Last updated on November 20, 2021 by Liza Hawkins
I often find deals on an eye of round roast at the grocery store, which is perfect to make cast iron roast beef with gravy. Think: Nearly three pounds and under nine dollars! Eye of round is an interesting cut, meant for roasting in the oven and served in slices — similar to a beef tenderloin — but very, very lean. Kind of a “poor man’s” tenderloin.
When you have a cut of beef that lacks fat, like eye of round, you run the risk of tough and chewy meat … no one likes that. So, there was a recipe I found from The Neely’s that looked like it could be a good fit with eye of round. It includes using a cast iron skillet** and a few simple ingredients.
I followed Pat’s recipe to the letter, with the exception of mushrooms. I love them but happened to be out. Whoops! So, instead I substituted more onion and it worked out just fine.
(But, those mushrooms would have been mighty tasty…)
One of the most important parts of the recipe is this: Make sure you get a good sear on all sides of the roast.
This helps to create a crust to keep it nice and juicy, and also adds a ton of rich, deep flavor to the gravy!
After searing and roasting, you remove the onions (nicely caramelized — couldn’t be any easier!) and the roast, leaving the roast to rest (meaning: don’t touch!) until you’re ready to slice just before serving.
When it’s time, make sure you slice this roast as thin as possible to ensure maximum tenderness!
The gravy’s up next.
Since I don’t have “gravy flour” on hand and was out of red wine, I used my own easy homemade gravy recipe and it turned out fabulous.
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**What if you don’t have a cast iron skillet? I’d use a regular skillet to sear the meat, and if it’s oven-safe, then follow the steps the same. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet or an oven-safe skillet, then put a roasting pan in the oven to preheat, so that when you transfer your roast to it after searing, the roasting pan’s nice and hot — just like the skillet would be.
Cast Iron Roast Beef Gravy
Cast iron roast beef makes really yummy gravy!
Ingredients
- Skillet and drippings from Cast Iron Roast Beef*
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 14.5-ounce can beef stock
Instructions
- Place skillet over medium heat and add the butter.
- Once the butter’s melted, whisk in the flour until it gets thick and pasty.
- Let it cook for another minute or two to help remove the flour taste from your gravy.
- Pour the beef stock, all at once, into the skillet.
- Whisk until all the bits have been incorporated into your gravy, and then let it cook – whisking occasionally – until the gravy thickens a bit and becomes bubbly.
- Serve hot with sliced Cast Iron Roast Beef.
Notes
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 41Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 148mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g
I hate tough meat, so the thought of even a remote
Possibility would probably turn me off trying this recipe.
But I do love our iron skillet!
Keep your eye out for a more tender cut then – a beef tenderloin. Definitely more expensive, but never tough. Our roast wasn’t tough at all – but tough is an odd thing. With beef, tough can mean gritty and chewy (yuck), I mean more that it’s not fork-tender.
This looks DELICIOUS. Thanks for sharing Liza. 🙂
This looks fabulous! I am so hoping you can inspire me to cook and enjoy it. I have blogged many o times about how much I hate it but I’m trying.
New follower from Bloggy Moms! Love for you to stop on by at http://1funkywoman.blogspot.com
Megan
@Cool – you’re welcome; hope you enjoy!
@Megan – keep trying & keep it simple. I guarantee you’ll improve! Thanks for stopping by!
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