Smoked Eye of Round French Dip – Culinary Seasons

Smoking an Eye of Round Roast is the perfect way to cook this lean cut of meat. Low and slow cooking whether it be in the smoker, grill or oven allows the meat to slowly rise in temperature to keep the fibers in the roast relaxed. Allowing the roast, when pulled between rare and medium to be sliced thin and used for french dips, philly cheesesteak, open faced roast beef sandwiches or even sliced up to 1/2″ thick and served with some mashed potatoes and gravy. If it becomes over cooked it will be a tougher piece of meat.

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I picked up this roast from Salant Family Ranch, a local rancher here in Southern Oregon. Like the other meats I have gotten from him the meat is very flavorful. Support your local ranchers, they work hard to bring the best quality meats to market for you to enjoy.

I decided to smoke this cut of meat because of a lower fat content in the eye of round. Because generally fat means flavor, don’t get me wrong this meat that Salant produces is flavorful but this cut of meat is lean; by seasoning the outside and smoking imparts additional flavor than roasting in the oven alone.

Utilizing this meat for french dips, sandwiches or paninis is a great way to get creative with how you use it. Slicing it thin allows you to keep it tender by keeping those meat fibers from being too long.

For a french dip, slice it when you are ready to serve, giving moist tender meat that is cooked medium rare. Serve with au jus and on a crusty bun.

Enjoy!

Cooking time

1

hour 

30

minutes Smoking time

1.5 – 2

hours approx

Get creative! Season the outside of the Eye of Round with other seasoning blends. Spice it up, do a chipotle powder rub with some salt for a Mexican twist. Or how about a black pepper crusted roast, giving your sliced meat for sandwiches that pepper bite.

  • Preparation for Smoking the Eye of Round

  • 1 ea 3 lb Eye of Round

  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt

  • 1/2 tsp Black Pepper

  • 1/2 tsp Granulated Garlic

  • 1/2 tsp Granulated Onion

  • Prep for Sandwich

  • 1 ea Yellow Onion sliced

  • 1 ea Yellow, Red or Orange Bell Pepper

  • 2 cups Au Jus

  • Sourdough Rolls

  • Mayonnaise (if you would like)

  • Ingredients for Au Jus

  • 2 cups Water

  • 1 Tbl Better than Bouillon Beef Base
    3 dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

  • 1/4 tsp Granulated Garlic

  • 1/4 tsp Granulated Onion

  • Smoking the Eye of Round
  • Heat your smoker to 225°
    I used a Traeger Pellet Smoker, you can use a Kamado Joe, or even slow roast the eye of round in the oven. In the oven works just as well, keep the temperature at 225° for a slow cook so the eye of round doesn’t get tough.
  • Smoke or roast until the meat reaches 130° internal temperature. It will take approximately 1 1/2 hours. Keeping the eye of round on the rare to medium-rare side keeps this cut of meat more tender than above medium temperature.
  • Remove from the smoker or oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes.
  • When ready to serve, slice the meat into very thin slices into round pieces. The smoke should have given the roast a nice bit of smoke ring.

  • Preparing the Aus Jus
  • In a pan, heat 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
  • Add in 1 Tbl of beef base. I like to use Better than Bouillon Beef Base for this application.
    You can use a beef broth, it works just as well. The beef base allows you to adjust the beef intensity where beef broths may be a bit flat on the flavor. Be careful not to use too much beef base, it will create a salt au jus.
  • Season the au jus with 3 dashes of worcestershire sauce.
  • 1/4 tsp granulated garlic and 1/4 tsp granulated onion. Mix to combine and serve in a ramekin or small bowl.
  • Saute the Onions and Bell Pepper
  • Slice the onions and peppers into strips.
  • Heat a pan with 1 tsp vegetable oil.
  • Add the onions and peppers and saute until they are translucent and have gained some browning on the onions. Season aas needed if you would like.
  • Assembling the French Dip
  • Heat the Sourdough Rolls in the oven.
  • Once heated, spread in the mayonnaise if desired.
  • Add the beef, fold as you place the meat in the roll. Layer on top of each slice.
  • Top with the sauteed onions and bell peppers.
  • Serve with the au jus in a ramekin or bowl on the side.

    ENJOY!