Cooking a delicious roast beef dinner from your freezer can seem daunting. However, with the right techniques and timing, you can easily bake a juicy, flavorful frozen roast beef in your oven. Follow this guide to learn exactly how many minutes per pound it takes to cook a 2 pound frozen roast beef for medium rare, medium, and well done doneness.
Overview of Cooking Frozen Roast Beef
Freezing roast beef allows you to always have the hearty protein on hand for quick weeknight dinners or impromptu entertaining. While it does require more time than cooking thawed meat, roast beef cooked from frozen has several advantages:
- Saves prep time since you don’t have to thaw
- Locks in moisture and juices due to slow defrosting
- Infuses more flavors when cooked low and slow
- Allows cooking smaller roasts as needed vs thawing a huge cut
When roasted properly frozen roast beef can turn out incredibly tender and flavorful. The key is using the right temperature and adjusting cooking times.
How Many Minutes Per Pound for 2 Pound Roast Beef
For a 2 pound frozen roast beef here are the approximate oven cook times per pound
- Rare roast beef (120°F): 18-20 minutes per pound
- Medium rare (130°F): 22-25 minutes per pound
- Medium (140°F): 28-32 minutes per pound
- Medium well (150°F): 33-37 minutes per pound
- Well done (160°F): 38-42 minutes per pound
So for a 2 pound roast to reach medium rare doneness of 130°F in the center, you would cook it for around 40 to 50 minutes total at 325°F Always rely on an instant read thermometer for accuracy
Key Tips for Cooking Frozen Roast Beef
Follow these tips for ensured success when oven roasting beef from frozen:
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Go low and slow – Use a lower oven temp like 325°F to gently defrost and cook the roast. High heat can dry it out.
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Check temperature – Meat thermometers are a must for perfect doneness. Insert into thickest part when nearing done time.
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Use a meat probe thermometer – Oven-safe probes monitor roasts without continually opening the oven.
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Rest before slicing – Letting the roast sit for 10-15 minutes after cooking allows juices to absorb back into the meat.
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Sear at the end – For a crispy crust, broil or sear in a pan for 1-2 minutes per side after cooking.
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Make a flavorful crust – Coating meat in oil/butter, herbs, and spices forms a delicious browned exterior.
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Add roast vegetables – Surround the roast with potatoes, carrots, onions for a full meal.
Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these simple steps for cooking a delicious frozen roast beef dinner in your oven:
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Remove packaging – Unwrap frozen roast and place on a baking sheet or pan.
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Season the roast – Coat all over with oil, spices like garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper.
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Add roast vegetables (optional) – Surround roast with halved onions, potatoes, carrots.
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Roast at 325°F – Cook for total time based on weight and doneness level.
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Check temperature – Insert thermometer into thickest area and continue roasting if needed.
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Rest and slice – Let sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing across the grain into thin pieces.
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Make gravy (optional) – Use pan drippings and broth to make a simple gravy for serving.
Sample Recipe
This easy herb crusted roast beef recipe with vegetables delivers a tender, flavorful meal straight from the freezer:
Ingredients:
- 2 pound frozen beef roast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and pepper
- 3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 3 carrots, peeled and halved
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
Instructions:
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Preheat oven to 325°F. Pat roast dry and coat with oil, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.
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Arrange vegetables around roast in a roasting pan.
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Roast for 45-50 minutes until meat thermometer reads 130°F for medium rare.
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Rest for 10 minutes before slicing roast beef and serving vegetables.
FAQs
Get answers to some common questions about cooking frozen roast beef in the oven:
What temperature should I cook frozen roast beef?
Cook frozen roasts at lower oven temperatures like 275-325°F. This allows the meat to gently thaw and cook through without drying out.
Can you put frozen roast beef straight into the oven?
Yes, you can cook a roast beef directly from frozen state. Be sure to add extra cooking time compared to thawed meat.
How long does it take to cook frozen meat in the oven?
Cooking frozen roast beef takes about 50% longer than cooking thawed roasts. A 2 pound roast may need 40-50 minutes at 325°F oven vs 25-30 minutes for thawed.
When do you add vegetables if cooking a frozen roast?
Arrange vegetables like onions, carrots, potatoes around the frozen roast from the start. The long cook time gives them time to fully tenderize.
