful! It reminded me of the roasts I used to eat at my grandmother's home in the 1970's. Very comforting. Thank you.
Milena Perrine
Lovely to hear, Robert! So glad that you enjoyed:)
Dmf
Made this recipe with eye round steaks (not a roast) and used red wine. I loved the flavor and will be making this on a regular basis.
Aditi Bhardwaj
Really loved your recipe.