How to Cook a Top Round Roast | Roast Top Side

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What to know how to cook a top round roast to perfection? Read on…

As much as I love to cook a top quality beef rib roast, let’s face it… They aren’t cheap. You can, however get amazing results with cheaper cuts like top round (topside). Here you will learn how to cook a top round roast that will be so good, you won’t want your meal to end.

Top round roast or topside in the UK is a budget friendly cut that is versatile and amazingly delicious. Try it with my Asian chimichurri sauce. You’ll be glad you did.

What cut is top round (topside)?

Top round roast is a cut of beef that comes from the hindquarters of the cow. It is a relatively lean and flavourful cut, but it can be tough if not cooked properly. No worries there as I will explain exactly how to cook a top round roast to perfection in this recipe post.

You do need to keep an eye on the roast as it cooks. As there is very little marbling in top round, this roast is best suited for moist cooking or slow roasting which breaks down the muscle fibres and tenderizes the meat. In this recipe, I roast the top round on my traeger. You could cook your top round roast in your oven at the same temperatures.

I do have a couple of pot roast recipes on the way that would be perfect for this cut of meat.

How do you get the best results when roasting?

As with any large cut of meat, it is a good idea to rub salt into the exterior one or two days before cooking. You can also add spices and herbs for additional flavour.

You will need a meat thermometer so that you don’t overcook the roast. Even if you aren’t a big fan of rare or medium rare meat, you need to cook it to medium rare at the very most. Overcooked top round is a bit like leather.

To do this, cook the top round until you have an internal temperature of 45C/113F  for rare or 50C/122F  for medium rare.

What temperature should you cook the top round at?

I recommend preheating your oven to 220C/450F and then roasting the meat at that temperature for the first 15 to 20 minutes. 

Then reduce the cooking temperature to 180C/350°F and allow to cook until the meat reaches your desired internal temperature for rare or medium rare. 

The amount of time it takes to reach that internal temperature will depend on the size of your top round. A 2kg/4lbs roast will need about 45 more minutes in the oven.

You will need to add approximately 15 minutes for each additional  pound (450g )but please don’t go on time alone! Use a meat thermometer so you don’t over cook it.

Can you cook the beef at a lower temperature?

One you get a nice crust on the beef cooking at the high temperature, you can reduce the heat much lower than 180C/350F.

In fact, it you cook the meat at a lower temperature, it will be even juicier when cooked. Most people want to get the cooking done and start enjoying their meal, so a cooking temperature of 180C/350F will get that done the quickest.

If time allows, however you can take the heat right down. I had quite a lot of time when I cooked this roast so I cooked it at 120C/248F.

This will increase the cooking time by quite a lot so only do this if you’ve got the time to do so. This is obviously good to know if you want to get cooking and get on with other things when you are not serving until much later. 

Why do you need to salt the meat one to two days ahead of cooking?

If you are like me, you might wonder why you would want to salt the meat one to two days before roasting. Doesn’t that dry the meat out?

The first time I did it, I was blown away by how much juicier the meat was. 

Without getting too much into the science of it, when you salt the meat, you will notice after about an hour that the surface becomes moister as the salt extracts the moisture from the meat.

Notice the moisture on the meat about an hour after salting it.

What happens next is magic. All that moisture sinks right back into the meat, making it tastier and juicier. It also distributes some of the salty flavour into the meat.

The salt does dry out the exterior a as it rests in the fridge, but that helps achieve a nicer charred exterior that is to die for.

After resting, uncovered in the fridge for 24 hours, the exterior of the meat is dry and the moisture has gone back into the meat.

How much salt do you need to add to the meat?

When cooking in the US, I use about 1 tsp coarse kosher salt per pound (450g) of meat. Kosher salt has no additives or iodine which can add a bitter flavour. In the UK, I use about 1 1/4 tsp of Maldon flaky salt per pound (450g) of meat. Maldon also does not contain additives and has a similar flavour to kosher salt crystals.

I’m afraid I have not tried any other salts for the salting process but you should be able to use any pure salt. Just remember that some salts are much saltier in flavour so you might need to experiment. 

Are there variations of this recipe?

This top round recipe is so versatile. In addition to the salt, you can add dried herbs (don’t add fresh herbs or they will burn), spices like paprika, dried garlic, black pepper or even a good steak rub.

All that flavour will sink deep into the meat as it sits in the fridge.

How do you slice a top round roast?

This is not a well marbled cut like a rib roast. As rib roast beef has a lot of fatty marbling, you can slice it into thick slabs and it will still be tender and juicy.

When you slice top round, it is important to slice it into thin slices against the grain.

When you look at the meat, you will see long lines of fibres running through it. Ensure you are slice across those fibres and not with them or your meat will be chewy and tough.

How long can you store the leftovers in your fridge?

You can store the leftovers, covered tightly with clingfilm (plastic wrap) for about 3 days. The leftovers are amazing added to sandwiches, curries, stews and whatever else sounds good.

Can you freeze the leftovers?

Yes and the cooked top round freezes really well up to 3 months.

Defrost in your fridge and then use as you like. I do not recommend microwaving the meat, however as it will become tough.

If you want to serve the leftovers hot, try adding them to a stew or curry and continue cooking until tender.

Here are a few nice curries and stews that would suit your top round leftovers very well.

Moroccan beef tagine
Mongolian Beef
Shaking Beef
Lamb (beef) achari
Aloo gosht
Japanese beef curry

If you like curry houses style curries, the beef could be added to any of these popular sauces.

Tikka Masala Sauce
Chasni Sauce
Madras Sauce
Vindaloo Sauce
Chilli Garlic Sauce
Dhansak Sauce
Bhuna Sauce
Phaal Sauce

Step by step photos on how to cook a top round roast.

Measure the salt needed for the size of top round you have. I added an equal amount of black pepper but you could also add other herbs and spices at this stage.

Rub the salt and whatever else you are adding to the meat all over the meat.

Place the meat on a bbq rack or in a roasting pan in your oven and cook for about 20 minutes at the high temperature before reducing the cooking temperature.

Once the meat reaches your desired internal temperature (see above) transfer it to a cutting board and cover with foil to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

Do you have to let the meat rest after cooking?

Yes! Don’t just take it out of your oven and start slicing. By resting the meat, the fibres relax after being in the oven. 

You will find that you meat is much more tender and juicier if you allow it to rest, covered loosely with foil for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing.

After letting the meat rest, slice the meat against the grain into this slices.

Have you tried this roast top round (top side) recipe?

If yes, please give it a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love receiving your feedback and I’m sure other readers of my blog do too. Thank you.

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