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Top Round Roast Beef

Rose in Tempe wants to make a traditional Sunday roast beef, but doesn’t want to use a rib roast. Given the price of what’s often called “prime rib” that’s understandable.

Rose, no other cut of beef will be as tender and juicy as a rib roast — that’s why it’s so expensive, but with a little care and some patience you can produce good results with a top round, rump roast, or even eye of round (the prettiest). The key is slow roasting it and not cooking it past medium rare.

Ingredients:

  • 1 3 – 4 lb roast
  • salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/3 cup red wine
  • 1 cup low sodium beef broth

Method:

Heat the oven to 250F. Generously season the roast with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven then sear the roast on all sides until brown — about 4 minutes per side. Place the pot in the oven and cook until a meat thermometer or instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast registers 125F for rare or 130F for medium rare. Your roast’s temperature will rise to the noted final temperature of 135 for medium rare. This will take an hour to an hour and half, depending on your oven and the size and shape of the roast.

Remove from oven, place roast on a carving board, and tent with foil. Allow to rest 20 minutes.

In the meantime, return to pot to the stove over medium-high heat. Add the wine and scrape up the browned bits. Add the beef broth and reduce liquid by half.

Cut the roast into thin slices, then pour the meat juices into the pan juices.

Notes: To slice as thinly as possible, here are some tricks. One, use a carving knife – narrow, long blade with a non-serrated edge. Alternatively, electric carving knives have found a home with a roast beef. Dig it out from the cellar! Resting has given your roast all it needs to be “primed” for slicing. Your goal: a 1/4 inch slice. Use your hand to secure the roast. Cut across the roast width-wise (the blade forming a “T”). Saw gently back and forth.

~Chefs Kevin and Erika