Top Round Roast?
I've ordered a 5 pound top round roast from the butcher and now I'm wondering how to roast it so that it comes out medium-rare and not too tough. This roast was recommended by the butcher as a less expensive substitute for a standing rib. Will I be able to make a tasty gravy/sauce from the drippingts?
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I'm a bit surprised at the comments that top round is a poor choice for roasting (or, rather, that it is a poor substitute for a standing rib.) No, top round is not as fatty and flavorful as a rib roast, but it still has a decent amount of beefy flavor, and is, in my opinion, far better than eye-of-round (my least favorite beef cut.). Of course, a top sirloin roast would be a much better economical substitute in terms of beefy flavor, but top round is fine. Top round is the cut of choice for Buffalo's famous beef-on-weck sandwiches (among the absolute best roast beef sandwiches I've ever had), as well as Chicago's Italian beefs, and Philadelphia's cheesesteaks (although rib eye is also used on the last one, and it's griddled, not roasted, so perhaps not apples-to-apples there.) I buy top round all the time, and it's one of my favorite cuts, as it works well for roasting, stir frying, as thinly cut sandwich steak, etc.
Anyhow, my method is simple: tie it up, salt & pepper it (or add whatever seasonings you like. Montreal steak seasoning works well), let it rest a day in the fridge (or not--you don't have to). Then, start it in a cold oven set to 200F (or even 175, if your oven allows it) on a roasting rack. Insert a meat thermometer, and remove the roast when it reaches 120-125. My ballpark estimate is that this takes about an hour per pound, but use the thermometer! Yesterday's roast top round took 4 hours for a 3 1/2 pound roast at 200F. Then let rest for 20 minutes, and sear the outside on a cast iron pan (or take the oven up to 550F and put the roast back in for about 6 minutes, after letting it rest.)
Perfect roast beef. Just be sure to cut it against the grain.
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re: pulykamell
I'm not surprised at all.
As a butcher I find the round primal to be most difficult to explain to a retail customer. People like it for its lower cost cuts, but don't understand that even though the finished cuts are lean they require a very different approach than the lean cuts on the loin and sirloin.
Mix in the very popular banter @ the Cooks Illustrated article and techniques for the eye of round (which is different than the top or the bottom round) and it is very confusing for the average shopper/ cook.
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re: pulykamell
No way!!! You're kidding right? Because if you are not, well then you do not know meat my friend.
Top and bottom round are used for ground beef. These are some of the toughest cuts. Skeletal muscle has no fat. FAT is what you want for a tender and flavorful steak or roast. You must be feeding a dog or cat if you use "round" to make roasts. Unless you love dry, tough, leather soles.
My wife just got bamboozeled by a local uneducated OR lying sneaky butcher and wasted $25. I will take care of him later. He gave her a top round for a roast and our company could not even eat the meal at Easter dinner. It was cooked early medium rare with a pink middle and yet tough as nails and dry as chalk. Now I have to add lard to it and slow cook for 10 hours to make it consumable for human consumption and not garbage refuse.
People like fatty beef. This lean BS is for Fiddo!
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re: Brandon Nelson
Well, it's too late to start over..... So I am taking the rest of this leather football and making pot roast. I will simmer this disaster for about 2 or 3 hours with the gravy, veggies, potato and a spoonful of pork fat (LARD to restore the flavor). Never again will my wife buy any meat void of fat and expect a tender sumptuous tasty meal. Fat is good and is naturally around meat because God loves us. Meat and potatoes - the meal that built America!
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re: Brandon Nelson
UPDATE!!! Well folks, guess what????
The pot roast was another disaster. Slow cooked for 4 hours and STILL the meat is tough and dry. Even with the added lard. Seems the meat was meant for ground beef only. Was sold as a roast. I bet it was the hind leg muscle - just one fibrous netting of skeletal muscle tough as elephant hide. The football became just smaller clumps of one large clump.
Now for the good news! Instead of throwing it at the butcher who sold it to my wife, I decided one last ditch effort to make it consumable for humans. I took out my miniature food processor and put the stringy clumps into it. Along with some mayonnaise and in one batch BBQ sauce/mayo. I made three containers of the best roast beef spread ever! Ever have Underwood spreads? Well this was an all natural substitute of better quality. At least I knew what is in it.
It turned out delicious. Now I can make beef pate' sandwiches all week long! MMMMM!
"Sammich" heaven!!!!
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Success! I ended up using a modified version of the CI recipe and it was wonderful, a perfect medium-rare throughout without that horrible grey ring, and everyone loved it. Even heard several comments that they liked it better than standing rib. The only changes I made from the CI recipe was I made slits in the roast and inserted garlic slivers and also didn't turn the oven off but just roasted it until it reached 120º on my instant read thermometer. Thanks all for your help in making my birthday celebration dinner a huge success.
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re: GretchenS
Thanks so much for reporting back. I really cannot imagine making a roast that cost 80 bucks for anything other than a very special occasion, but I just love that the CI recipe allows me to make a twenty dollar roast that gives us 2-3 (wonderful) meals and a bunch of sliced roast beef for sandwiches...try using some of the leftovers in a roast beef hash (don't forget the poached egg on top!)
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Oh Man !!!
I WISH I had seen this post earlier !!!
I recently bought Molly Stevens cookbook
All About Roasting
and made the Slow Roasted Top Round
with the Horseradish Cream Sauce....OMG OMG OMG !!!!
That made a roast so very heavenly !!!!
