Amazingly tender, inexpensive and so easy to make! All great reasons to make this deliciously lean and tender rump roast. This beef roast recipe is perfect for a comforting dinner with family and friends. If you have any leftovers, sliced beef roast is outstanding in sandwiches.
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Rump roast is a cut from - you guessed it - the rump or the round of the animal. Since this part of the animal gets more use, the beef round is a bit tougher and leaner than other cuts of beef, such as chuck roast. These beef cuts are also less expensive. If you cook rump roast correctly, you have a delicious roast at a budget-friendly price. This is one of my top rump roast recipes. So let’s do this!
💭 What Makes This A Great Recipe
Sunday Dinner Favorite. This Sunday roast beef dinner brings back wonderful memories of sitting down to a down-home comfort pot roast and friendly family conversations. Make this delicious recipe as a new addition to your family dinners or a beginning of new comfort food dinners for the entire family.
Tender and Lean Meat. The low and slow cooking makes this cut of meat especially tender. Cooking rump roast on low heat prevents the gristle from getting too tough. This cut of beef doesn't have much fat, but what it does have will provide moisture and flavor.
Set It and Forget It. Once you have seasoned the roast, this easy dinner recipe is basically hands-free. Put it in the oven and let your oven do all the work.
Versatile. This perfect rump roast is pure comfort food sliced and served with your favorite side dishes. It also is perfect for sandwiches such as an Italian Beef sandwich or a French Dip sandwich with au jus.
If you are making this rump roast for your delicious main course with side dishes, it will serve about 8 people. If you are making it to slice thinly for sandwiches, it will serve 12 or more.
🥘 Ingredients
- Beef rump roast: You'll want about a 4 pound boneless beef rump roast to work with.
- Canola oil: If needed you can trade this out for vegetable oil, extra-virgin olive oil, or avocado oil.
- Herbs and spices: Dehydrated minced onions, kosher salt, dried thyme, ground mushroom powder, granulated garlic, no salt added beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, granulated sugar, Freshly ground black pepper- you'll see some recipes call for an onion soup mix packet, I find that this spice and herb combination brings the best flavors.
🔪 How To Make This Roast
Cooking a rump roast is so easy and fuss free. When you learn how to cook a beef rump the right way, you will love just how simple this roast is to make and how perfectly tasty it turns out.
- Season. A quick mix of dried onions, dried thyme, mushroom powder and granulated garlic is the highlight of this homemade beef rub that gets gently worked into the entire roast. Season with salt and pepper and it is ready to go. If you have never cooked with mushroom powder, I highly recommend it. Mushrooms add an amazing amount of umami to your roast, that you will wonder why you didn't use it before. If you already have some on hand - good for you - you will see it in several of my recipes as it provides such a great flavor.
- Roast. To cook a beef rump roast, start the roast at a higher temperature - 425° F to get the outside browned which adds more flavor. After 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 275° F and let the roast cook slowly for approximately 2 hours. This low and slow method roasts the beef perfectly without making it tough. I highly recommend using a oven-proof thermometer or an instant-read thermometer.
- Rest. Cover the roast with aluminum foil and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. The temperature will rise about 5 degrees while the roast is resting. I like my rump roast medium-rare, so I will pull the roast out of the oven just slightly before it reaches 135 degrees Fahrenheit. If you like it done differently, follow the steps in the recipe card.
- Make Au Jus or Gravy. To make a nice sauce for the rump roast, simmer the juices in the pan with beef stock, Worcestershire, and a pinch of sugar. This makes a wonderful sauce to drizzle over the roast or to use as a dip for roast beef sandwiches. If you prefer gravy instead of au jus, all it takes is adding a cornstarch slurry to the sauce mixture while it is simmering.
- Slice. After the roast has rested. Slice the meat against the grain and arrange on a serving platter. You can drizzle the slices with juice or gravy and serve the remainder alongside the carved roast.
🌡️ Helpful Tips for the Perfect Rump Roast Recipe
- Using a sharp knife and proper cutting board helps make cutting this delicious rump roast easier.
- Always use a meat thermometer to ensure that the internal temperature of your roast reaches the safe temperature for consumption, 135°F for medium-rare, 145°F for medium, and 150°F for medium-well.
- Remember that the internal temperature of the beef will continue to increase another 5 to 10° once removed from the oven, while it rests and cools, before you slice into your tender roast beef. So keep this in mind as you decide what temperature you would like to pull it out of the oven at.
📖 Variations
- Montreal Steak Seasoning. McCormick makes a great steak seasoning or you can use my homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning recipe.
- Herbs de Provence. This is a delightful blend of herbs and spices. You can find this item in grocery stores or online. You will need to season with salt and pepper too.
