Balsamic Marinated Roast
At New Year’s, one of my daughters brought a venison roast she had prepared in a similar fashion and served on crostini with a special cheese–Gruyere maybe? Anyway…the flavor was so unforgettable and our beef is lean in the way venison is, so I tried it. We are hooked. Don’t let the instructions intimidate you…it’s actually pretty simple. Give it a try!
Marinade Recipe (per pound of beef)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
This marinade looks so simple but I promise the flavor is A D D I C T I V E!
Mix up your marinade in a gallon-size baggie and choose between whole roast or sliced roast method. You could probably even use stew beef pieces and just cook those in a skillet or in a crock pot.
Whichever you choose, it will be great on sandwiches, crostini, or served with mashed potatoes. I would say though, that using the whole roast method will probably be more tender in the end, simply due to the low-and-slow cooking method.
Whole Roast Instructions:
Note: Your chuck or arm/shoulder roast will probably end up with a texture more like typical pot roast whereas your sirloin or rump roast will probably result in a better “slicing” roast. Tasty, no matter which way you go. 🙂
- To your bag of marinade, add a whole beef roast of your choosing. Seal the bag, removing as much air from the bag as possible.
- Let marinate in the refrigerator from 4 to 12 hours.
- After letting it soak, remove the baggie from the fridge and allow the beef to come up to room temp, probably about 30-45 minutes.
- (Hold on to your marinade…you’ll use it later)
- Pull out the roast and place in a hot skillet, searing beef on all surfaces so they are golden, brown and delicious.
- Place the roast and all marinade juices in an oven-safe pan and roast uncovered in a 225-degree oven for approximately 1-½ to 2-½ hours, or until internal temp reaches 135-140 degrees. If there is a ‘fatty side’ to the beef, position the roast so the fat face up.
- Alternatively, you could probably crock-pot on low for about 6-8 hours, but don’t skip the searing step–it makes all the difference.
- Place the roast itself on a cutting surface and allow to rest at room temp for 20-30 minutes before slicing. This is also a super, important step.
- Pour the pan juices into a bowl for drizzling over the cut beef when you serve.
- Slice into thin slices, cutting across the grain. Serve.
Pre-Sliced Roast Instructions (read about this method but have not tried it myself):
- Prepare your uncooked roast by slicing very thin, approximately ¼ to ½ inch.
- Add beef slices to your bag of marinade. Seal the bag, removing as much air from the bag as possible.
- Let marinate in the refrigerator from 2 to 6 hours.
- After letting it soak, remove the baggie from the fridge and allow the beef to come up to room temp, probably about 20-30 minutes.
- Cook the slices in a heavy skillet or a grill pan and you may want to add some of the marinade at the time you add the beef to the skillet.
- Discard any marinade not cooked in the skillet.
- Let steak rest for at least 10 minutes after cooking so you don’t lose all of the juice.
- Pour up the pan drippings into a bowl for drizzling over the cut beef when you serve
compasscreekfarms.com 