Amazing for a cheaper cut of meat.
The Horseradish cream sauce was divine, too.Several things that are totally important :
your KNIFE !!!!
The thinner the slices, the better.The use of thermometer ....
That meat CANNOT be over cooked, you will ruin it !!!!The SLOW OVEN
250 (225 if convection, according to recipe)I am looking forward to using more of the recipes in her book.
This one was a roaring success.....Edited to add: Looks like the technique is similar to Cook's Illustrated.
Anyway, can't go wrong there :-) -
I agree with your butcher on this. While a top round will never be as tender as a standing rib roast, it's a much more affordable cut, especially if you are feeding a crowd.
I use it often for roast beef. I like to use a paring knife to insert whole peeled cloves of garlic at least several hours before roasting, which gives it extra flavor. Before roasting, take it out of the refrigerator an hour or two to allow it to come to room temperature. Right before it goes in the oven I sprinkle it with kosher salt, pepper, and finely chopped fresh rosemary. I cook it in a convection oven at 325 until it reaches 115 degrees. (I like it rare, and the temperature continues to rise after it's out of the oven and resting on a cutting board.)
I usually cook smaller roasts, say about 2 pounds, and that takes less than an hour. A larger one would take longer, of course, as would cooking it in a regular oven.
There are always some drippings left in the pan, but not a lot. My husband likes gravy with his meat, so I usually deglaze the pan with a combination of red wine and beef stock, adding any juices the meat has thrown off while resting. (make sure the cutting board has a groove to collect them.) Off-heat, I swirl in some butter. Sometimes the sauce needs to be strained before serving.
Be sure to slice the meat very thinly.
Most of all, don't be put off by the naysayers. And let us know how it turned out.
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re: HBGigi
greygarious
Mar 16, 2012 07:37 PM
If you use bitchincook's method, don't be surprised when you get a gray ring of exterior meat. You'll get even pinkness throughout if you use the Serious Eats or CI method.
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re: greygarious
I have used the CI method a million times with good results. An eye of round roast is never going to be as tender as some other cuts, but I, for one, am willing to actually chew my meat in exchange for an affordable and very tasty roast beef. Sharpen that knife and slice it as thin as you can, it will be fine...I usually sear mine lightly beforehand just for that nice 'caramelized' exterior, then I let it cool off again for 20 minutes or so before I put it into the oven. As bitchincook says, you won't have a TON of drippings, but you will have some. If you need to trim your roast at all beforehand, you can render some fat off those trimmings for gravy...DO let us know what you think.
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I question your butcher's credibility and knowledge. While you certainly make a roast beef out of Top Round, it is hardly a substitute, or rather a good substitute. There's a lot of love on here for the Cook's Illustrated Eye Round Roast, personally, I find that a poor substitute as well unless you have a commercial slicer and want to make cold cut thin slices....I will say however, the method is good to obtain a medium rare piece of beef, i.e., low temperature slow roasted.
The cut of beef known as *The Poor Man's Prime Rib Roast* is Whole Top Butt Sirloin.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/579098
Two other cuts of beef that have lots of beefy taste and can be slow roasted tender....are Chuck Roast and Top Blade Roast. Top Blade Roast is the whole piece of beef they make Top Blade or Flat Iron Steaks out of. If you like to see some pictures of Chuck Roast or Seven Blade Roast with medium-rare results, have a look here.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/757268
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8147...
As wyogal indicates, there are many number of ways to achieve a temperature of medium-rare for beef. Higher heat will results in an outer gray ring on the roast and a pink center. With low temperature, the meat will have the outside brown crust, but a pink interior throughout. The preferred method to roast beef commercially is low and slow...as it naturally mimics the dry age process to break down the meat, thus making it more tender. It also provides minimal shrinkage and the highest yield.
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re: mcf
I'm not sure what two choices you are referring to. My experience with chuck roast, seven bone or blade roasts are only worthwhile if pot roasted! I'm getting the top round from a reliable butcher that hasn't steered me wrong in the last 30 years. He deals almost exclusively with prime beef. I think I'll go with low and slow. Any tips on seasoning or length of time for a 5-pound rolled and tied top round roast?
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re: HBGigi
s&p, garlic, rosemary.
time, I always look up approximate times in my trusty red and white checked cook book, then use a thermometer.
https://www.google.com/search?q=5+lb+... -
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re: HBGigi
Hi HBGigi,
I've used Kenji's method for Prime Ribs on other cuts very successfully. Perfect rare throughout and you can still get the crusty exterior. Here's a link to the Serious Eats article:http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/12/th...
It's basically a slow and low approach, but then you take it out to bring it down in temp. While it's cooling you crank the oven as high as it will go. Put the roast back in to achieve desired browning. It's actually a great article with a full breakdown of several methodologies and how he arrived at the best approach.
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greygarious
Mar 16, 2012 10:05 AM
There are MANY threads about roasting cheaper cuts. Search this board using the terms Cook's Illustrated slow roast eye round. I know you are using a different cut but it's the same method.
You have to use LOW heat for the oven time, whether you sear at the beginning or at the end.
Do not attempt this unless you have a meat thermometer, and an oven thermometer is a good idea as well. You will also need a good carving knife as this roast must be sliced very thinly. -
Roast it to an internal temp of your choosing. 125F-ish. You can start high, and turn down, start low, turn to high. But, after doing several roasts in different ways, if going for a medium rare, it's all about internal temperature. Lots of different ways of going about it, and each have their propnents claiming it's the "best."
