Learn how to make tender sliced roast beef that is perfect for serving cold. Follow these steps to ensure your cold, deli-style roast beef is delicious and easy to slice.
Make your own sliced roast beef at home. Our easy recipe guides you through choosing the best lean cuts like the eye of round or sirloin tip, ensuring a budget-friendly, tasty, and easy meal. Cook to perfection, slice thinly, and enjoy the convenience of having delicious, tender deli meat ready for sandwiches, wraps, or salads.
Try another good Roast Beef with Balsamic Vinegar, which should be served hot, opposite to today's roast. Or try our quick Beef Tagliata.
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- ⭐️Why should you make deli-sliced beef at home?
- 🥩What are the best cuts for deli-style roast beef?
- 📋Recipe ingredients
- 👩🏻🍳How to cook sliced roast beef?
- ❗Expert Tips
- 🌡️Temperature guide for roast beef meant to be served cold
- ❓Recipe FAQs
- 🥪How to serve cold roast beef?
- 🍽️What to serve with it?
- 📖Recipe
- Sliced Roast Beef
⭐️Why should you make deli-sliced beef at home?
- Save money: Making roast beef at home is cheaper than pre-sliced from a deli.
- Choose quality: Pick the best meat for your roast beef, ensuring better taste.
- No preservatives, fewer additives, no artificial flavors: Skip the added stuff found in store-bought deli meats.
- Use it in many meals: Homemade roast beef is versatile and can be used in various dishes. It’s perfect for sandwiches, wraps, quesadillas, salads, soups, etc.
🥩What are the best cuts for deli-style roast beef?
Eye of round roast: This is a budget-friendly and leaner cut of beef. It can be cooked to medium-rare for tenderness and sliced thinly for a delicious cold roast beef.
Sirloin tip roast: Another lean cut, the sirloin tip roast is flavorful and can be roasted to perfection. Slicing it thinly makes it suitable for serving cold.
Top round roast: Similar to the eye of round, the top round is a lean cut that can be cooked to medium-rare or medium, then sliced thinly.
Bottom round roast: While not as tender as the top round, the bottom round roast can still work well. Marinating or slow-cooking can enhance its tenderness.
📋Recipe ingredients
- Beef roast: You can use round eye of round roast, top round (inside round), bottom round, or top sirloin roast.
- The piece of meat can weigh between 2 ½ and 3 ½ lbs/ 1 and 1.6 kg, but adjust the roasting thyme accordingly.
- Olive oil for rubbing the meat before adding the spices.
- Seasoning: You can use the spices we suggested (fine sea salt or kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, sweet paprika, rosemary, and thyme) or the seasoning of your choice. For instance, a mix of spices you have in your cupboard, store-bought dry rubs, or seasoning mixtures.
- Try our Pork Roast Seasoning or the Peri Peri Seasoning.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
👩🏻🍳How to cook sliced roast beef?
Step # 1: Season the meat and marinate it in a freezer bag at room temperature for 1 ½ to 2 hours or refrigerate it for 6 to 12 hours.
Step #2: Preheat the oven. Place the beef with the fat side up on a rack on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
Step # 3: Roast for 12-15 minutes per lb/ 450 g or until the desired internal temperature is achieved. Let cool completely and refrigerate.
Step # 4: Place the cold cut on a cutting board and slice it thinly across the grain with a very sharp knife or a meat slicer (new tab).
❗Expert Tips
If you're planning to have cold roast beef, don't use cooking instructions meant for serving it hot. It'll turn out dry and overcooked instead of juicy and pink. The meat keeps cooking, even as it cools down.
Use an oven-safe meat thermometer that you can stick and leave sticking into the center of the roast for the entire cooking process. If you don’t have one, use an instant-read thermometer and check regularly to avoid overcooking the meat (the Amazon links open in new tabs).
The roasting time depends on the size of your roast (especially the thickness) and your oven. The general rule is to roast the beef at an oven temperature of 400°F/200°C for 12-15 minutes per pound (450 g).
Medium-rare meat should reach a temperature of 122-127°F/ 50-53ºC when you remove it from the oven, and remember that the internal temperature will continue to rise slightly while the meat rests – serving temperature 130-136°F/ 55-58ºC.