- Ready-Made Sauce or Gravy. You may already have your own favorite au jus or gravy recipe. If so, feel free to use it. If not, try this: Make gravy in place of the au jus. Make a slurry by combining 2 tablespoons cold water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. In step 7 whisk the slurry into the liquid while simmering. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes or until desired thickness.
- Garlic. You can replace the granulated garlic with 3 minced garlic cloves or about 1 heaping teaspoon of minced garlic.
🍴 Storage
Any leftovers of this simple recipe should be stored in a shallow airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You can also choose to wrap your roast in heavy duty aluminum foil with plastic wrap as well. However, the airtight container will hold any juices released from the roast as it rests in the refrigerator.
🥗 Suggested Side Dishes
- Roasted Asparagus
- Sautéed Green Beans
- Sautéed Broccoli
🍲 More Easy Weeknight Recipes
- Pan Fried Pork Chops
- Oven Baked Salmon
- Fish Tacos with Sauce
- Baked Tilapia
- Baked Ziti With Sausage
Are you ready to learn how to make a tender and delicious roast your family will love? Here is the best rump roast recipe for one of my favorite comfort food dishes that takes an ordinary cut of beef to the next level.
📋 Recipe
📋 Lean and Tender Rump Roast Recipe
Equipment
- Instant-Read Thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless beef rump roast
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 tablespoons dehydrated minced onions divided
- Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons ground mushroom powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 2 cups no salt added beef stock
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Pinch granulated sugar
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Brush roast with oil. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons minced onions, 1 tablespoon salt, the thyme, mushroom powder and granulated garlic. Rub mixture into roast.
- Place roast on a wire rack inside a shallow pan. Insert an ovenproof meat thermometer horizontally in the thickest part of the roast. Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 275°F and cook for 2 hours or until the thermometer registers 135°F for medium-rare, 145°F for medium, and 150°F for medium-well. (See tip)
- Remove roast from oven and tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes.
- Pour beef juices from the roasting pan into a 4-cup measuring cup. Add beef broth and enough water to measure 3-½ cups. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the liquids, remaining dried onions, the Worcestershire sauce and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, 5 minutes. Season to taste with pepper and more salt (if needed). Strain the mixture into small serving bowls. Keep warm.
- Carve the meat against the grain and arrange on a serving platter. Ladle some of the juices (au jus) over the beef slices.
- Serve carved rump roast with the remaining au jus alongside.
Cooks Tips
- The meat will continue to rise in temperature 5 to 10 degrees while it is resting. For this reason, I recommend taking your roast out of the oven about 5 degrees before it reaches the ideal temperature. The USDA recommends steaks and roasts be cooked to 145°F (medium) and then rested for at least 3 minutes.
- Make sure to use a beef stock and not beef bouillon as the flavors will not be the same.
- You can replace the granulated garlic with 3 cloves of minced garlic or about 1 rounded teaspoon minced garlic.
- Make gravy in place of the au jus. Make a slurry by combining 2 tablespoons cold water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. In step 7 whisk the slurry into the liquid while simmering. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes or until desired thickness.
monika says
Is rump roast the same as eye-of-round?
If different, can one be used for the other here?
Marilyn says
Rump and eye of round are from the same area of the animal. They are both lean and less tender. They both can be used in this recipe.
Rhonda says
What if I dont have a rack to sit the roast on. Can I make a ring of aluminum foil and sit it on that in the pan, or Dutch oven?
Marilyn says
Absolutely! Anything that lifts the rump roast off of the bottom of the pan works. I've also thinly (1/3 inch) sliced onions and used them as a "rack". You may want to try that!
Cheryl says
I can't rate the recipe just yet. My roast just went in the oven. I would like to say that I am very happy to hear about mushroom powder. I have a bag of dried Shitake mushrooms. I do not care for the texture of them but didn't want to throw them away, too expensive. I just put them in my food processor and turned them into powder. Now I have mushroom powder. I just finished eating my roast. It was very tasty and I will use the rub again, for sure. But I think my roast may have been smaller than the author. For my son, it was done perfectly. For me it was overdone. But again, tasted great. I did forget the put the thyme in the rub. And used onion powder.
Marilyn says
Hi Cheryl! I am so glad to hear you were able to use up your dried Shitake mushrooms - you are right they are too expensive to waste! Mushroom powder adds amazing umami. One of the nice things about this rump roast is that you can change up the seasonings in your rub and it still will be delicious. I'm sorry to hear your roast was overdone for you. I'm going to test some different diameter/size roasts and see if I can add tips about the doneness with size differences. Thanks for your input!
