Learn how to prepare and cook this melt-in-your-mouth bottom round roast recipe from start to finish. This affordable cut has a lot of potential as a family-friendly beef cut and holiday treat that tastes divine.
And the good news is, it's really a simple meat dish, it's foolproof if you follow the instructions, and there is no better way to prepare and cook a bottom round roast.
Contents
🌟 Why This Recipe Works
I love this recipe for a few key reasons:
- no additional resting, carve and serve
- meatier, beefier, and more succulent meat
- more consistent and easier to plan
- produces fantastic leftover roast beef
If you're a home cook, you're likely familiar with meat like cuts like chuck roast, rump roast, and pot roast. All equally delicious but with different textures, flavors, and price tags.
A boneless rib-eye costs around $15 per pound, whereas a bottom round roast may be purchased for about $5 per pound. This low-cost cut of beef is ideal for a family of 4 or 5 and makes fantastic dinner roasts.
Check out my cheap beef cuts guide to saving money on beef!
To clarify, this is not a slow cooker, instant pot, crockpot, or pot roast recipe. While these cooking methods produce equally delicious recipes. All three cooking methods steam the beef and result in a different texture, flavor and are never medium-rare. We want a perfectly cooked medium rare roast beef from edge to edge.
My secret for lean round roasts is cooking low and slow. This method is well known in BBQ, where meat is cooked for 24-72 hours at low temps, resulting in drool-worthy beef.
Today, you'll learn how to cook a perfect bottom round roast in your oven on low heat between 150 - 170°F (65 - 76°C) for approximately 3 - 6 hours.
🍽 Ingredients You'll Need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients for this fantastic bottom round roast recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
Ingredient Notes
Bottom round roast's come in various qualities and sizes. In the ingredients list above I'm using a 4 pound bottom round roast that cost $20. This is enough to feed a family of 4 with leftovers or family event up to 8 people.
If you haven't bought your roast yet, read best beef cuts for roast beef and buy a cut that works for you. Premium roasts for holidays and special occasions, mid-range roasts for the weekend, and inexpensive roasts for everyday meals.
Seasoning is important to enhance the roasts flavor. In this recipe I really love thyme, basil, and parsley and tie it all together with olive oil and fresh garlic.
Under 3 pounds
Preheat oven to 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees Celsius). Try my 2-pound eye of round roast recipe with chimichurri.
Over 3 pounds
Preheat oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit (76 degrees Celsius).
Note: Some ovens may not go this low. Use the lowest available setting and monitor the internal temp with your meat probe.
🔪 How to Make This Recipe
Learn how to prepare and cook a bottom round roast recipe from start to finish. I always aim for medium-rare and find it's the best way to preserve the beef's tenderness and flavor. Of course, if you prefer medium, medium-well, or well done, check my temperature guide below.
Preparation
Preparing bottom round beef is easy, but the steps are important. Prep time for this dish is about 15 minutes.
From store to Fridge
If you bought a roast on sale and want to eat it within three to five days, store it in the fridge.
If your roast is frozen, let it sit in the fridge overnight and unthaw naturally before cooking. Do not defrost a roast in your microwave!
If you have an extra day, seasoning the meat as mentioned below and refrigerate uncovered for another 24 hours. This will give the salt and seasoning time to brine the roast. And it's also going to give the meat's surface more time to dry out, which leads to better browning.
Cooking from the Fridge
Remove the unthawed roast from the fridge and place it next to your sink. Cut the packaging enough to allow the excess liquid to drain.
Transfer the meat to a large cutting board and let it sit for 10 minutes to remove the chill. For larger roasts, you can let it sit for up to 30 minutes.
Pat the meat's surface with a paper towel to absorb any residual moisture. This helps the seasoning stick to the roast and improves the browning process.
Seasoning the Roast
Ensure your meat is dry, and brush the entire surface of the meat with olive oil. If you do not have olive oil, you can use your oil of choice. I've even made this with grass-fed butter!
Combine all of the seasonings in a small bowl and distribute evenly on the roast.
Use your hands to ensure the seasoning really sticks to the red meat. You can even roll the meat to ensure the seasoning gets embedded into the roast. And feel free to substitute; sometimes, I'll use dried rosemary instead of thyme or both.
Another great option is overnight brine, marinade, or dry rub. Still, I'll cover both of these in more detail another day.
Let's move on to the cooking process now. We'll focus on cooking bottom round beef low and slow, but keep in mind that it may be prepared in various ways.
