Grandma’s Old-School Roast Recipes (2024)

Home Recipes Ingredients Beef Beef Roasts

Amy GlanderUpdated: Jan. 05, 2022

Hey, hip home cooks! Embrace your inner June Cleaver with one of these steaming, retro roast recipes.

Standing Rib Roast

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Want to learn how to cook rib roast? This standing rib roast recipe is practically foolproof. Treat your family to tender slices of standing rib roast or use the seasoning blend on a different beef roast for a hearty, delicious main dish. I love to prepare this recipe for special occasions. —Lucy Meyring, Walden, Colorado

Peppercorn Beef Top Loin Roast

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A red wine sauce complements the brown sugar rub on the roast in this inviting entree. You can't go wrong with this down-home dish!—Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Apple-Dijon Pork Roast

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Taste of Home

This recipe takes just minutes to assemble and is delicious. I like to serve the roast with rice, then use the tangy sauce as a gravy for both. —Cindy Steffen, Cedarburg, Wisconsin

Beef Tenderloin with Sauteed Vegetables

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This is the most elegant, tender beef. It’s made the classic French way—so easy! —cleo gonske, redding, California

Savory Pork Roast

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I love this herbed roast so much that I make it as often as I can. It's wonderful for special occasions, particularly when served with sweet potatoes and corn muffins. —Edie DeSpain, Logan, Utah

Sirloin Roast with Gravy

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Crown Roast of Pork with Mushroom Dressing

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Taste of Home

It looks so elegant that everyone thinks I spent a lot of time on this roast. But it's actually so easy! The biggest challenge is to remember to order the crown roast from the meat department ahead of time. —Betty Claycomb, Alverton, Pennsylvania

Herb-Crusted Prime Rib

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Prime rib always makes an impression on a holiday dinner table, and it's actually easy to prepare. This roast is wonderfully flavored with a prime rib rub featuring lots of fresh herbs. —Jennifer Dennis, Alhambra, California

Dijon-Rubbed Pork with Rhubarb Sauce

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Taste of Home

This tender pork loin roast served with a rhubarb-orange sauce is simply delicious! Here's an excellent choice for company—it makes a memorable meal. —Marilyn Rodriguez, Sparks, Nevada

Orange-Glazed Pork Loin

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Taste of Home

This is one of the best pork recipes I've ever tried. My family looks forward to this roast for dinner, and guests always want the recipe. The flavorful rub, and the glaze brightened with orange juice, are also outstanding on pork chops. —Lynnette Miete, Alna, Maine

California Roast Lamb

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Taste of Home

This recipe is very easy to make and requires little attention. It goes well with any rice dish, and it's perfect for just about any occasion. —Ann Eastman, Santa Monica, California

Wild Rice-Stuffed Pork Loin

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This recipe features wild rice and apricot stuffing tucked inside a tender pork roast. —Kim Rubner, Worthington, Iowa

Fruit-Pecan Pork Roast

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Taste of Home

This spectacular roast was a huge hit with members of the cooking club I belong to. The sweet, tangy fruit glaze looks lovely and is a wonderful complement to the juicy pork. It's a family favorite for special occasions and holidays.-Gay Flynn, Bellevue, Nebraska

Apple-Roasted Pork with Cherry Balsamic Glaze

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I added roasted apples, cherries and onions to turn ordinary pork into an impressive dish. There is a short time span between caramelized onions and burned ones, so pay close attention once they start cooking. —Josh Downey, McHenry, Illinois

Pepper-Crusted Sirloin Roast

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Dinner guests will be surprised to hear that this festive entree calls for only five ingredients. It's the perfect choice for serving a large group.

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I love the simplicity of this easy beef tenderloin recipe. Olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper—just add the tenderloin and pop it in the oven. In an hour or so you’ve got an impressive main dish to feed a crowd. This leaves you with more time to visit with family and less time fussing in the kitchen. —Mary Kandell, Huron, Ohio

Grandma Edna's Cajun Pork

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My grandma used to make this for our family on special occasions. We love to carry on the delicious tradition. —Tonya Cline, Greenville, Ohio

Herb-Crusted Chuck Roast

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This recipe turns an inexpensive cut of beef into a delicious main dish. I got the recipe from a family member several years ago and have made it often. —Rita Drewes, Craig, Missouri

Herbed Pork Roast with Gravy

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Taste of Home

The classic mix of herbs topping this roast add a flavor to the pork that my husband just loves. It’s his favorite dish! —Jean Harris, Central Point, Oregon

Crown Pork Roast with Apple-Cranberry Stuffing

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Taste of Home

For something different this holiday season, give your guests the royal treatment by serving this impressive pork roast. The fruity stuffing doubles as a side dish. —Donna Goutermont, Juneau, Alaska

Roasted Beef Tenderloin

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An overnight marinade provides a savory seasoning for this tenderloin. I've served this simple elegant roast on many special occasions. —Schelby Thompson, Camden Wyoming, Delaware

Horseradish-Encrusted Beef Tenderloin

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Taste of Home

Wow friends and family with this tender beef encased in a golden horseradish crust. Roasted garlic boosts the robust flavor even more. —Laura Bagozzi, Dublin, Ohio

Moist Cranberry Pork Roast

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Taste of Home

I love to serve this tender, flavorful pork to guests. You don’t have to toil away in the kitchen to prepare it, yet it tastes like a gourmet meal. —Kimberley Scasny, Douglasville, Georgia

Sunday Pork Roast

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Taste of Home

Mom would prepare pork roast for our family, friends and customers at the three restaurants she and Dad owned. The herb rub and vegetables give it a remarkable flavor. It's one of my favorite pork roast recipes. —Sandi Pichon, Memphis, Tennessee

Originally Published: March 25, 2019

Amy Glander

Amy is a book editor at Taste of Home where she gets to pour her passions for food and storytelling into trade and series cookbooks. When she’s not writing or editing, you’ll find her antiquing, cooking and baking from her favorite vintage cookbooks and exploring Milwaukee’s urban beauty with her digital SLR in hand.