Michelle B says
I made this and I never knew that A rump roast could taste this good. and be so tender. Thank you for this terrific recipe. for the rub I just use Montreal steak seasoning and I added some dried thyme. are used an electronic oven meat thermometer. I think it is absolutely imperative that you use a meat thermometer.
Marilyn says
Hi Michelle, I am so happy to hear your rump roast turned great. I agree that it is really important to use a meat thermometer with recipes like this.
Julie says
I am cooking for two, so I only have just over a 2# roast. How long would you cook this roast using your recipe?
Rose says
Wondering the same. My roast is 2.8lbs.
Marilyn says
I would drop the time to about 1 hour 15 minutes. I figure about 25 minutes per pound works out about right. However, this all depends upon the thickness of your roast. If the roast is smaller because it is thinner, I would reduce the time even more. The best way to guarantee the right temperature and doneness is to use a meat thermometer.
I would love to hear how your roast turned out! Marilyn
Maria says
Made this last night and it came out perfect.
Eddie Coors says
Tried this today YUM!
TT Great Lakes says
My roast was a bit over 4lbs. I really enjoyed the flavors for this recipe. I also added rosemary. I was going for med rare. But it came out overdone. I think had I either lowered the heat to 200 or cut the cook time by 50 minutes it would have came out right. I checked it after 1 1/2 hours and the temp was already 142 so I took it out to rest. Resting brought it up to med well. Guess I'll try it again another time.
Sandra says
What would be a good substitute for mushroom powder if I can’t find it? Would it be in the spice aisle?
Marilyn says
You can often find mushroom powder in the spice area of well stocked grocery stores, Traders Joes, or a spice shop. If not I've added this link to Amazon Mushroom Powder
You can also grind dried Porcini mushrooms in a blender. I would sift out any larger particles. Another reader ground Shiitake mushrooms with great success.
Finally, if you cannot find the mushroom powder, I would just eliminate it. There is really no good substitute. The recipe has Worcestershire sauce which adds umami also.
Hope that help! I would love to hear how it came out! Marilyn
Nancy says
Do i need to put the top on the Dutch oven while it’s in the oven?
Marilyn says
You do not need to cover the rump roast. The oil on the rump roast and slow roasting time will prevent the roast from drying out. The long, slow roasting time will cook the rump roast to your desired temperature without the cover. Good question though and so many times we do cover beef roasts!
Elizabeth Snyder says
Made this tonight. The recipe I was going to use required 10 hours, then I found this recipe and roast was back on the menu! I also, did not have all your ingredients but it was easy enough to tweak! YUMMY! A little over done, but your au ju has very good! Definitely a go to for rump roast !
Gayle says
Making this today and my fingers are crossed! It just went in the oven. I used a garlic pepper rub that I already had on hand and have barely used made by Gustus Vitae. We had a rump roast from a cow we bought that I didn’t want to just overcook until it shredded in the crockpot…..it smells amazing already.
Carol G. says
I made it with most of the rub ingredients, but the important parts are the oiling of the roast (I had avocado oil on hand) and the cooking temperatures and times. It turned out a little salty, rare, and tender. I only used 2 teaspoons of salt, not 3 that 1T is equal to. I minced yellow onion, used bottled minced garlic, and added dried spices. I had a couple of brown mushrooms I added, too. I skipped the juice. It was tender and juicy enough. My meat thermometer went off at a little over an hour at 275 deg F. I had a baked potato in the oven with it. Very good.
Patricia A. Cooper says
Can you use a regular meat thermometer and just check the temperature occasionally til it reaches the desired temperature?
Marilyn says
You sure can! The important thing is to test the temperature. Depending upon how often you check the temperature and how long you have the oven open, you may need to add more cooking time.
Lori Adamczyk says
My husband and I purchased a half cow about a year ago. We are now down to the cuts that I find a little more intimidating due to the leanness/toughness of the cut. I plan to try this recipe today! I will definitely let you know how it turns out! I am also wondering if you have any recipes for cow tongue? This is the first time we’ve gotten the tongue and honestly it terrifies me! Lol! Thank you!
Linda says
Perfect! My family loved it. Even the picky eaters!
Marilyn says
I'm so happy your family liked it! Thank you for the feedback.
Anonymous says
Hi Marilyn,
I made your rump roast for our evening dinner tonight. I,t was so delicious. Followed the recipe with all the ingredients. Never heard of powder mushroom, thanks for sharing. I,t will always be in my kitchen from now on. I always make gravy but your way was easy and very complimentary to the herbs and rub. Everyone couldn't say enough how enjoyable the meal is and want the recipe. Thanks for making me feel proud I made this the talk of the table.