What is the best cut of roast beef to freeze?
Good beef roast cuts to freeze include chuck roast, rump roast, eye of round, and sirloin tip. Trim fat, portion, and tightly wrap before freezing.
The next time you need an easy, hearty meal, don’t forget that you can bake delicious roast beef straight from the freezer. Reference this handy guide for oven times, temperatures, tips, and tricks to achieve perfect results every time.
Frozen Beef Roast in Oven
Directions for how to cook a frozen Beef Roast in the oven.
- -One 3-5 pound beef roast cut
- -1 Cup chicken broth, beef broth or red wine
- For Rub:
- 1/2 Tablespoon Sea Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/2 Tablespoon Paprika
- 1 Tablespoon Coconut Sugar or Brown Sugar
- Preheat the oven to 450 Degrees Fahrenheit and remove the plastic wrap or paper from the frozen meat. Wash your cut of beef clean in cold water and pat dry. Rub the dry rub on all sides of roast. Place the seasoned roast into your baking dish, roast pan or dutch oven.
- Pour one cup of beef broth, chicken broth or red wine over the roast. Put the lid on top or cover well with aluminum foil. Place in the middle of the oven and lower the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Set timer to cook for one hour.
- Remove the lid and insert the meat thermometer into the center of your meat to see what its internal temperature is. Leave the lid off and continue cooking until its done, consistently checking the temperature.
- Rare -120°F
- Medium rare – 130-135°F
- Medium – 135-145°F
- Medium well – 145-155°F
- Well Done – 155°F
Depending on how well done you like your roast, cook until it has reached ten degrees below what you want. for instance, if you want the center of the roast to be medium, cook until it is medium rare at 130 degrees- 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Then turn off the oven and let the roast sit for 15 minutes before removing from the oven. Think of this a using the natural release in your instant pot.
This allows the roast to seal in the moisture, making it into a tender roast while still slightly cooking it. After 15 minutes remove the finished roast from the oven. The recommended doneness for a roast is to aim for medium rare or medium in the very center of the roast.
Time to cook will be approximately 20-25 minutes per pound, so for a 4 pound frozen roast it will need to cook for approximately 80-100 minutes. Unfortunately this isnt a fool proof way to cook a frozen roast.
Set the cook time for one hour, then remove the lid and insert the meat thermometer into the center of your meat to see what it’s internal temperature is. Leave the lid off and continue cooking until it’s done, consistently checking the temperature.
This is important: Depending on how well done you like your roast, cook until it has reached ten degrees below what you want. for instance, if you want the center of the roast to be medium, cook until it is medium rare at 130 degrees- 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Then turn off the oven and let the roast sit for 15 minutes before removing from the oven. Think of this a using the natural release in your instant pot.
This resting period allows the roast to seal in the moisture, making it into a tender roast while still slightly cooking it. After 15 minutes remove the finished roast from the oven. The recommended doneness for a roast is to aim for medium rare or medium in the very center of the roast.
- Rare -120°F
- Medium rare – 130-135°F
- Medium – 135-145°F
- Medium well – 145-155°F
- Well Done – 155°F
How to Cook a Frozen Roast in the Oven
Before we start please note these directions are for cooking the roast by itself. If you’re wanting to cook your frozen beef roast with vegetables, look to the bottom of this post for specific directions.
Preheat the oven to 450 Degrees Fahrenheit and remove the plastic wrap or paper from the frozen meat. Wash your cut of beef clean in cold water and pat dry. See below for a dry rub recipe or simply use salt and pepper with a few of your favorite herbs such as onion powder or rosemary.
Pat the dry rub on all sides of your fresh roast. Place the seasoned roast into your baking dish, roast pan or dutch oven. Pour one cup of beef broth, chicken broth or red wine over the roast. These add extra flavor and moisture for a juicy roast. If you don’t have any of these, feel free to use water. It won’t add to the flavor of the meat, but will still help keep the roast moist.
Put the lid on top or cover well with aluminum foil. Place in the middle of the oven and lower the temperature to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Time to cook will be approximately 20-25 minutes per pound, so for a 4 pound frozen roast it will need to cook for approximately 80-100 minutes. Unfortunately this isn’t a fool proof way to cook a frozen roast.
Instead, I start with cooking for one hour.