FAQs

Grandma’s Old-School Roast Recipes? ›

Place roast, fat-side up, in a Dutch oven. Place onions on and around the roast. Cover and bake until aromatic, about 1 1/2 hours. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue to bake, turning the meat every 30 minutes and keeping covered, until roast is browned and cooked through, about 3 hours more.

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What is the most tender and tasty roast? ›

Tenderloin. The most tender roast of all—it's under the spine— with almost no fat or flavor. It's tapered in shape, the middle being the "center cut." The labor involved and waste produced in trimming and tying a tenderloin drives up the price. Top sirloin roast.

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How long does it take to cook a 3lb roast at 325 degrees? ›

Oven Roasting Guidelines

beef cut	Rump Roast, Bottom Round Roast
oven temperature (preheated)	325°F
weight (pounds)	3 to 4
Approximate Total Cooking TIme	Medium Rare: 1-1/4 to 1-3/4 hours
Internal TEMPERATURE*	135°F

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What cut of beef for Sunday roast? ›

For roasts, the best cuts include rib (on the bone or boned and rolled), sirloin, top rump and fillet. For quick cooking, try fillet, entrecôte, rib eye, sirloin or rump steaks. Brisket, topside and silverside are good for pot roasts, and stewing and braising steak are good for stews and casseroles.

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What is the best cut of meat for roast beef? ›

What beef roast to pick. Cuts like a whole eye fillet (aka chateaubriand) are the quickest to cook and the most tender but a rolled scotch roast probably has the best combination of flavour and tenderness. A porterhouse roast is the next best thing.

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Does roast get more tender the longer you cook it? ›

Yes, pot roast absolutely becomes more tender the longer it cooks. Roasts are generally made from tougher cuts of meat, such as chuck or brisket, which contain a lot of collagen, connective tissue, and fat. These tougher tissues require a long cooking time to break down and for the collagen to converts into gelatin.

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What cut of roast has the best flavor? ›

The Rib-Eye Roast is the boneless center cut of the rib section. Very well-marbled, tender and flavorful, it is the most desirable and the most expensive of the roasts.

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Is it better to cook a roast at 325 or 350? ›

When roasting meat and poultry, set the oven temperature to 325°F (163°C) or higher. Explore the charts below to learn how to get great results every time you cook.

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Do you cook roast beef covered or uncovered? ›

Remember to reduce the temperature after 20 minutes and deduct the 20 minutes from the total cooking time - leave the oven door open for a couple of minutes to help it cool down. There's no need to cover your beef while it cooks; you want to get a good crust on the outside and foil won't help with this.

Should I cover my chuck roast in the oven? ›

Do you cook a chuck roast covered or uncovered? You want to cook a chuck roast covered in the oven, then remove the lid and allow the braising liquid to thicken. Doing this gives you delicious pan juices to pour on top of the meat once it's finished.

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What is the toughest cut of roast beef? ›

The bottom round roast, taken from the round primal, is one of the tougher cuts of roast that's known for being very lean. Like the rump roast, this beef cut is best prepared by braising or slow-cooking.

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What is a traditional Sunday roast? ›

Although it can be consumed throughout the week, it is traditionally consumed on Sunday. It consists of roasted meat, roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes and accompaniments such as Yorkshire pudding, stuffing, gravy, and condiments such as apple sauce, mint sauce, or redcurrant sauce.

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What is the most popular Sunday roast? ›

Brits are heavily split on the ideal centrepiece meat for their roast. The most popular option is beef, at 33%, followed by chicken on 27% and lamb on 20%.

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What roast beef falls apart? ›

A perfectly cooked beef joint makes a wonderful centrepiece for a Sunday roast or Christmas dinner. To cook it until it's so tender it falls apart, you'll need to choose a joint like chuck and blade or beef brisket and either braise, slow roast or slow cook it for at least a couple of hours.

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What's the tenderest roast? ›

The Chateaubriand beef tenderloin roast is considered to be the most tender cut of beef for a roast. This cut of beef comes from the loin area of the cow, which is right below the backbone, behind the rib section and in front of the sirloin section.

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How to get beef to fall apart? ›

Slow cooking methods, such as braising or using a slow cooker, allow the collagen in the meat to break down, resulting in tender and juicy meat that easily pulls apart.

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Is chuck or rump roast better? ›

Chuck roast comes from a cow's shoulder portion. The hindquarters and shoulder area are both well-used parts of the cow, so these two cuts of meat are naturally pretty tough. Most people agree that roasted rump is the more tender of the two.

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Which cuts of beef are the most tender? ›

Black Angus filet mignon is the most tender cut of beef used for steaks. It comes from the smaller end of the tenderloin and should be well-marbled. You can grill it or cook it in a skillet and is best served blue rare or rare. Blue rare is a style of cooking that is becoming very popular for meat lovers.

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Which beef roast falls apart when cooked? ›

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How do you make roast more tender? ›

There are two factors that will make a roast very tender:

slow cooking at a low temperature. The longer you can cook, the more collagen (connective tissue) breaks down into fat. The problem becomes overcooking which is why you need to do this at low temperatures. ...
slicing the meat across the grain and using thin slices.

Nov 21, 2020

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