Marinated Roast Beef

By
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 03/11/24
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 2 hrs
Marinate Time: 4 hrs
Total: 6 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings

This dish is wonderful for holidays, weekend dinners, or just when you're looking for something a bit different to throw into the weekly routine. With only seven ingredients, it's not daunting and can be marinated the night before, to make for an easier cooking process.

The marinade of soy sauce, sugar, garlic, thyme, and ginger helps tenderize and flavor the beef. It does double duty since it's used to baste the beef in the last 30 minutes of cooking. You can marinate the beef for as little as four hours or up to overnight, but don't leave the roast beef in the marinade much longer than eight hours, since it will eventually turn the texture of the beef mushy.

Serve roast beef with classic vegetable sides like mashed or roasted potatoes, glazed carrots, and green beans. Homemade rolls would also be a real treat.

Marinated rump roast sliced on a wooden cutting board

The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga
What You'll Need to Make This Marinated Roast Beef Recipe
A Great Garlic Press
A Sturdy Roasting Pan
A Nice Small Saucepan

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup water

  • 1/3 cup soy sauce

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1 teaspoon dried leaf thyme, crushed

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1 (3-pound) boneless rump roast

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for marinated roast beef gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  2. Combine the water, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, thyme, and garlic in a large, resealable food storage bag (large enough to hold the beef roast).

    Marinade for roast beef in a zip-top bag

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  3. Pierce the roast all over with fork.

    Roast beef pierced all over with a fork

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  4. Place the roast in the bag, close the bag, and turn to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Turn the bag occasionally.

    Roast beef in bag with marinade

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  5. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Remove the roast from the bag, returning the marinade to the refrigerator. Place the beef on a rack in a shallow pan.

    Marinated roast beef on a roasting rack

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  6. Roast, uncovered, for about 2 hours.

  7. Meanwhile, put the reserved marinade in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 1 minute.

    Boiled marinade in a saucepan

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  8. Baste the roast with marinade during the last 30 minutes of roasting time.

    Basted, cooked roast beef resting on a rack

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  9. Remove from the oven, tent with foil, and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes.

    Roast beef resting under aluminum foil

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

  10. Slice, serve, and enjoy.

    Sliced roast beef, close-up image

    The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

Tips

  • An eye of round roast is one of the best choices for this oven roast beef, but it can be made with a sirloin tip roast or a rump roast.
  • The marinade adds lots of flavor to the beef, with the soy sauce providing the salty element. Taste the marinated beef before further seasoning with salt and pepper.

How Long Can I Marinate Beef?

Marinating adds flavor and can help to tenderize tough cuts of beef, like roast beef. While at least four hours is recommended for this recipe to fully infuse the meat with flavor, you can leave it for up to eight hours. More than eight hours and the beef will start to lose its structure. When marinating beef, you may be tempted to leave it as long as possible for the most tender results, but the meat will become unpleasantly mushy if marinated for too long. For this reason, avoid over-marinating.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
390 Calories
20g Fat
4g Carbs
46g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 390
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g 25%
Saturated Fat 8g 38%
Cholesterol 145mg 48%
Sodium 638mg 28%
Total Carbohydrate 4g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 46g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 18mg 1%
Iron 4mg 23%
Potassium 415mg 9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)