Top round roast

[CP87]

Okay @Fryowa , you said you wanted another post, I need some of your expertise.

The top round roast is pretty much always the cheapest piece of beef I can find, but I cannot figure out the best way to cook it (and the internet is all over the place with ideas). I need some tips from someone I trust.

It is a tough cut, but it doesn't seem to work to cook it to a high temp; while that works great with a pork butt or bottom round due to their fat content, the top round just gets dried out.

But if I try to cook it like a pork loin (140ish), it is too dang tough.

What is the go-to move? Just chop it up into stew meat and cook it in gravy?

To all others...feel free to take this thread wherever you want it to go. Maybe we need to talk about food, health, and wellness, get a good cleanse going on HN?

 

[Fryowa]

Okay @Fryowa , you said you wanted another post, I need some of your expertise.

The top round roast is pretty much always the cheapest piece of beef I can find, but I cannot figure out the best way to cook it (and the internet is all over the place with ideas). I need some tips from someone I trust.

It is a tough cut, but it doesn't seem to work to cook it to a high temp; while that works great with a pork butt or bottom round due to their fat content, the top round just gets dried out.

But if I try to cook it like a pork loin (140ish), it is too dang tough.

What is the go-to move? Just chop it up into stew meat and cook it in gravy?

To all others...feel free to take this thread wherever you want it to go. Maybe we need to talk about food, health, and wellness, get a good cleanse going on HN?

Top round is a great cut but you have to treat it like you would a steak because there isn't hardly any fat to break down. The fat is what makes stuff like chuck roast and pork shoulder shred like butter. 140 is still too high.

Take it to 125-130 internal. It'll still be a little pink inside but it'll be tender. You can eat it any way you like, but I love to cook it to 125, rest a few minutes, then slice it really thin to make sandwiches with some au jus. leftovers are awesome chopped up in an omelet. Omelets cook so fast that you aren't blasting the beef with heat and making it tough

 

[CP87]

Top round is a great cut but you have to treat it like you would a steak because there isn't hardly any fat to break down. The fat is what makes stuff like chuck roast and pork shoulder shred like butter. 140 is still too high.

Take it to 125-130 internal. It'll still be a little pink inside but it'll be tender. You can eat it any way you like, but I love to cook it to 125, rest a few minutes, then slice it really thin to make sandwiches with some au jus. leftovers are awesome chopped up in an omelet. Omelets cook so fast that you aren't blasting the beef with heat and making it tough

Okay, say I am roasting in an oven, aiming for that 125 internal temp. What is my cooking temp? Is it a "the lower the better" kind of deal? Maybe 275 - 325, depending no how much time I have on my hands?

 

[thedukeofearl]

I don't eat a lot of meat, get my protein from other sources

I eat a lot of eggs, excellent source of protein, cheese omelets with sautéed onions
and peppers are my usual breakfast

Haven't eaten a single bite of ham in Sixty Years

Growing up in Philadelphia we had ham every Sunday and leftovers throughout the week

We had Ham every New Year, Easter, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas

There were four children in the family and after WWII, my dad had to work two jobs
He was an assistant manager at the A&P that was close to home, and he worked
for the Philadelphia Transportation System, troubleshooting on the trolleys and
subways to keep things safe

Told me one time he watched a man carve his initials on his arm with a knife
He wasn't a danger to the passengers and my Dad kept a close eye on him
until he got off the subway

I used to eat sausage sandwiches and there was a place called Alright Pizza near
North High School that had the best sausage sandwiches in DM
All my friends went there religiously until it eventually closed

Then I lookup up the ingredients of sausage and immediately stopped eating it

Now I eat Roast Beef, Filets and Tenderloins

And cook round and chuck roast in a Crock Pot, cook it slowly with onions, carrots and
potatoes

I cook it for hours and it always turns out very well, tender and tasty

 

[Fryowa]

Okay, say I am roasting in an oven, aiming for that 125 internal temp. What is my cooking temp? Is it a "the lower the better" kind of deal? Maybe 275 - 325, depending no how much time I have on my hands?

You can do it as high as you normally do, 375 works fine. The low and slow thing is to let those fatty cuts like you do in a smoker have time to break down and render the fat, and get way up there to 205° ish (which it needs).

For stuff like that top roast, set it at 375-400 and roll with it till you get to 125 internal. If you’re feeling spunky and have a few minutes I like to brown the outside. Just some canola or vegetable oil in a skillet, high heat, and brown it on all sides, I just hold it with a tongs and move it around as necessary. Then stick your thermometer in, throw it in the oven, and let er rip till it’s done.

Also, in the oven I like to do it on a wire rack so the bottom gets cooked evenly. I just put one of those cheap aluminum throwaway pans underneath it to keep it from dripping all over. With that cut you won’t get much for drippings. My girlfriend hates that I reuse those pans but I’m a tight-ass

 

[CP87]

I am eating Thai Chicken Curry Soup for lunch, over potato. Pretty good stuff.

I am obese, have been for a long time. I get lots of activity, and I like to cook and eat healthy food, but I have a tendency to go off the rails, hard. When work gets stressful, or when I am constantly surrounded by unhealthy options, I feel a total loss of control. But, I am working on it!

I've got a good month under my belt. It has been a 12 year upward creep in my weight (from about 200 lbs to 250 lbs, coinciding with when my first child was born until now). But, I have managed to slow the creep down over the past few years, and I make gradual progress in the skills/mindset necessary to fix this problem.

My biggest issues are managing stress and avoiding injury. I love to overdo it when it comes to the exercise, leading to nagging overuse issues that kill my mindset and wreck my consistency with physical activity. If I can be smarter in those areas, I know I can handle the eating part.

 

[CP87]

You can do it as high as you normally do, 375 works fine. The low and slow thing is to let those fatty cuts like you do in a smoker have time to break down and render the fat, and get way up there to 205° ish (which it needs).

For stuff like that top roast, set it at 375-400 and roll with it till you get to 125 internal. If you’re feeling spunky and have a few minutes I like to brown the outside. Just some canola or vegetable oil in a skillet, high heat, and brown it on all sides, I just hold it with a tongs and move it around as necessary. Then stick your thermometer in, throw it in the oven, and let er rip till it’s done.

Also, in the oven I like to do it on a wire rack so the bottom gets cooked evenly. I just put one of those cheap aluminum throwaway pans underneath it to keep it from dripping all over. With that cut you won’t get much for drippings. My girlfriend hates that I reuse those pans but I’m a tight-ass

Thanks, this is great! I will let you know how it comes out.