Cooking a Bottom Round Roast
The best part about cooking at low heat for a long period of time is that anyone can cook it. You do not need to be a professional chef to cook a flavorful, juicy, and perfectly cooked bottom round roast every time.
If you have an wireless or wired meat probe, insert it into the thickest part of the meat. If you do not have one, buy one. Even the most experienced chefs and cooks use a meat thermometer to monitor and check for doneness.
Place your bottom round beef in the center your roasting pan. If your roast has the fat cap, place the fattier side on top. Alternatively, use a roasting pan, dutch oven, or heavy-bottomed pan.
Put it in the oven and when your roast reaches an internal temperature of 125°F (52°C), it is med rare, and you can remove it from the oven. This is known as the pull temperature!
Let your roast rest
After that initial cook, you can let the beef rest at room temperature covered in foil for anywhere from 10 minutes up to 2 hours.
I typically use a foil tent and let it rest until I'm ready to reverse sear, carve, and serve. As soon as everything else is ready, I round up the family and settle in for dinner.
Reverse Sear
And a soon as you're ready to eat, you'll want to reverse sear your roast. Preheat your oven to as high as it'll possibly go, typically in a high heat range of 500-550°F (260-288°C).
The good news is that because of the long slow cook, the exterior of the roast will be pretty dry and is probably coated in a thin layer of rendered beef fat. Which is perfect for searing!
These are ideal conditions for fantastic browning. Once the oven is preheated, add the roast, and let it cook for 10 minutes or until it's nice and crisp and browned on the outside.
Carve and Serve
After the beef comes out of the oven, transfer roast onto the carving board. Yes, no additional resting is required because we already let the roast rest before the reverse sear. Fantastic right?
Sharpen your knife, and carve the roast against the grain. If you're unsure, look for the lines running in the same direction and cut against the lines, commonly known as against the grain.
I like to go about ½-inch thick per slice for dinner and slice any leftover roast beef as thinly as possible.
Check it out; almost all of the meat is perfectly med rare. This beef is so tasty that you don't even need a sauce.
But of course, if you want, a red wine au jus or horseradish cream sauce would be amazing.
Cooking Tips
For the perfect bottom round roast, you should cook with the fat side up. As the meat cooks, the fat melts and runs down the sides of the meat. This helps provide moisture and flavor, which are so important for these more affordable cuts of meat.
When cooking roasts, we want that gloriously browned exterior, the crust, but still moist inside. The rule of thumb for most roasts is to cook uncovered in a shallow pan. If your roast is on the smaller side, under 3 pounds, reduce the temperature to 150°F (66°C).
Learn how to save money on beef with my guide on cheap beef cuts. With rising nation beef prices, this is more important than ever.
Learn how to use a meat thermometer and why it's a life-changing experience. Cooking meat perfectly every time is easier than you think.
When preparing raw meat, safe handling is important! Check out this article on food safety to learn more.
You can try make gravy. However, I find bottom round roasts lack the fat content necessary to attempt gravy. Instead I save the left over beef broth in a container.
Optional
Grass-fed roast, only slightly more expensive, has improved marbling and deeper beef flavor. Potentially an excellent option for Sunday dinner or even a nice Christmas dinner. Not sure which roast to buy, check out my best beef cuts for roast beef for a complete list.
Fresh herbs are superior to dried herbs and smell fantastic. If you decide to use fresh, triple the measurements above. I love using herbs like rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, and garlic cloves to tie everything together. And the aromatics of fresh herbs are fantastic.
🥗 What to Serve With
For a fantastic main dish like this, I think creamy mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables, and a young, full-bodied red wine would be outstanding.
Wonderful Sauce
Since you've already made a juicy roast, why not take a few extra minutes to make a creamy horseradish sauce. All you need is ½ cup of sour cream, ⅛ cup of horseradish. ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Combine thoroughly and serve!
🐢 Slow Cooking
The best way to cook any cut of meat that tends to be on the tough side like bottom round roasts is low and slow. You can prepare it with a marinade ahead of time or a dry rub before cooking.
New to this cooking method? Learn how to cook low and slow and turn any round oven roast, rump roast, or meat into a fantastic family-loved meal.
🥘 Roasting Pans
I'll use my 12" cast iron skillet for smaller roasts in the 2 pound range, and for anything over 4 pounds, I use a large roasting pan with vrack. I prefer a vrack vs. flat rack as it holds the roast in place and find air circulates the roast better.
