Tender Beef Top Round Roast [Versatile Recipe]

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This is a classic recipe for a juicy, tender beef top round roast. Cooking any beef roast in a cast iron skillet or oven-safe pan makes for a quick process and easy clean-up. And it's not a long ingredient list that leads to succulent slices. But a well-chosen piece of meat, ample seasoning, and two simple techniques.

Thin slices of tender beef top round roast folded and layered on a plate with beef jus.

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The Story
The Ingredients
The Techniques
The Steps
Chef's Tips
Storage & Reheating
Frequently Asked Questions
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Side Dishes for Roast Beef
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The Story

In pursuit of cleaning fewer dishes, I love to roast beef in a cast iron skillet. Especially when cooking for my clients, I brown the outside of the meat in the pan before roasting it. This technique is called pan-searing and gives the roast a slightly crispy crust that leads to those tender, juicy slices. It also gives the meat a jump start on cooking before it hits the oven (we chefs are notoriously impatient).

Beef top round roast in a cast iron skillet that is seared (browned) on the outside.

The Ingredients

This recipe and the techniques described work with any two-to-four-pound beef roast. A top round is one of my favorite cuts because it's on the leaner side and has a nice shape. But roast your favorite cut or what you can find.

Top round, bottom round, or eye of round beef roast. Most round roasts are between two-and-a-half and four pounds. And since they hail from the same part of the animal (the leg), they're interchangeable for this recipe. You'll need to adjust your cooking time based on the size of your roast.
Avocado oil. This is my favorite all-around cooking oil. But you can use what you have or what you like. Sunflower, safflower, and canola oil all work well at high temperatures.
Kosher salt. I season liberally with kosher salt because it's not as strong as table salt. If you use table salt, scale back a little.
Ground black pepper. For clients and at home, I freshly grind black pepper on cuts of meat after cooking. But at the risk of forgetting, you can certainly add it before browning the meat.
Beef broth or leftover red wine (optional). If you don't plan to make a sauce, you don't need any broth or wine. I recommend choosing an unsalted or low-sodium broth or stock. And when cooking with wine, just be sure it's one you enjoy drinking! I love pairing roast beef with Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah (Shiraz in Australia), or any red from the Bordeaux region of France.

The ingredients for a tender, classic beef round roast on a white countertop.

The Techniques

Seasoning. Ample seasoning is key to flavorful roast beef. Being shy with salt and pepper on a large piece of meat equals a bland bite. With large cuts of meat like a roast, you can't season the bulk of the meat on the inside. So liberally season the outside. Whether with salt, pepper, or your favorite spice mix, sprinkle or rub it on evenly, excessively, and everywhere (to quote Chef Michael Garnero, one of my favorite instructors at the Culinary Institute).
Pan-searing. This is a professional cooking technique that is just as easy in the home kitchen. To pan-sear, brown the outside quickly and deeply in a small amount of oil over high heat. You may see recipes that call for "oven-searing" which is first roasting at a higher temperature and then turning the heat down. I like oven-searing for roast chicken, but with beef, I find pan-searing best for creating a thin, slightly crispy crust. It also gives the roast beef slices beautiful color variation from the dark edges to the pink or red center.

The Steps

Preheat and prep. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Let the beef sit on the counter for about an hour to bring it to room temperature.
Season and truss. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper or your favorite spice rub. Wrap butcher's twine around the roast in three, evenly-spaced places and tie it off at the top (optional).
Brown the beef. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. I recommend one notch down from the highest heat on the dial. Once the oil shimmers add the beef to the pan. Sear the top two sides of the roast first for two to three minutes each until deeply browned. Adjust your heat as necessary. Then brown the two small ends (you may need to hold it up with tongs for these). Place the roast right-side up in the pan and immediately put it in the oven (the bottom will brown in the oven).
Finish in the oven. Roast it to your desired internal temperature. For a three-pound roast this will take about 30 minutes for rare (125° F when a probe thermometer is inserted horizontally into the thickest part of the roast). For an even smaller roast, begin checking after 20 minutes. For medium (140° F) cook the roast for about 40 minutes.
Rest and slice. Remove the roast from the oven, and rest it lightly tented with foil. If you plan to serve it warm, let the roast rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing. If your roast beef is for cold sandwiches and the like, you can cool it to room temperature, then chill it and slice it cold. Always slice against the grain, or perpendicular to the lines in the meat. Use a very sharp knife for thin, even slices. Tilt your knife at an angle to get the thinnest possible slices, or use an electric knife.

