Easy Recipe for Top Round Roast Beef

Enjoy this recipe for top round roast beef. Top round is an inexpensive cut of beef, making this a simple and affordable meal for your family. Our two-pound roast came from Walden Local Meats. Although the roast is on the small side, it can easily be multiplied to feed a larger holiday gathering.

It's hard to imagine a typical family gathering without roast beef. This smell reminds me of Sundays at my grandmother's house, where there was always a huge roast, more than enough to feed all of our cousins and aunts and uncles who happened to showe dup that day.

When you only have a few people to cook for, a smaller roast can be the perfect solution. Therefore, here is our recipe for a 2 pound beef from the top round Our family of three enjoys a roast of this size on a regular basis from our Walden Local Meat share because we can choose the exact number of servings we need.

We have done the legwork for you and provided our tested cooking times and procedures for the smaller roast, but if you have a larger top round roast, you can easily increase the time and temperature accordingly.

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Where can I find a definition for top round roast?

A beef cow's upper thigh in the back is where the top round roast comes from. This recipe's slow cooking method is perfect for the lean cut we're using.

It's traditional to use top round for roast beef. As a matter of fact, it is typically what is used for deli-sliced roast beef.

Walden burger patties made from grass-fed beef

We've been members of Walden Local Meat for a while now, so we get grass-fed beef and other locally raised meats delivered to our door. Different share sizes are available to meet your specific investment goals. Three of us end up with the tiny, 2-pound often, which has given us plenty of practice with today's recipe, roasts

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with two members of the Walden team about cooking local turkey and other aspects of the business on a podcast called Cook Local. If you want to find out more about Walden, you should watch that episode.

Through our Walden membership, we are able to support local farms and reduce the environmental impact of our diet.

On top of that, I've read that grass-fed beef has some positive health effects (for example, this Mayo Clinic article). Grass-fed beef has much less fat and fewer calories per serving than grain-fed beef. It also has more omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids than the average diet. These healthy fats help lower the danger of cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders. The antioxidant levels in grass-fed beef are higher, making it more effective against cell damage.

Cooking a small roast of grass-fed beef from Walden or a similar farm in your area is a breeze with this top round roast beef recipe. However, you can use this recipe with any top round beef you have on hand. Remember that grass-fed beef typically finishes cooking in a shorter amount of time.

Advice and summary on preparing a dish

This is a brief summary of our simple top round roast recipe; for the full details, scroll down to the recipe card.

It's best to cook beef at a temperature closer to room temperature, so remove it from the fridge about 30 minutes before you plan to start. Obviously, thawing the beef is a prerequisite if you're working with a frozen roast.

Creating a Top Round Roast Beef Spice Rub

For the rub, mix together the garlic, salt, and thyme in a tablespoon each.

Spread the beef out on a counter and sprinkle it all over with the spice mixture. Apply it to the meat and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

Make sure your oven is preheated to 450 degrees.

Meat should be roasted on a rack in a pan. Cook the beef at 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make sure the meat is roasted for 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Lower the heat to 325 degrees. If you're cooking a two-pound roast at a lower temperature, check it after about 35 minutes (50 minutes total).

When the internal temperature reaches the desired level, let the meat rest for ten minutes. Prepare by slicing thinly and serving

Preparing the Roast Beef for Service

Roasted top round beef with roasted beets and butternut squash.

Top round roast beef is delicious when cooked to a medium rare and served with some of the pan juices and/or the accumulated juices from the platter. See below for some additional serving suggestions.

Beef roast with a basic sauce

Roast beef with a basic pan sauce is a common dinner option. If you're interested in giving this a shot, all you have to do is melt some butter in a saucepan and sauté a shallot or a small onion right before the end of the roasting time. When the roast is done, transfer the juices to a sauce pan and add a small amount of red wine, maybe a quarter cup. While the meat is resting, bring to a simmer, add another tablespoon of butter, and reduce the sauce. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl and pass it around the table.

Use horseradish cream as a condiment.

A simple horseradish cream complements our wildly popular spoon roast recipe. One cup of heavy cream, two tablespoons of horseradish, and half a teaspoon of mustard are all you need to whip up that no-cook sauce. For further information, please consult the spoon roast recipe.

Beef roast with gravy

Gravy, of course, is a common accompaniment to roast beef. I rarely make gravy and instead prefer the other pan sauces I described. If you'd like gravy to go with your top round roast, consider these two options:

Recently, I made a top round roast and served it with baked potatoes and my recipe for roasted beets and butternut squash.

Pairing beef with potatoes and Swiss chard.

Other delicious complements to this roast beef are:

We have compiled over 40 recipes to go along with roast beef if you need some inspiration.

Combining Wine with Food

In a recent article, we discussed what foods go well with Cabernet Sauvignon. A good Cabernet could complement this roast beef dish, but we chose a different route.

We recommend the 2020 Maxime Magnon La Démarrante ($32), a Carignan-based red blend with Syrah and Grenache. It pairs well with the Top Round Roast Beef. Languedoc's Corbières Area of Origin Controlled (AOC) is where this wine hails from. This wine was a free gift from an autumn webinar about the Languedoc region that we recently participated in.

La Démarrante, like all Maxime Magnon wines, is crafted from organic grapes harvested from ancient vines located in extremely steep vineyards. The classic garrigue notes in this wine create a dense aroma that is reminiscent of brush and brambles. Tastes like black cherry fruit, tar, and currant. This wine has a ton of depth and flavor.

For the top round roast, I highly recommend this Maxime Magnon La Démarrante. Moreover, I think this wine would go wonderfully with our Chanterelle mushroom beef stew.

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