Otherwise, check out my guide to 7 alternative roasting pans. One of these will certainly work if your in a pinch.
Larger roasts should be elevated so the fat can drip freely into the roasting pan. This allows the hot air to circulate around the meat while cooking.
🌡️ Internal Temperature Guide
About halfway through, you should monitor your meat temps closely. When cooking low and slow at 170°F (77°C), plan for 2 hours per pound. At high altitudes (5,000 ft or higher), plan for 2.5 hours per pound.
The biggest mistake people make with bottom round roasts is not factoring in that beef continues to cook while it rests. Commonly referred to as carry over cooking.
Pull Temperatures
When you take the roast out of the oven!
- 120-125 °F (49-52° C) - Rare
- 125-130 °F (52-54° C) - Medium Rare
- 130-135 °F (54-57° C) - Medium
- 135-140 °F (57-60° C) - Medium Well
- 140 °F+ (60° C+) - Well Done
Remove when you reach your desired temperature and doneness.
Target Temperature
Add 10 °F to your final pull temperature to account for resting and reverse sear. For more detail read internal temp of beef: degree of doneness for images and temps explained.
Buy a meat thermometer! Preferably a wireless or cabled meat thermometer that can support dual meat probes. You can pick one of these up for under $30. There is absolutely no excuse for an overdone roast. Here are two great options:
- Wireless, 4 probes, 500ft range - check price
- Wired, 2 probes - check price
🙋 Recipe FAQ's And Expert Tips
What is Bottom Round Roast?
Bottom round roast is a cut of beef from the rear leg of a cow. The butt, if you will, or beef bottom. Butchers know this cut as the outside muscle of the upper leg and from the round primal.
The round primal cut of the rear hind legs consists of eye round, top round, and bottom round cut. The video below explains a bit of the bottom round, outside round, rump, and hind legs.
Should you bring your roast to room temperature?
No, you should not let your roast come to room temperature! Leaving a large roast to sit at room temperature for 4-8 hours is unsafe as surface bacteria double every 30 minutes. Instead allow your roast to rest for 10 - 30 minutes or enough time to remove the chill from the surface of your roast.
Should I reverse sear a roast?
Yes, reverse searing steaks and roasts thicker than 1.5-inches has several key benefits.
1. reduces overcooking
2. produces consistent results
3. less moisture is lost from start to finish
4. searing and browning is evenly distributed
5. rest, reverse sear, and serve
How long do you cook a roast?
It varies depending on the cooking method. The two most common methods are high-heat and low and slow. It is common to cook premium cuts with generous marbling at 350 °F for 25 minutes per pound. While lean cuts from the round primal are cooked low and slow at 170 °F for 2 hours per pound.
"Roasting slowly is where all the good stuff happens," says Jim Swenson, who has been executive chef at the National Press Club in Washington for 17 years.
🗃️ Related Recipes
Try one of these fantastic beef recipes for your next dinner meal.
🌟 Fantastic Leftover Recipes
There is nothing better than delicious leftover roast beef. I'm undoubtedly guilty of gobbling it up the next day. Only to hear someone in the kitchen cry, "Who at all the roast beef?"
My go-to roast beef sandwich recipe is thinly sliced leftover roast beef on a lightly toasted bun or bread. Topped with a layer of creamy horseradish sauce and caramelized onions.
Optionally a nice parmesan or brie cheese would be excellent. Whatever your decide, here are 25 proven leftover roast beef recipes that'll transfer your leftovers.
Love this dinner recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Try one of my quick, easy, and affordable dinner recipes for your next family meal! And if you have any questions, I'm here to help!
📋 Recipe
Ultimate "Bottom Round Roast" Recipe
Equipment
- Roasting Pan
- Large Cutting Board
- Carving knife or chef's knife
- Internal meat thermometer (see notes)
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds bottom round roast - or outside round, rump roast, eye of round
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme - or dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt - sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit (77 degrees Celsius).
- Remove the fully thawed roast from the fridge and remove it from the packaging.
- Place the bottom round roast on a cutting board and let it rest for 10 - 30 minutes.
- Brush the entire surface of the roast with olive oil or your choice of oil.
- Combine all of the seasonings in a small bowl.
- Rub the seasonings over the entire surface of the roast - top, bottom and all sides.
- Insert meat probe into the thickest part of the roast.
