Swapping your usual steaks for an entire beef roast is the best way to feed a crowd. The Top Round roast in particular offers a helpful balance between flavor and cost. It’s one of the more affordable cuts of meat, but it becomes tender and easily sliced with the right handling. There’s a lot that you can do with this roast if you’re comfortable using a knife to break it into slices or chunks. Add beef to your diet without breaking the budget by making better use of the Top Round roast.
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What is Top Round Roast?
The Top Round roast is a larger cut of beef, but it’s still smaller than the average half brisket. It’s a relatively lean cut, especially compared to other popular beef roasts, and is made of larger muscle fibers. That means it’ll become tough if it’s exposed to high heat. It’s cut from the round primal muscle that covers the rump and upper hind leg of the cow. While a lot of Round roasts are used for ground beef, it’s also available whole. It has less fat marbled in with the meat than many other popular roasts.
Why Choose Top Round Roast?
The cost of Top Round roast is often what initially attracts shoppers to try it. While it’s very affordable compared to other types of beef, it’s not adaptable for every purpose. You can transform it into many dishes, but you’ll need to give it relatively slow and low-temperature cooking to keep it tender. That means you can cook it on the stove top, in the oven, in a slow cooker, with a pressure cooker, or on the grill with the right techniques.
There are several nutritional benefits to choosing Top Round roast over your other beef options. It’s a leaner cut, reducing the amount of fat that comes along with your meal. You’ll get a big dose of protein and plenty of iron and B vitamins to boost your energy levels. If you are looking for an affordable steak that fits your dietary goals, consider buying a whole roast and slicing it into individual steaks.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Top Round roast has a rich, beefy flavor that pairs well with a wide range of rubs and seasoning mixes. You can add your favorite rub for prime rib or brisket and get great results, or you can experiment with your own unique flavorings. A marinade based on red wine vinegar, olive oil, and a splash of lemon juice is a great way to soften the texture before it’s time for cooking.
If you choose to pressure cook, slow cook, or roast your Top Round, you need to use some kind of flavored liquid to braise the meat. Beef broth is an obvious choice, but mushroom or vegetable broth can add a depth of flavor that has your dinner guests asking for seconds. Don’t forget to toss in vegetables like onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and parsnips.
Preparing the Meat
Bringing the meat up to room temperature before you start cooking is the first step in the journey to a tender meal. Cooking the roast from cold will run the risk of toughening the meat. Warming the meat to room temperature will take about 15 minutes per lb. Always cook the roast immediately after it comes to temperature and don’t put it back in the refrigerator or freezer.
If you’ve used a brine or marinade with salt in it, make sure you’re not adding too much salt to the rub or seasoning. Use a rub on the surface if you’re going to grill or smoke the meat. If you’re going to use a covered pan or slow cooker, the rub is likely to cook off. Before cooking, make sure to brown the surfaces of the roast in a cast iron pan for extra flavor and texture.
Cooking Methods
Oven roasting is the usual method of cooking a Top Round roast. It gives you control over the temperature so you can avoid toughening the meat with too much heat. Aim for a temperature of 300 degrees F or below and a longer cooking time. Start with a covered roasting pan or Dutch oven and add in plenty of liquid to ensure the roast doesn’t dry out.
A slow cooker is an easy way to take a lot of the work out of cooking Top Round roast. Give the roast between six to eight hours in the cooker to soften up, keeping the heat on medium if possible. Make sure the roast is at least 75% covered by liquid throughout the cooking process to soften it.
For the quickest results, you need a pressure cooker like an Instant Pot. You can use the saute setting to sear the surface of the meat, then give it 20 minutes of pressure cooking per pound of meat. You can always put it through another cooking cycle if it hasn’t reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees F yet. Since the pressure cooking method traps moisture in the meat, it should remain tender and juicy.
Cooking Tips and Tricks
Check the meat for doneness at the halfway point of the recipe. You don’t want to wait the full time because overcooking the Top Round roast makes it dry. There simply isn’t enough fat marbled into the meat for extended cooking times. Use an instant-read thermometer and aim for an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. It’ll rise another 5 degrees while resting, giving you a perfect medium doneness.
Searing is required for the perfect crust on the Top Round roast. Olive oil and a hot pan are all you need for searing. Reverse searing, or doing it before roasting the meat, produces the best results.
Make sure to adjust the cooking time of your recipe for the size of your roast. In the oven, you’ll need an extra 40 minutes to an hour per pound. The Instant Pot only needs about 20 minutes in total per pound of meat.
Recipe Variations
- Herb-infused Top Round Roast: Toss whole sprigs of thyme, rosemary, and sage into the roasting pan. If it’s not the right season for fresh herbs, apply a rub of dried versions. Add a few bay leaves either way.
- Asian-inspired Top Round Roast: Let the roast braise in a mix of beef broth, soy sauce, and mirin. Apply a glaze of teriyaki sauce on top at the end and let it thicken under the broiler.
- Wine-marinated Top Round Roast: White and red wine both work equally well as a marinade base for this type of roast.
Conclusion
Add more lean beef to your diet by learning to cook the Top Round roast with care. It might just become your new favorite meal when paired with mashed potatoes, roasted mushrooms, and creamed spinach.