Sirloin tip roast beef marinated in a mustard and herb marinade and roasted to medium. Served with an easy au jus-like gravy.
We don’t have roast beef at home often, but a nice sale on sirloin tip roasts inspired me this past week. This herb and mustard roast beef uses a 24-hour marinade to both flavour and tenderize more economical roasts. I like to set it to set the roast to marinade on Saturday to enjoy for Sunday dinner.
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Sirloin tip roast – I’ve used a sirloin tip roast here, but other roast cuts would also work here, such as inside or outside round roasts or eye of the round roast. I don’t recommend blade roasts for roast beef.
Garlic – you’ll need fresh garlic cloves for inserting in the roast.
Fresh thyme – Fresh thyme is nice if you have it. If not, dried thyme leaves are fine.
Powdered dry mustard – This is the dry mustard in the little yellow cans. If you don’t have dry mustard, you can substitute a couple of tablespoons of Dijon mustard for rubbing on the roast.
Dry sherry – If you don’t have dry sherry on hand, you can dry vermouth, dry Madeira or Marsala or any dry red or white wine. If you don’t have or wish to use alcohol at all, you could substitute beef broth with just a splash of red or white wine vinegar.
How to make mustard and herb sirloin roast
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Always refer to the Recipe Card below for the complete ingredient list and instructions.
- Prepare the sirloin tip roast by inserting the sliced garlic and rubbing with dry mustard and thyme.
- Mix up the marinade and add with the roast in a zipper bag.
- Seal the bag and refrigerate to marinade for about 24 hours.
- Remove the roast from the fridge 30-45 minutes ahead of cooking, then remove from the marinade and place into a dry cast iron skillet (or shallow roasting pan).
- Cook the roast by first roasting at high heat for 20-25 minutes, then at low heat until cooked to about 140F internal temperature.
- Remove the roast to a cutting board to rest, then add the beef broth to the skillet to start the gravy.
- Add the mustard, thyme, salt and pepper and cook allow the gravy to simmer and reduce a bit. Thicken with the cornstarch and water.
- Strain the solids out of the gravy and discard.
- Slice the roast after it has rested for 25-30 minutes and serve with the hot gravy.
Recipe tips!
- Roast beef should be cooked uncovered in a shallow pan (as opposed to a pot roast, which is cooked covered). A cast iron skillet is the perfect pan for cooking roast beef, as it is shallow and large enough to hold almost any roast. Cast iron skillets also make the best gravy, in my opinion.
- Sirloin tip roasts are often wrapped with butcher string. Leave the string intact while marinating and roasting. Remove and discard after resting the cooked roast and before slicing to serve.
- Remove the marinated roast from the refrigerator about 30-45 minutes before you plan to put it in the oven, to allow it to come to room temperature.
- Sirloin tip roasts are often thinner at one or both ends than in the centre of the roast. As such, the thinner end(s) will cook through more quickly. The thinner ends of the finished roast will be more well done than the centre part, which is a bonus if you have some that enjoy beef a bit more well done.
- For best results, don’t roast beyond medium, which is 145F internal temperature. Keep in mind that the roast will continue to cook a bit once out of the oven, so for medium I will take the roast out of the oven when the thickest part reaches 140F internal temperature.
- The gravy, as written is a little thicker than au jus, but not as thick as typical gravies. It’s still perfect for spooning over the meat or mashed potatoes. If you prefer a thicker gravy, simply add more of the cornstarch and water thickener, as needed.
Top tip!
The secret to a perfectly cooked roast beef is having a thermometer to test it! You can use either a probe-type thermometer that stays in the meat during cooking or an instant-read thermometer. Always test for doneness in the thickest part of the roast, and be sure to insert the probe just into the centre of the roast and no further, or you may pick up the heat from the pan if you insert it too far. I like to test 2 or 3 spots.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
I don’t recommend cooking a roast ahead. Cooking ahead and refrigerating means reheating, and reheating means that medium roast will then be well done.
Store leftover roast beef and/or gravy in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Leftover roast beef can also be frozen for up to 3 months. The gravy will also freeze well.
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Get the Recipe: Mustard and Herb Sirloin Tip Roast Beef
Ingredients
- 2 lb sirloin tip roast, *see Note 1 below
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
- 1 Tablespoon dry mustard
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, or 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
For the marinade:
- 1/3 cup dry sherry, *see Note 1 below
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil, or similar neutral-tasting oil
For the gravy:
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, or 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- With the tip of a sharp knife, make slits in the roast and insert the sliced garlic into the slits.
- In a small bowl, stir together the dry mustard and thyme and rub all over the beef. Place into a large zipper bag.
- In a 2-cup measuring cup, stir together the marinade ingredients. Pour over the beef in the zipper bag, then seal the bag. Turn the roast to coat well. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours or up to 36 hours.
- Remove the marinating beef from the refrigerator 30-45 minutes before ready to cook. Leave it in the zipper bag.
- Preheat the oven to 500F (non-convection/not fan-assisted).
- Remove the roast from the zipper bag and place it into a dry cast iron skillet or a shallow roasting pan. Discard the marinade.
- Place the roast uncovered into the preheated oven and roast for 20-25 minutes until nicely golden-brown, then reduce the oven temperature to 275F and continue roasting until the roast registers 140F when tested in the centre of the thickest part of the roast, about 30-45 minutes more.
- Remove the roast from the oven and transfer the roast to a cutting board. Tend loosely with foil and allow to rest 20-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the cast iron skillet (or roasting pan) onto the stovetop over medium heat *Careful, it's HOT! Add the beef broth to the skillet and use a wooden spoon to stir and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the Dijon mustard and thyme and stir in. Bring the mixture to a boil. Mix the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl and stir into the gravy. If you prefer a thicker gravy, let it boil longer to reduce or add additional cornstarch and water mixture to the pan. Taste the gravy and season with salt and pepper, as needed.
- Strain the gravy into a warmed pitcher. Thinly slice the roast beef and serve with warm gravy. *You can remove and discard the garlic slices, if you wish.
Notes
-
- Sirloin tip roasts are often wrapped with butcher string. Leave the string intact while marinating and roasting. Remove and discard after resting the cooked roast and before slicing to serve.
-
- Sirloin tip roasts are often thinner at one or both ends than in the centre of the roast. As such, the thinner end(s) will cook through more quickly. The thinner ends of the finished roast will be more well done than the centre part, which is a bonus if you have some that enjoy beef a bit more well done.
-
- For best results, don’t roast beyond medium, which is 145F internal temperature. Keep in mind that the roast will continue to cook a bit once out of the oven, so for medium I will take the roast out of the oven when the thickest part reaches 140F internal temperature.
- The secret to a perfectly cooked roast beef is having a thermometer to test it! You can use either a probe-type thermometer that stays in the meat during cooking or an instant-read thermometer. Always test for doneness in the thickest part of the roast, and be sure to insert the probe just into the centre of the roast and no further, or you may pick up the heat from the pan if you insert it too far. I like to test 2 or 3 spots.
Adapted from a Rose Murray recipe
More beef recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Do you buy “Choice” or “Prime” grade for this cut?
Hi Susan and choice is fine. This marinating method is especially good for less-than-Prime beef cuts.