A Bottom Round Roast is the perfect way to enjoy a delicious roast beef dinner without breaking the bank. This recipe turns this economical piece of meat into a tender holiday roast you will love as much as my tender Top Round Roast and Smoked Prime Rib.
Whether it is a Sunday dinner, a special occasion, or just roast beef sandwiches, a bottom-round roast beef can be a great option if you know how to prepare it. This recipe makes the perfect medium-rare roast beef!
For all my Buffalo, NY family and friends, this recipe makes excellent Beef on Weck sandwiches!
Table of contents
What You Should Know About Bottom-Round Roasts
The bottom round is a hardworking muscle cut from the hind quarter of the cow. So, although it is delicious, it is also a very lean, tough cut of meat. Because of this, It will require proper cooking and slicing techniques to achieve optimal tenderness.
There are a few ways that you can cook the bottom round (aka rump roast) so that it is tender and juicy. Low and slow is the most effective cooking method because it breaks down the connective tissue in the muscle.
One way to do this is braising it in a slow cooker or Dutch oven (think of a pot roast or stew) until the meat is fork tender. Another is, slow roasting it in the oven at a low temperature. Either way, the cooking process is simple but long, so you will need some patience.
Because it is so lean the bottom round will dry out if cooked beyond 145 degrees F. I highly recommend using an instant-read thermometer or a digital meat thermometer to ensure you cook the roast to the proper temperature.
Why this Roast Recipe Works
- It is a very economical cut of beef and easy to find in the grocery store or the local butcher.
- This cut of beef has very little fat so if that is a concern for you this is a good option.
- Low and slow cooking and thinly cutting the roast, results in a juicy, tender piece of meat.
- The high-temperature reverse sear creates a beautiful crust while the inside stays perfectly pink.
Ingredients you need
- Bottom Round Roast (Rump Roast): 3 to 5 lb roast. You can also substitute a top-round or a sirloin roast.
- Mustard: I use standard yellow mustard in this recipe, nothing fancy. It adds a little tangy flavor to the beef. Trust me you will love this.
- Soy sauce: Not only does this add saltiness but you get a bit of smokiness that really lets the beef shine.
- Garlic: Chopped finely or minced.
- Rosemary: Use fresh rosemary and chop it finely. You can also add any other fresh herbs you like.
- Olive oil: Use regular olive oil. There is no need to use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe.
- Black Pepper and Kosher Salt
Step by Step Instructions for a Perfect Bottom Round Roast
- Prepare the Meat: Make the wet rub. Pat the meat dry with paper towels, make 1/4″ slices through the fat cap on the meat, and slather the wet rub all over the roast. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours.
- Roast the meat: Preheat the oven to 170 degrees F. Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let the roast sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Place the meat fat side up on a rack set in a roasting pan, and insert the thermometer probe in the center of the thickest part of the meat. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 125-130 degrees F. This will take about 1 – 2 hours per pound, but don’t go by cooking time, use the meat thermometer to determine the doneness of the meat. If you don’t have a probe thermometer, you should start checking the meat temperature after 3 hours. Every oven is different, mine averages about 1 hour per pound.
- Reverse Sear: Remove the meat from the oven, tent it with foil, and let the roast rest for 20 minutes. Set the oven to 450 degrees, return the roast to the oven, uncovered, for about 10 minutes to sear the outside.
- Slice and Serve: Cut the roast into thin slices across the grain and serve.
Cooking Tips
- Look for a piece of beef that still has the fat cap on it. Some people will want to trim it off, but I prefer to leave it on. Leaving the fat cap on will help to moisten this lean cut of meat.
- Let the meat sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before placing the roast in the preheated oven. This will allow the entire roast to cook evenly once it goes into the oven. If the meat goes directly from the fridge to the oven the outside of the roast will cook before the center.
- I highly recommend investing in a meat thermometer with a probe. This makes cooking your meat to a precise temperature a cinch!
- For best results, do not cook a bottom-round beef roast beyond 145 degrees F. The beef will be dry and tough.
- Don’t skip the resting period after the meat has reached your desired internal temperature. This allows the roast to get to its final cooked temperature. Once it reaches this temperature you can go ahead and do the reverse sear without worrying that it will overcook.
