This beef bottom round roast recipe couldn't be simpler to prepare! Although a leaner cut, bottom round or rump roast can still be flavorful, juicy, and tender if cooked properly. Serve with parmesan roasted rainbow carrots and crispy air fried potato wedges.
Bottom round roast is usually cooked low and slow because it's a lean cut of beef with very little marbling. Sure, it's great when prepared in a slow cooker or if you braise it in a dutch oven, but I'm here to tell you that you can also cook bottom round roast in the oven, using high heat and still have incredible results, but the key is not to overcook it.
I used to love my meats well done, but over the years I've started to prefer medium and sometimes even medium rare, gasp! When you prepare this recipe, you'll want to pull the roast out of the oven when it reaches around 125 degrees, and if you like your meat rare, then you might want to take it out even sooner.
Since this roast will be cooked between 400 and 500 degrees F, there will be a lot of carry-over cooking while it's resting. This means the temperature can go up anywhere from 5 to 10 degrees as it rests. If you were to tent it with foil, which I don't recommend for this recipe, the internal temperature would climb even higher!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This is a great recipe for when you want a simple and delicious dinner that doesn't take a lot of effort or cooking time. It takes less than an hour to cook!
- Bottom round roast is a leaner cut of meat so if you are watching your fat intake, this lean roast is a great choice!
- Bottom round is much more affordable than other cuts of beef like tri tip or prime rib.
- Leftovers make great sandwiches! You can even chop up the meat and add it to this easy fried rice or substitute the meat in these yummy carne asada quesadillas!
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Bottom Round Roast: Choose a 3.5 to 4 lb bottom round roast with a good fat cap, if possible.
- Garlic Cloves: Four fresh garlic cloves, no substitutions.
- Avocado Oil: I chose avocado oil because it has a high smoke point and the roast will be seared at a high temperature. Olive oil or butter may be substituted.
- Santa Maria Rub: I recommend using my Santa Maria seasoning for the best flavor, but if you prefer to use a different seasoning, that's ok too. You can also use my steak seasoning recipe or a combination of kosher salt, black pepper, and dry or fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme.
🥩 How to Cook A Bottom Round Roast
Step 1: Pat roast with paper towels to dry, then tie with kitchen twine, if needed to keep its shape.
Step 2: Make slits all over the roast with a sharp filleting knife and stuff with slivered garlic. Next, prepare the Santa Maria rub, if using.
Step 3: Rub roast with avocado oil, then season with 2 tablespoons of Santa Maria rub. Place in the fridge for two hours, uncovered. Remove from fridge about an hour before cooking to bring to room temperature.
Pro Tip: If you have a hot kitchen, it may require less time to come to room temperature.
Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 500℉
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Step 4: Place roast on a rack over a roasting pan or cast iron skillet, fat cap up. Insert an oven probe or a meat thermometer into the thickest part and place the pan on the middle rack. Cook for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Reduce oven temperature to 400℉, then continue to cook roast until the internal temperature reaches 120℉ for rare. Cook longer if you like your meat more well done, see chart below. Rest roast for 10-15 minutes and keep an eye on the internal temperature because it will continue to rise as it rests. Slice and serve.
Pro Tip: Once out of the oven, I replaced the oven probe with a meat thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature as it rested. Without being tented with foil, the internal temperature climbed by 10 degrees as it rested!
Top-Round Cooking Times
| Internal Temperature | Desired Doneness |
|---|---|
| 115℉-125℉ | Rare |
| 125℉-135℉ | Medium Rare |
| 135℉-145℉ | Medium |
| 145℉-155℉ | Medium Well |
| 155℉-165℉ | Well |
🥕 Serving Suggestions
Serve this bottom round roast recipe with broccoli crunch salad, lemon dill rice, or some crispy smashed potatoes. Another great option would be a roasted beetroot salad.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Does a bottom round roast get more tender the longer you cook it?
Yes and no, although you can cook bottom round roast at a low temperature for an extended time so that it's tender, it can dry out if cooked too long. Another option is to cook it at a high temperature for a shorter time and remove it from the oven while still rare-medium rare. This will result in a tender roast with less cooking time required.
Simple seasonings like kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder are a great starting point. Including a few dried or fresh herbs, for example, thyme, rosemary, or oregano, can only enhance the flavor.
Bottom round roast can be roasted in the oven or braised to make chile colorado and other stews. It can also be sliced thinly to make smoked beef jerky. Leftover cooked roast beef is great for roast beef sandwiches or to add to stir-fries.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- When preparing this beef bottom round roast recipe, keep an eye on the roast and use the internal thermometer temperature as a guide, instead of the cooking time, as oven temperatures vary.
- Don't skip the resting period so the juices can redistribute throughout the roast.
- I don't recommend tenting the roast with aluminum foil as doing so will increase the meat's internal temperature too much.
- Slice leftovers thinly against the grain to use in roast beef sandwiches or substitute for the tri tip in these tri-tip sandwiches.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
🌯 More Beef Recipes
If you enjoy this beef bottom round roast recipe, check out these other great beef recipes!
📖 Recipe
Bottom Round Roast Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 4 lb bottom round roast (3.5-4 lbs)
- 5 medium garlic cloves (slivered)
- 1½ tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 tablespoon Santa Maria rub
Instructions
- Pat roast with paper towels to dry, then tie with kitchen twine, if needed to keep its shape.
- Make slits all over the roast with a sharp filleting knife and stuff with slivered garlic. Next, prepare the Santa Maria rub, if using.
- Rub roast with avocado oil, then season with 2 tablespoons of Santa Maria rub. Place in the fridge for two hours, uncovered. Remove from fridge about an hour before cooking to bring to room temperature.
Cooking Instructions (Preheat oven to 500℉)
- Place roast on a rack over a roasting pan or cast iron skillet, fat cap up. Insert an oven probe or a meat thermometer into the thickest part and place the pan on the middle rack. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 400℉, then continue to cook roast until the internal temperature reaches 120℉ for rare. Cook longer if you like your meat more well done, see chart in the body of the post. Rest roast for 10-15 minutes and keep an eye on the internal temperature because it will continue to rise as it rests. Slice and serve.
Notes
- If you have a hot kitchen, it may require less time to come to room temperature.
- Once out of the oven, I replaced the oven probe with a meat thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature as it rested. Without being tented with foil, the internal temperature climbed by 10 degrees as it rested!
- When preparing this beef bottom round roast recipe, keep an eye on the roast and use the internal thermometer temperature as a guide, instead of the cooking time, as oven temperatures vary.
- Don't skip the resting period so the juices can redistribute throughout the roast.
- I don't recommend tenting the roast with aluminum foil as doing so will increase the meat's internal temperature too much.
- Slice leftovers thinly against the grain to use in roast beef sandwiches or substitute for the tri tip in these tri-tip sandwiches.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Hilda Sterner says
We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!