- Place the roast in the center of a roasting pan with the fat side up.
- Cook for 2 hours per pound until you reach your desired internal temperature. When the internal temperature reaches around 125-130 degrees Fahrenheit (you've hit medium rare).
- Remove the roast, tent with foil and rest for at least 10 minutes and up to 2 hours before you reverse sear.
Reverse Sear
- About 20 minutes before your ready to eat, preheat your oven to 500-550 degrees Fahrenheit.
- When your oven reaches the above temperature, remove the foil and place your roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Or when your roast is crisp and golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, slice and serve it medium-rare. You do not need to let the roast rest when reverse searing.
Notes
- 120-125° F (49-52° C) - Rare
- 125-130° F (52-54° C) - Medium Rare
- 130-135° F (54-57° C) - Medium
- 135-140° F (57-60° C) - Medium Well
- 140° F+ (60° C+) - Well Done
- no additional resting, carve and serve
- meatier, beefier, and more succulent meat
- more consistent and easier to plan
The Perfect Bottom Round Roast recipe originally published Feb. 2018. Updated with new content in May. 2021. No change to recipe, I wouldn’t dare! This has been one of the all time most popular recipes since I first published it!
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Carmen
I prepared this recipe exactly as written. It was wonderful! Next time I’ll season the meat and let it sit for a while for even more flavor. I served it with a drizzle of brown mushroom gravy.
Fabulous flavor and texture!
Thank you very much.
M.
Extraordinarily detailed notes make this simply one of the best recipes online! I'll share for others who prefer rare beef (eg. I order steaks "black and blue" and love tartar!) for this particular cut, I'd recommend going more "done" than you'd usually: I cooked to the advised internal temp for borderline rare/med-rare (52C/125.4F), which was very good but still quite raw-chewy (it's a tough cut)... so next time I intend to head a little deeper into med-rare temperature for further tenderization. Cooking to rare would have made for a wayyyy too chewy dinner IMHO.
Kimberly Grabinski
In my experience, cooking a bottom round roast well over a hundred times, medium-rare is the sweet spot for lean cuts of meat. I wouldn't recommend going past 130 degrees Fahrenheit before pulling the roast. Large roasts also radiate heat for about 10 minutes after being removed from the oven, adding about 5-10 degrees, known as carryover cooking.
The secret to cooking lean cuts
The weight of the roast is important. A 2 lb bottom round roast will take half the time as a 4 lb bottom round roast cooked to the same internal temperature. Unlike high-heat cooking, the added time cooking a larger roast produces a far more tender result. Whenever possible, opt for larger lean cuts, plus leftover roast beef is fantastic.
Low-heat cooking is the only way to cook a tender bottom round roast or any lean cut of meat. Anyone that recommends cooking a lean roast at 350 degrees has lost their marbles.
The longer you can cook a roast at a low temperature, the better the final result. And with a meat thermometer, this is super easy.
Laurie
Can this be adjusted for slow cooker?
730 Sage Street
No, Laurie, our bottom round roast is meant to have a nice brown bark on the outside (flavor), cooked to medium-rare throughout. If you'd like to go the slow cooker route I highly recommend my crockpot pot roast recipe as an alternative to this recipe.
Rick M
In all my years of farming I have never heard of feeding grass to butter (grass fed butter) 😉
Loved your horseradish sauce.
Tonight I overcooked this roast because of an hour and a half business phone call. We Ike rare/Med rare; it was done and edible. Key is keep the temp low! Lots of ways to do it, you have a good one!
I do a dry rub if I need to get it in the oven, your spice selections are really good. Rub them in and get it in!
Paula Augustyn
We loved your recipe, thank you! I've never been great at cooking any roast and most always used a crock pot. I followed your recipe exactly cooking with the olive oil and seasonings and baked in the over at 170 degrees. It was perfect and everyone loved the roast.
Christina
Can you add vegetables to the roast while cooking; potatoes, carrots, onions, celery?
730 Sage Street
Yes, if you have a rack to elevate the roast. You'll want adequate airflow around your bottom round roast for even cooking.
Kelly
Large family, my roast is 9 lbs.
do I really need 18 hours?
730 Sage Street
Kelly, it'll really depend on the shape of your roast. I've had some thicker bottom rounds and thin bottom rounds. Trust your meat thermometer, even if it comes out early, tent the roast until your ready to sear and serve.