🌡️Temperature guide for roast beef meant to be served cold
| How should it be | Remove from oven at | Serve at |
| Rare | 113-118°F/ 45-48ºC | 122-127°F/ 50-53ºC |
| Medium Rare | 122-127°F/ 50-53ºC | 130-136°F/ 55-58ºC |
| Medium Well | 130-136°F/ 55-58ºC | 140-145°F/ 60-63ºC |
| Well Done | 150°F/ 65ºC | 158°F/ 70ºC |
❓Recipe FAQs
Ensure the roast beef is cooked to medium-rare or medium, as it will continue to cook slightly while cooling. Also, store it properly with some of its juices to retain moisture.
Aim for thin slices, about ⅛ to ¼ inch/ 3-6 mm thick. This ensures the meat remains tender and easy to enjoy when served cold.
Yes, it's a great make-ahead option. Prepare and slice the roast beef in advance, then store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve. Try our delicious recipes for Prepared Horseradish or Orange Mustard to go with it.
Store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It can be stored for a few days, making it convenient for quick meals.
Freezing is possible, but it may affect the texture. Consider freezing larger portions and then slicing after thawing for better results.
🥪How to serve cold roast beef?
- Make deli roast beef sandwiches: Place beef pieces between slices of bread for a classic roast beef sandwich. Add your favorite toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, and blender mayonnaise. Our simple Spelt Bread makes great sandwiches.
- Salads: Toss slices into a salad for added protein. Mix with greens, veggies, and your favorite dressing.
- Soup add-in: Drop slices into a warm bowl of soup.
🍽️What to serve with it?
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Sliced Roast Beef
Equipment
- Rimmed baking dish
- Rack
- Oven-safe meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer
- Meat slicer optional
Ingredients
- 3 lbs beef roast 1.3 kg, Notes 1, 2
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt Note 2
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons rosemary
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Seasoning mixture: Mix all the spices in a small bowl.2 teaspoons fine sea salt + ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper + 1 teaspoon garlic powder + 1 teaspoon sweet paprika + 2 teaspoons rosemary + 2 teaspoons thyme
- Season the beef: Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Rub the roast beef with the oil and the spice mixture.3 lbs beef roast / 1.3 kg + 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Marinate: Place the meat in a freezer bag and leave it at room temperature for 1 ½ to 2 hours or refrigerate it for 6 to 12 hours.
- Bring to room temperature (important!): If refrigerated, remove it from the bag and bring it to room temperature before roasting it (about 1 hour).
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C. Line the baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a roasting rack on top. Place the beef with the fat side up on the rack.
- Roast for about 12-14 minutes per pound/ 450 g or until the internal temperature reaches 122-127°F/ 50-53ºC for medium-rare (Notes 4,5).
- The roasting time depends greatly on the roast’s thickness and your oven. To determine the right temperature, it is best to use an oven-safe thermometer that you can stick and leave sticking into the meat for the entire cooking process. If you don’t have one, use an instant-read thermometer and check regularly to avoid overcooking the meat.
- Cool meat: Remove the beef roast from the oven and let it cool completely. The internal temperature will reach 130-136°F/ 55-58ºC.
- Slice: Once cool, wrap it in foil and refrigerate it for several hours or until the next day. Slice it thinly across the grain with a very sharp knife or (for perfect results) use a meat slicer.
Notes
- Beef roast: You can use round eye of round roast, top round (inside round), bottom round, or top sirloin roast.
- Size: The meat can weigh between 2 ½ and 3 ½ lbs/ 1 and 1.6 kg, but adjust the roasting thyme accordingly.
- Seasoning: You can use the seasoning of your choice. For instance, a mix of spices you have in your cupboard, store-bought dry rubs, or seasoning mixtures.
- The roasting time depends on the thickness of your piece of meat and your oven. The general rule is to roast the beef at 400°F/200°C for 12-15 minutes per pound (450 g). Medium-rare meat should reach a temperature of 122-127°F/ 50-53ºC when you remove it from the oven, and remember that the internal temperature will continue to rise slightly while the meat rests – serving temperature 130-136°F/ 55-58ºC.
- Rare 113-118°F/ 45-48ºC (oven) 122-127°F/ 50-53ºC (after resting)
- Medium rare 122-127°F/ 50-53ºC (oven) 130-136°F/ 55-58ºC (after resting)
- Medium well 130-136°F/ 55-58ºC (oven) 140-145°F/ 60-63ºC (after resting)
- Well done 150°F/ 65ºC (oven) 158°F/ 70ºC (after resting)
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