Top Round Roast
Best Top Round Roast Recipe – This delicious (and economical) beef dish is ideal to serve for family dinners and gatherings. Sometimes known as London broil, we coat the roast with a simple combo of flavorful spices before cooking low and slow to tender, melt-in-your-mouth perfection.
What is Top Round Roast?
Top round roast is a lean tough cut of beef that comes from the cow’s rear leg. It is also sometimes sold as London Broil at supermarkets. However, London Broil, is not an actual section of beef but a method of cutting the beef. London Broil does come from top round roast, but it’s not a whole roast.
Although a whole top round roast can look similar to a beef tenderloin, these two cuts of meat are very different. Both are flavor-packed cuts of beef, however tenderloin, as it suggest, is extremely soft and tender… And expensive! Whereas top round roast is a much leaner and more budget-friendly cut. Therefore it is quite tough and must be sliced thin to enjoy.
The best top round roast recipe includes simple unfussy steps: Season it well, cook it low to a perfect medium-rare, and slice it very thin.
Pro Tip: Make sure to use a serrated knife when cutting the beef to get the slices as thin as possible, against the grain. When cooked well and sliced thin, top round roast is a lovely beef option when you’re trying to pinch pennies.
Recipe Ingredients
- Beef top round roast – whole, sometimes known as London broil roast
- Olive oil – to coat the meat before seasoning
- Whole peppercorn – freshly crushed black pepper for the most flavor
- Kosher salt – a course salt that crusts the meat
- Other spices – ground mustard, dried thyme, and garlic powder
How to Make the Best Top Round Roast Recipe
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Set out a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Place the top round roast on the baking sheet. Drizzle oil over the top and rub the roast completely on all sides to coat.
Place the peppercorns in a zip freezer bag. Use a meat mallet to gently hammer them, crushing into coarse pieces.
In a small bowl, combine the crushed peppercorns, kosher salt, ground mustard, dried thyme, and garlic powder. Mix well.
Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the top round roast, turning to coat on all sides
Get the Complete (Printable) Top Round Roast Recipe + Video Below. Enjoy!
Once the oven is hot, roast the beef for 15 minutes to create a bark. Then lower the oven temperature to 300°F.
Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast. Place the roast back in the oven for approximately 50 to 60 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 130°F.
Pro Tip: The top round should be between 130-135°F for medium-rare. But the temperature will rise a few degrees even after you take it out of the oven, so we like to pull it at exactly 130. For medium, roast until it reaches 135-140°F.
Allow the top meat to rest on the baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes.
Then use a serrated knife to slice the roast very thin, against the grain. The thinner the pieces, the less tough the roast will seem.
Serving Suggestions
The slices can be served as a main dish with all sorts of comfort food sides or fancy side dishes. Or the thin slices can be used on roast beef sandwiches and salads. We love our classic steak salad and this version with A1 vinaigrette.
For dinners, there’s no better pairing than meat and potatoes! Thick slices of top round roast are delicious with roasted potatoes, without or with carrots. Our *basically famous* mashed potatoes are great to make in a big batch for feeding a crowd. Or try classic (microwave) baked potatoes for smaller dinner gatherings.
I like to let the beef really shine and serve alongside simple but satisfying vegetables. Try any one of my favorite veggies that are easy to make on the stovetop, like sauteed mushrooms or steamed broccoli.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, top round is a thick cut of meat that is most tender after cooking for at least an hour. Roasting in the oven low and slow helps the fat melt and softens the muscle fibers.
There is no need to sear the beef on the stovetop in this easy top round roast recipe. The meat is coated in oil and briefly oven-roasted at a higher temperature. This process mimics a stovetop sear for the crust, but is much more convenient!
Leftover roast beef are delicious! Cool the top round completely before transferring to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To keep the medium-rare color, reheat the roast in the oven at 300°F for 5-10 minutes.
We kept the spice mix simple. Yet to mix things up, try mixing is smoked paprika, oregano, ground cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, fresh rosemary, and/or fresh thyme.
Looking for More Crowd-Pleasing Dishes? Be Sure to Try:
- Beef Pot Roast Recipe
- Standing Rib Roast (Prime Rib)
- Crock Pot Chuck Roast
- Retro Crock Pot Roast Beef
- Smoked Prime Rib Au Jus
Top Round Roast Recipe + Video
Ingredients
- 4 – 4 ½ pounds beef top round roast whole London broil roast
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons whole peppercorn crushed
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 TB sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Set out a large rimmed baking sheet. Place the top round roast on the baking sheet. Drizzle oil over the top and rub the roast completely on all sides to coat.
- Place the peppercorns in a zip bag. Use a meat mallet to gently hammer them to crush into coarse pieces.
- In a small bowl, combine the crushed peppercorns, kosher salt, ground mustard, dried thyme, and garlic powder. Mix well.
- Sprinkle the seasoning mix over the top round roast, turning to coat on all sides.
- Once the oven is hot, roast the top round for 15 minutes to create a bark. Then lower the oven temperature to 300°F.
- Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast. Place the roast back in the oven for approximately 50 to 60 minutes, until it reaches 130°F. *The top round should be between 130-135°F for medium-rare. But the temperature will rise a few degrees even after you take it out of the oven, so we like to pull it at exactly 130. For medium, roast until it reaches 135-140°F.
- Allow the top round roast to rest on the baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes. Then use a serrated knife to slice the roast very thin, against the grain. The thinner or the pieces, the less tough the roast will seem.
This is sooooooo good! My family was addicted to this top round roast! Keeping this recipe!
You give the best tips!! This came out absolutely perfect, I was so nervouse because I never made it before. Thank you!
Mmmmm!!! This is one of our favorite Sunday meals!! We love it with some potatoes! It’s so tender & juicy & so yummy!! It’s my kids’ favorite!