Drying off a beef top round roast withe a paper towel. — *pat the roast dry*

Using a pastry brush to brush cooking oil onto the beef top round roast. — *pat the roast dry*

Beef Jus (Pan Sauce)

Transfer the skillet to the stove. After removing the beef from the oven take it out of the skillet to rest. Then place the skillet on the stove over medium-high heat and add beef stock or red wine, or both.
Reduce to concentrate the flavors. Reduce the liquid by half, scraping the bottom of the skillet or pan with a wooden spoon to release drippings (the tasty bits).
Taste and season. Taste the beef jus and add salt to your liking. Finish with chopped fresh herbs, melt in a couple of tablespoons of butter, or whisk in a little heavy cream.

Pouring beef stock into the cast iron skillet used to roast beef top round.

Simmering beef broth and scraping the fond (bits) off of the bottom of the pan.

Chef's Tips

Brown the outside of the meat well. Don't be afraid to turn the heat up high on the stove to brown the meat before roasting. The oil should shimmer it's so hot (definitely turn on the stove exhaust fan). Lower temperatures won't brown the outside of the meat completely before the inside starts to cook. And for the juiciest slices, you want the inside of the roast to cook with the gentler, even heat of the oven.
Rest the finished roast. This is a standard best practice for any piece of meat. You'll always see juices escape when you cut into any cooked meat, but resting it after cooking prevents total moisture loss. For the most succulent slices, rest larger cuts on the counter for at least 20 to 30 minutes.
Scrape the pan for a flavorful beef jus. When the roast is done cooking and you take it out of the pan you'll see little brown bits in the bottom. These are deliciousness. And contain loads of umami and the seasonings you added to the meat before cooking it. So add a few cups of broth or stock to the pan. Then as it simmers scrape these bits up with a wooden spoon. The result is a classic, simple, downright flavorful sauce. A splash of cream or a finish of butter is especially indulgent for a special occasion.

Simple beef jus poured over sliced roast beef bottom round.

Storage & Reheating

Roast beef keeps well for a week or more in the refrigerator. Wrap it tightly to prevent moisture loss, or slice the entire roast and store the slices wrapped in parchment paper in an air-tight container. You can also freeze the whole roast, which makes it very easy to slice (let the chill come off a bit before slicing if you freeze it whole).

Reheat cooked roast beef slices covered with foil in a lower-heat oven, no hotter than 350° F, to prevent the meat from cooking further. Do the same with a whole roast, keeping it covered with foil to prevent it from drying out. Or you can gently warm slices covered with leftover beef jus in a pan on the stove.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do you cook a top round roast?

A standard three-pound top round roast needs around 30 minutes in a 375° F oven to become rare. But it's not time that matters when cooking meat, it's temperature. And every oven and cut of meat will cook slightly differently. If you prefer your roast rare, cook it until a thermometer reads 125° F. For medium or medium-well, cooking times can take up to 45 minutes or even more. Until you get to know your oven with a specific cut, check the internal temperature of the roast with a probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part.

How do I make a beef roast tender?

A top round roast and others cut from the leg of the animal are leaner and contain fibrous, tough connective tissue (namely collagen). So that means you either want to roast them quickly to a lesser doneness as described in this recipe. Or low and slow by either smoking or braising, as with short ribs.

So if you are roasting a round roast at higher temperatures, cook it quickly and aim for rare (125° F). Alternatively, you can cook a roast at a lower oven temperature, around 300° F until the meat is fork-tender and easily shredded. This is the style of most traditional pot roasts. For faster braising, you can cube the meat into two-inch pieces. Browning the pieces first in a hot pan with a little oil will add more flavor to your dish. Then you can braise the pieces in a little broth in your Instant Pot, slow cooker, traditional pot, or dutch oven over medium-low heat.

What pans are best for roasting beef?

While I am partial to my cast iron skillet for a quick roast, you can roast larger cuts like top rounds in a variety of pans. Any oven-safe pan, a sheet pan with a rack set inside, or a dutch oven are all great vessels for the high-heat cooking of roast beef. If you prefer your roast with a thin crust, choose a pan with low sides so the heat of the oven can circulate around as much of the roast as possible.

📖 Recipe

Beef Top Round Roast

5 from 1 review

Print Recipe

A simple and quick way to roast a beef top round or similar cut. Searing, or browning, the roast first in a cast iron skillet or oven-safe pan adds flavor and a lovely thin crust. And makes clean-up a breeze. Keep the seasoning simple with salt and pepper, or reach for your favorite spice mix. The beef jus is an effortless, two-ingredient pan sauce for when you're serving the beef right out of the oven.

Total Time: 1 hour (15 minutes active)
Yield: 1 Beef Roast 1x

Ingredients

Scale

1 2-to-4 pound beef top round roast, at room temperature
3 tablespoons of high-heat cooking oil or pastured lard or beef tallow
2 to 3 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
2 cups total of unsalted beef broth and/or red wine

Spice Ideas

2 teaspoons of ground coriander
2 teaspoons of onion powder
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
2 teaspoons of smoked paprika (pimentón)
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of ground fennel seed

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