How to Bake a Tender Oven Roast

Brisket
Image Credit: agaliza/iStock/Getty Images

You don't have to purchase the most expensive cuts of meat to enjoy a tender oven roast. Create a dry rub using your favorite spices that serves a dual purpose of adding flavor and tenderizing less expensive cuts such as chuck roast, rump roast and brisket. Cheaper roasts have less marbling than sirloin or tenderloin; marbling helps make the roast tender after baking. Cooking time and temperature also play a role in baking a tender oven roast.

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Step 1

Place the brisket roast into a roasting pan, and coat both sides of the meat with the salt.

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Step 2

Mix the dry rub ingredients -- the chili powder, garlic powder, dry mustard, onion powder, black pepper, sugar and crushed bay leaf -- in a small bowl with a spoon.

Step 3

Coat the roast with the dry rub by rubbing it onto all sides of the meat with your hands. Cover the pan with foil, and refrigerate overnight.

Step 4

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 5

Remove the foil from the roast, and place it in the oven. Bake for one hour.

Step 6

Remove the roast from the oven, and pour 1 1/2 cups of beef stock or water to fill the pan with 1/2 inch of liquid.

Step 7

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, and cover the pan tightly with foil. Cook for three hours, or until the meat feels tender when poked with a fork.

Things You'll Need

  • 2-lb. brisket roast

  • 1/4 cup salt

  • Roasting pan

  • Mixing bowl

  • 2 tbsp. chili powder

  • 2 tbsp. dry mustard

  • 2 tbsp. garlic powder

  • 1 tbsp. black pepper

  • 1 tbsp. onion powder

  • 1 tbsp. sugar

  • 1 crushed bay leaf

  • Aluminum foil

  • 1 1/2 cups beef stock

Tip

Add vegetables to the pan with the roast during the last 30 to 45 minutes of cooking.

Alter the dry rub mixture to include your favorite spices. A simple dry for pot roast is 2 tbsp. each of kosher salt and cumin.

Salt helps break down the fibers in the meat, which results in a more tender roast. Marinating with a dry rub also helps tenderize a roast.

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