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.

• 1 4-pound top sirloin roast , fat trimmed to 1/4 inch thick
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 8 ounces white mushrooms , chopped
• 2 onions , chopped fine
• 1 carrot , peeled and chopped
• 1 celery rib , chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 garlic cloves , minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup red wine
• 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1. Pat roast dry with paper towels. Rub 2 teaspoons salt evenly over surface of meat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Pat roast dry with paper towels and rub with 1 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown roast all over, 8 to 12 minutes, then transfer to V-rack set inside roasting pan (do not wipe out Dutch oven). Transfer to oven and cook until meat registers 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 1½ to 2 hours.
3. Meanwhile, add mushrooms to fat in Dutch oven and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in onions, carrot, and celery and cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, and flour and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in wine and broth, scraping up any browned bits with wooden spoon. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Strain gravy, then stir in Worcestershire and season with salt and pepper; cover and keep warm.
4. Transfer roast to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 20 minutes. Slice roast crosswise against grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve with gravy.

• For the best flavor and texture, refrigerate the roast overnight after salting.
• If you don’t have a V-rack, cook the roast on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet.