Garlic Herb Beef Top Round Roast
Garlic Herb Beef Top Round Roast is the only way to prepare this normally tough cut of beef. This is the best method of turning an inexpensive piece of meat into a tender, juicy, medium rare delight!
A top round roast is one of those inexpensive cuts of meat.
It is lean and very flavorful, but it lacks fat and marbleizing throughout, essentially making it tougher and not as juicy as roasts made from more expensive cuts of beef.
Try our Bread Pudding for dessert!
Garlic Herb Beef Top Round Roast
How to Cook a Top Round Roast Beef
The secret is called the pre-salt method. The night before you plan to cook the roast (24 hours), rub the entire roast with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
I have forgotten to do this part the night before and do it early the morning of and let it sit it for a minimum of 4-6 hours before cooking, it still works.
One hour before cooking remove the roast from the refrigerator to take the chill off.
Just before cooking pat dry with paper towels.
Mix herbs, salt, pepper, and garlic together in a small bowl. Rub the roast with 1 tablespoon of oil, evenly sprinkle with the garlic herb mixture.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the roast and sear on all sides until browned, 3-4 minutes per side. Place the roast on a rack on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan.
Roast in a 250ºF preheated oven for 1 hour 20 minutes or until the internal temperature at the thickest part reads 115ºF. Turn the oven off, leaving the roast in (don’t open the door) and roast another 30-40 minutes or until it reaches 130ºF for medium-rare at the thickest part. (I usually pull it out at about 123ºF because it will continue to cook and we like it more on the rare side.) Roast until internal temperature reaches 140ºF for medium, pull out and let rest.
It’s a long cooking time but this method produces a tender, juicy piece of meat.
Please, I beg of you DO NOT cook past 140ºF! It will be too dry and not as tender. (on my knees here) You really might want to pull it out at 135ºF if you like it medium. As stated before, it will continue to cook while resting.
Remove the roast from the oven, transfer to a carving board or platter, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
Slice and serve!
Check out our Smoked Chicken Wings!
Top Round Roast Recipe
Garlic Herb Beef Top Round Roast Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 2.5-3 lb boneless top round roast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes more or less as desired
- 5 cloves of garlic finely minced
Instructions
- The night before you plan to cook the roast, rub 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt evenly over the meat. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Or at least do this step 6 hours ahead of cooking.
- At least one hour before roasting, remove the roast from the refrigerator to take the chill off.
- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
- Pat the roast dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture from the meat.
- Rub the roast all over with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- In a small bowl mix the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and garlic.
- Evenly rub the garlic herb mixture on all sides the roast
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it just begins to simmer. Add the roast and sear on all sides until browned (including the sides and the ends), about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Transfer the roast to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil (easy clean up).
- Roast the meat for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the meat reaches 115 degrees F on a meat thermometer. Turn the oven off, leaving the roast in the oven for another 30-40 minutes, or until the roast reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees F for medium-rare (I remove it at about 123 degrees F it will continue to cook while resting) or 140 degrees F for medium. Do not cook the roast past medium it will be too dry!
- Remove the roast from the oven to a carving board and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. Slice the meat as thinly as possible and serve.
I’m actually preparing my roast now and I’m at the point where it is sitting in the oven (recently turned off) and it has about 17 minutes to go. It’s late so I won’t eat tonight although I must taste test to know how well I followed your directions. 🙂 Any suggestions for serving the next day without drying it out after being refrigerated? Janice
Oh my goodness! It turned out absolutely delicious! I hope that it doesn’t dry out in the fridge (I plan to eat it tomorrow). I’ve wrapped the sliced pieces in aluminum foil and placed them inside a ziplock bag.
Hello! Can this technique be applied in a Dutch Oven as well?
You could try this one.
Roast beef is daunting to me. We never had it when I was growing up, but tonite I am using your recipe to make a Top Round roast with mashed potatoes. I don’t know if it will yield enough juice for gravy, but I’ll try. The comments are helpful, and I will report back on the results. Crossed fingers. It could be very good, or very bad.
We have faith in you! Good luck!
I made two of these this time and we have not been too hungry this week and I have a whole one cooked. Can I freeze it?
Sure! But the USDA does recommend anything past three months.
Best roast I’ve ever cooked!
Thanks so much, Anne!
Great recipe, the roast was perfect. Thanks for sharing.
I have a whole loin of top round, 2.548 kg (about 5.98 lbs) should I double to cooking time?
Hi, Linda. I have never cooked one that large. I would suggest you try 2 hours for the first cook time and be sure to use a meat thermometer.
Always use a meat thermometer and go by temperature, not cooking time. Use the cooking time as a reference, but rely on the temperature and you’ll have a winner every time.
OK, I’m confused. I looked up cooking a ‘top round roast and came across this one. The recipe is titled Garlic Herb Beef Top Round Roast. Great, exactly what I was looking for. The recipe instructions say to use a boneless eye-round roast. Top round roast and eye-round roasts are not the same. So, did you use the eye-round or a top round roast?
Hi, Ruth. I have actually used both cuts with this method. They are both very leans cuts that become tender and juicy with the salting method.
Going to try it tonight, how long would I cook a 4# roast?
Hi, Irene. I highly suggest going by internal temperature instead of exact cooking time. Aim for the first roasting to probably be about 1 hour 30 minutes (115 degrees F).
This was an amazing recipe. I too had a 4+ pound roast. I did check mine about 1hr. 25 min and is was a little over 115. I did the rest of the process as instructed. The salt method was amazing and made the meat flavorful! I did this for Christmas dinner and everyone loved the meat. Thank you for sharing.
Awesome Jessie, we’re so glad it turned out well!
Will this work in a countertop convection oven?
I’m sorry Linda but I can’t answer as to will it work or not. I’ve never used one.
Perfect result loved every bite
This was a hit in my house! My husband loved it.
Do I need to cover the roast with foil while baking?
Hi, Nicole! There is no need to cover the roast with foil. I just do it to the pan for easy cleanup.
This recipe was a delight – I was so pleased with how much flavor it had, and the leftovers were divine once I realized they were best cold instead of microwaved. I’m trying to persuade myself not to make it again next week.
Make it again, Charlotte!! Thanks so much for coming by to tell us you enjoyed the recipe.
I made this last night, and it came out perfectly. The only adjustment I made was cooking it in my electric roaster.. It was done and resting under foil in under 40 minutes total!!! Beautifully medium rare.. I went entirely by temperature, as I knew it would cook much faster in the roaster! Will be making this often!
Question that I hope you see soon, I did the salt this morning but then we went out for a big breakfast and now I want to hold off cooking until tomorrow. Is that too long for it to sit?
Hey, Jamie! This pre-salt method can sit for 24 hours and it will be fine. I usually like to do it that way but sometimes I forget and have to do it early in the morning.
Your recipe is awesome! I have never made a roast before that did not turn into shoe leather. This was just delicious, tender and full of flavor. Thanks for the recipe. I will definitely make this again.
Hi, Kasey! Thank you so much for coming by to tell us you loved the recipe. This makes us so happy!!!
After years of avoiding cooking a beef roast for fear of ruining it, I finally found the one perfect recipe in yours. I followed the recipe exactly as you said. It was delicious and perfect! No more fear! Thank you for sharing .
Great recipe I may have oversalted. Salted it up the morning I cooked it for dinner
Came out fantastic. – Thanks
I read,listened, thought and pulled 5 degrees higher than what you loved. Turns out that your description was perfect. I have never enjoyed this cut of meat more. Thanks so much!
How long should I cook for a smaller roast like 1 1/2
For medium rare I would suggest 45-50 minutes, then check the internal temperature. I use a digital cooking probe thermometer and time. One that sits on the counter with the probe in the meat while cooking. This is very helpful to ensure the proper temp is met.
should i roast it 250 even if it is only1 1/2lbs
Hi, Susan. I’ve never cooked one that small, so I can’t guarantee the results. But with that said, yes, I would lower the heat to about 225 degrees. Good luck and let us know how it comes out.
As a kid, I only knew beef as a well-done, dried out hunk that you smothered with instant mashed potatoes and a jar of gravy. Obviously, I wan’t fond of beef.
As an adult, I learned to cook heathy meals but never mastered a roast until this amazing recipe! Thank you, thank you, thank you! My roast is perfect and I can freeze the leftovers for sandwiches, a salad, omelette, on a baked potato, etc.
Hey, Nan! We are so happy to hear you loved the recipe! Yay!!! Thanks so much for coming by to tell us!
I did exactly what the recipe said to do. The roast turned out exactly as promised-tender, flavorful, simple to make. I was amazed! Thank you for sharing this!
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Tammy! Take care.
Is the temp correct 250 f seems very low?
Yes, Ruth, that’s correct. 🙂
Made this recipe last night and it was delicious. Great way to make this cut!
Looks tasty. Thanks for sharing this at the Inspiration Spotlight party. Pinned & sharing. See you again soon.
I’m 50 years old and I’ve never made a good roast beef…until now. Growing up, I loved roast beef dinner. And although I’ve gotten her instructions, mine has never come out like my mom’s. Tonight, I finally did it!! Thanks to this recipe. My husband loved it too!
Hi, Lisa! We are so happy to hear you loved the recipe! This is the only method we use after our many failed attempts. 😉
I just threw out my other recipes because this was the only one that worked for me. Absolutely perfect…and delicious! We have about 1/2 of the roast left and I am wondering how to reheat it so it isn’t dry and overdone.
I made this garlic herb crusted roast tonight and I have to say that came out perfectly. I adjusted the cook time, as I’m single and cooking for one, and therefore bought a 1-1/2 lb roast. I prefer meat to be rare to mid, and it was wonderfully red and warm on the inside. I used the brown bits and drippings from the roasting pan with some veggie stock to make a gravy. I’ve bought this inexpensive cut of meat before and it always came out dry and bland. This recipe calls for a larger cut. This will be my go-to method for roasting beef from now on. Utterly delicious!
May I please ask what you adjusted the cooking time to? We love medium rare, and our roast isn’t as large as what is called for in the recipe.
Can you use a Eye of the round roast
Hi, Paula! Yes, you can.