Jason
I'm going to try this recipe out. I notice in the "Cooking Tips" section of this article you mention... "You can try make gravy. However, I find bottom round roasts lack the fat content necessary to attempt gravy. Instead I save the left over beef broth in a container." I'm not seeing beef broth in the actual recipe. Maybe I'm missing something. But, should broth be added to the roasting pan or no?
Kimberly Grabinski
Do not add broth to the roasting pan, you'll steam your roast!
As I said, it will be difficult to make gravy. You need FAT to make gravy and round cuts like the bottom round roast are lean. Save the small amount of juice and use it in another recipe. The flavor is perfect for enhancing stews, etc.
GM
Any benefit to “searing” in the oven at 500-550 versus searing on a cast skillet on the stove top?
Kimberly Grabinski
Both work, however the benefits are:
- no mess, no oil, no additional cleanup
- even consistent heat distribution (500-550F)
- no monitoring or flipping required
- less likely to overcook
Martha Mercuri
The roast had a wonderful flavor. I had to cook a little longer to get it to an internal temperature of 135 to make sure it was safe to eat. It looked great and turned out very tender. I put the rub on about 4 hours before I put it in the oven and the flavor really settled in.
Pam
Great recipe. I have never tried to cook a bottoms round roast before. Afraid it would turn out tough and dry. Also never tried low and slow. Well this recipe was great. Roast came out moist, delicious. I was amazed and especially proud because I got out of my comfort zone by cooking low and slow. Sure glad I tried it and will definitely do this gain.
Ann
I’ve tried many roast recipes for a bottom round roast & they all came out dry as a bone & tasteless.
Well, let me just say that this is the best roast recipe ever!!!! I followed the recipe to a T & it turned out medium rare, moist & absolutely delicious!
Paul
I tried this recipe, it comes out exactly as described!! My only choice next time will be to change to a different seasoning!
Kimberly Grabinski
Thanks Paul, glad to hear you've mastered this recipe! And absolutely, when you factor in brines, dry rubs, marinades and seasonings, you can make a bottom round roast that works for you.
Cathy
Wow!! This method turned my 4lb cheapie bottom round roast into a delicacy!! So glad to find this before cooking it for my family- got rave reviews!! The only thing I did different was left it on counter 4 hrs to get completely room temp. This shortened the expected cooking time by a couple hours. Thank you so much!
rich
Hi. I see conflicting information about internal temps. In a lot of recipes, the internal temp for medium is 145F. This recipe says 130-135F. I'm confused. Could you comment? Thanks-
730 Sage Street
For this cut of beef, I prefer to reverse sear. I take the bottom round roast out between 125-130 and let it rest, in your case 130-135 for medium.
About 20 min before serving I'll preheat my oven to max, around 500-550, remove the foil and pop the roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes (without the meat probe, not needed at this point). Once the roast is perfectly browned and has a nice crispy bark I'll take it out of the oven.
At this point, I have a perfectly cooked medium-rare roast that is ready to serve (no additional resting). And yours will be in the 140-145 range if you took it out at 130-135 as mentioned.
Barbara
This is the best recipe EVER. I’ve always end up doing a crockpot roast. My family of 9 gave this recipe an excellent rating. It was so delicious !!!
Tony Scalpelli
I see that the roast in your pictures is tied with string. Why is it tied? Did you tie it or buy it that way. I don’t see you mention tying in the recipe. The one I bought is not tied and I wouldn’t normally think to tie this cut of beef. Looking forward to trying this recipe. Thanks.
730 Sage Street
You can buy it with, or tie it yourself with kitchen twine or butchers twine. While it is not necessary, I find it gives my roast a uniform shape and ensures it cooks evenly.
Evelyn
Can I sprinkle onion soup mix on top of my beef roast? Does it make the roast tender
730 Sage Street
I'm sure you could season your roast this way. However, I can't see how it would make any roast more tender. Seasoning adds flavor, while the quality of meat and the cooking method contribute to the meats tenderness.
Betty R Bulfin
Can the roast be slow cooked the day before and seered the next day before we serve it?
730 Sage Street
No Betty, this is not recommended as the reverse sear is only for 10 minutes at high-heat and wouldn't be enough to rewarm the roast. If you have no other choice, you could try reverse sear, carve the roast, then place it back into the oven at low-temp until you reach a nice serving temperature.
Jim
Mmmmmmm! Excellent recipe for bottom round. Low and slow is the key along with a thermometer for tenderness. Delicious flavor from simple ingredients.