Why this recipe works: Of all the meat options available for our Classic Roast Beef and Gravy recipe, we settled on a top sirloin roast with a thick fat cap, which rendered as the beef roasted kept it moist.
After seasoning with salt and pepper, we let the roast sit to promote well-seasoned, juicy meat. We seared each side on the stovetop before roasting to develop a flavorful crust. The right roasting temperature produced juicy meat (having expelled very little liquid), a uniformly rosy interior (no gray ring from too much heat), but precious little liquid in the roasting pan.
Without pan drippings to make gravy, we used the rendered fat and flavorful brown bits left behind from searing the meat on the stovetop as our gravy base. For the gravy, we sautéed mushrooms (which greatly improved the “meaty” flavor of the gravy) onion, carrots, and celery in the rendered fat before adding tomato paste (which contributed body), garlic, and flour. We then stirred in beef broth and red wine, making sure to scrape up any flavor-rich browned bits with a wooden spoon. After straining the gravy, we added Worcestershire sauce, whose salty, sweet, and acidic essence made the gravy taste truly rich and meaty.
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Preheat: 275° | Yield: 6-8 servings | |
Prep: 0:00 | Wait: 1:00+ | Cook: 2:00 |