Smoked Eye of Round
On December 01, 2021 (Updated October 24, 2023)
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This smoked eye of round roast is the ultimate roast for your holiday or sit-down Sunday meals. It’s cooked to a perfect medium-rare and served with a decadent whiskey cream sauce. Each bite is better than the last, with the ideal combo of smoke and beef.
What is Eye of Round?
Eye of round is a cut of beef that comes from the “round” portion of the cow (the very rear leg portion of the cow). It’s called the “eye” because this exact roast is located in the center of the round.
An eye of round roast is going to cost you a lot less than, say, a prime rib. If you’re ever on a budget but still want to enjoy a delicious roast for the holidays, eye of round is a great choice.
Smoked Eye of Round Roast
Eye of round roast is relatively lean and extremely flavorful. It can be a bit tough, so a slow smoke will do wonders with this cut of meat. Cooking to medium or under will help keep the meat plenty tender.
Sliced thin across the grain, this meat will fall apart and melt in your mouth. You can still enjoy delicious beef at a fraction of the cost.
How to Smoke Eye of Round Roast
Here’s how to make this delicious smoked eye of round roast.
- Trim. Use a filet knife to remove any fat or silverskin from the roast. Don’t be shy here, go ahead and remove as much as you can to get down to the meat.
- Season. Season the roast liberally on all sides. I used my Hey Grill Hey Beef Seasoning, but you can go as simple as using equal parts salt and fresh cracked black pepper. I’m not joking when I say liberally. This beef will shrink up when it cooks, so we want lots of seasoning on the outside.
- Smoke. With the smoker preheated to 225 degrees F, place the roast directly on the grill grates. My favorite wood to use with this recipe is oak, but any wood will impart fantastic flavor. Close the lid, and smoke until the roast is 10-15 degrees from your target temperature (see the next section for temperatures).
- Sear. Add 2 Tablespoons avocado oil to a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and sear for 2-4 minutes per side (don’t forget the ends). Sear until your roast reaches your final target temperature. Remove the roast from the skillet and rest while you prepare the sauce.
- Get saucy. Combine all ingredients to make the whiskey cream sauce (see the full instructions and ingredients in the printable recipe card below).
- Enjoy! Slice extremely thin against the grain. Serve and dig in!
How Long to Smoke Eye of Round
The time it takes to smoke your roast will depend greatly on the consistency of the temperature of your smoker and what doneness you are cooking the roast. As a rule of thumb, it will take around 3-3 1/2 hours to fully slow smoke this roast from start to finish.
Pay attention to temperature more than time while smoking (an instant-read thermometer can help you here!). Pull the eye of round off the smoker when it reaches the following temperatures:
- Rare. Smoke until 115 degrees F.
- Medium-rare. Smoke until 125 degrees F.
- Medium. Smoke until 135 degrees F.
I do not recommend cooking this roast above medium as the meat will be significantly tougher the higher in temp you go. Medium-rare is my preferred doneness for the smoked eye of round.
After you sear the meat, your final meat temperature should be the following:
- Rare. Done at 125 degrees F.
- Medium-rare. Done at 135 degrees F.
- Medium. Done at 145 degrees F.
More Smoked Roast Recipes
Looking for more flavorful, juicy roasts? These guys are slowly smoked for maximum flavor and tenderness. Check them out below!
Smoked Eye of Round Recipe
This smoked eye of round provides a great, classic roast beef flavor. It delivers on that “wow” factor that you want for special occasions.
Let us know what you thought of this recipe in the comments section below! Oh, and when you cook it, be sure to snap a pic and share it with us on social media using the hashtag #heygrillhey!
Smoked Eye of Round
Video
Ingredients
- 1 3-pound eye of round roast
- 1 Tablespoon Hey Grill Hey Beef Rub or equal parts salt and pepper
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Whiskey Cream Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup whiskey
- ½ cup cream
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees with your favorite hardwood smoke. I prefer a mix of oak and cherry for beef.
- Trim and season. Use a sharp filet knife to trim away any excess fat or silver skin on the exterior of the roast. Season the roast on all sides with the Beef Rub or equal parts salt and pepper.
- Smoke. Place the seasoned roast on the smoker, close the lid, and smoke for around 3 hours, or until the roast is about 10-15 degrees away from your target finished temperature. For example, if you wanted your roast to be served rare, you would smoke to roast to 115 degrees F in this step. Medium rare: 125 degrees F, Medium: 135 degrees F. This roast is best served rare to medium-rare to retain moisture and tenderness.
- Sear. Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tablespoons of avocado oil to your skillet and heat until the oil starts to shimmer on the surface. Add the roast to the pan and sear for about 3 minutes per side. This will add flavor and color to the crust while also finishing the cooking process. Remove your roast from the skillet when the internal temperature is where you want it. Rare should finish at 125 degrees F, Medium Rare at 135 degrees F, Medium at 145 degrees F. Remove the seared roast to your cutting board to rest while you make your pan sauce.
- Make the sauce. Add 2 Tablespoons of butter to the pan you used to sear your roast. It will melt quickly and start to brown. Add your shallots and garlic to the pan and stir consistently for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the whiskey and scrape the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits into the sauce. Turn the heat to low and stir in the cream, Dijon mustard, thyme, salt, and black pepper.
- Slice and enjoy. Slice your rested roast in very thin slices, against the grain. Serve topped with the whiskey cream sauce. Perfect to pair with skillet potatoes and grilled vegetables.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was outstanding really– couldn’t be easier to prep/smoke, done quickly (about 90 minutes plus searing for two 2# roasts), and the result was excellent. We generally roast sirloin roasts to slice thin for sandwiches and this did not disappoint– really good smoke (alder + apple) flavor and perfect medium rare. Changing up the spice rub could really make a big difference too; I cooked this one with a typical mix of rosemary/garlic/black pepper but I can imagine doing this with a Korean-inspired rub, chipotle, or a range of others for variation.
Incredible! Such a great and easy recipe. The whiskey cream sauce is excellent.
Very good!
Flavor was excellent. I used fresh ginger instead of ground. My friend said it was one of the best cooks I have done for her.
First time using eye of round … turned out great! Thank you for a great recipe. Had some left over that will make great beef Manhattans. This will be my go-to for roast beef now.
Excellent! I liked it so much I did it again after an 18 hour Sous Vide. I rubbed it, SV’d at 132 for 18 hours, let fully cool, then smoked it up to about 138. Tender and completely different, both cooks got rave reviews from guests. Made a nice gravy out of the drippings from the Sous Vide. Thanks as always!
I did this recipe and thought about SV, but just curious why you did 18 hours? Was that too long and did the meat fibers come out too mushy? Would you have done shorter?
There are tenderizing enzymes in the beef called calpains
Y’all know your way around a smoker and it shows. I have had rave feedback from family and friends when using your recipes. I really appreciate it! This is one of the best resources for those of us who love a well smoked meal!