Meat Cooking Temperature Chart
Here is a beef temperature chart from The Spruce Eats to help you cook to the desired doneness.
| Meat | Temperatures |
| Rare | 120 F – 125 F (48.9 C to 51.6 C) |
| Medium-rare | 130 F – 135 F (54.4 C to 57.2 C) |
| Medium | 140 F – 145 F (60 C to 62.8 C) |
| Medium-well | 150 F – 155 F (65.5 C to 68.3 C) |
| Well done | 160 F (71.1 C) and above |
Storing and Reheating Bottom Round Roast Beef
Leftover roast beef can be placed in an airtight container and stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The best way to reheat the roast is in the oven set to a low temperature (around 250 degrees F) covered with aluminum foil just until it is heated through. You can also use the microwave set to medium heat and watch it carefully. You may want to add a little beef broth to your pan to keep the meat moist while it reheats.
The great thing about top-round and bottom-round roast beef recipes is that they are just as good cold as they are warm. After all, this is how the roast beef deli meat is made.
How to Serve this Easy Roast Beef Recipe
Roast beef makes a wonderful family dinner. One of the things I love about making a roast is that it is easy to prepare and I know the whole family will love it. In the summer it is delicious served with Grilled Eggplant or Italian Green Bean and Potato Salad. In the winter, I like to serve it with Butternut Squash Risotto or Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
For a casual meal, slice the meat as thin as possible and make roast beef sandwiches with a side of Homemade Steak Fries. So yummy!
FAQ’s
You may hear bottom round referred to as rump roast, bottom round oven roast, or outside round.
Top round roast is also known as London broil. The top round, eye of round roast, and bottom round all come from the hindquarter of the cow. The top round has the most marbling, making it the most tender of the round cuts, with the bottom round coming in second. For more information about the different cuts of beef check out Certified Angus Beef.
The bottom round is a lean cut of beef with little marbling from a muscle that is worked hard. This means the meat will need to be cooked very slowly at very low temperatures to break down and melt the connective tissues in the roast. If you cook it at higher temperatures to speed up the process, you will have a tough piece of beef. You also need to cut very thin slices across the grain to further cut through the connective tissues. For maximum tenderness cut the meat as thin as possible.
The simple answer is yes but only to a point. This lean cut of beef needs a long cooking time for the connective tissues to break down. But you don’t want to let it go beyond an internal temperature of 145 degrees F because it will dry out and you will not be able to chew it. If you are oven-roasting this meat then it needs to be served between medium rare to medium.
If you want to braise the meat in liquid such as in a Dutch oven or a slow cooker, then you can cook it until it reaches an internal temperature above 200 degrees F. This will make it shreddable so you can use it in sliders, or tacos.
The bottom-round and chuck roasts come from different areas of the cow. The bottom round comes from the hind quarter while the chuck roast comes from the shoulder area. Both are tough pieces of meat but a chuck roast has more fat and tough connective tissue. Both are good options for braising and slow cooking, but the bottom roast is the better option for oven roasting low and slow because it has fewer connective tissues and collagen that need to be broken down.
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Tender Bottom Round Roast
Ingredients
- 3 lb Bottom Round Roast
- 2 tbs Yellow Mustard
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Garlic minced
- 1 tsp Rosemary fresh, chopped
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper ground
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
- Stir the mustard, soy sauce, garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a small bowl and set aside.
- Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, make 1/4" slices through the fat cap on the meat, and brush the wet rub all over the roast. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees F. Remove the meat from the refrigerator and let the roast sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Place the meat fat side up on a rack set in a roasting pan, and insert the thermometer probe in the center of the thickest part of the meat. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 125-130 degrees F.This will take about 1 – 2 hours per pound, but don't go by cooking time, use the meat thermometer to determine the doneness of the meat.
- Remove the meat from the oven, tent it with foil, and let the roast rest for 20 minutes. Set the oven to 450 degrees, return the roast to the oven, uncovered, for 10 minutes just to sear the outside.
- Cut the roast into thin slices across the grain and serve.
Notes
Cooking Tips
Cooking Tips- Look for a piece of beef that still has the fat cap on it. Some people will want to trim it off, but I prefer to leave it on. The bottom round is a very lean cut of beef that has little marbling, so leaving the fat cap on helps to keep the meat moist.
- Let the meat sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before placing the roast in the preheated oven. This will allow the entire roast to cook evenly once it goes into the oven. If the meat goes right from the fridge to the oven the outside of the roast will cook before the center.
- I highly recommend investing in a meat thermometer with a probe. This makes cooking your meat to a precise temperature a cinch!
- For best results, do not cook a bottom-round beef roast beyond 145 degrees F. The beef will be dry a tough.
- Don’t skip the resting period after the meat has reached your desired internal temperature. This allows the roast to get to its final cooked temperature. Once it reaches this temperature you can go ahead and do the reverse sear without worrying that it will overcook.
The low and slow cooking makes this tender and the seasoning is delicious.