Perfect for entertaining or family dinners, my Garlic Herb Bottom Round Roast recipe is guaranteed to yield flavorful, tender, juicy roast beef every time!
My easy roast beef recipe is made with simple ingredients letting the beef roast be the star of the show.
For a perfect roast every time, simply follow my easy instructions and you’ll be rewarded with perfectly seasoned delicious slices of beef that your whole family will love.
This easy bottom round roast is definitely one of my favorite beef recipes, second only to my Prime Rib Roast recipe and my Oven Baked Beef Brisket recipe.
Serve this delicious bottom round roast with au jus made with the pan drippings and my creamy horseradish sauce for meal you soon won’t forget.
Ingredients to make Garlic Herb Bottom Round Roast
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make my Garlic Herb Bottom Round Roast recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Made with simple ingredients
- Bottom round roast
- Garlic cloves
- Shallots
- Fresh thyme
- Fresh rosemary
- Black pepper or cracked black pepper
- Kosher salt or coarse sea salt
- Dried oregano
- Dry mustard
- Extra virgin olive oil
You can use all dry spices if you prefer, using garlic powder in place of the fresh garlic cloves and onion powder in place of the shallots. I prefer using cracked black pepper to season the roast, but regular black pepper works well too.
If you don’t have kosher salt or coarse sea salt, use one teaspoon of table salt to replace the two teaspoons of kosher salt.
You can add other fresh herbs and aromatics the seasoning blend that you enjoy the flavor of.
What cut of beef is a Bottom Round Roast?
The bottom round roast also known as a “Rump Roast” is a lean cut of beef taken from the outer part of the upper thigh on the rear legs of a steer. Because it comes from a part of the cow that’s frequently used for movement, it tends to be a leaner and tougher cut of meat. Which also mean ita one of the less expensive cuts of beef.
Because it’s a tougher cut of beef, its best cooked slowly to give the connective tissues time to break down. Roasting at low temperatures and braising (pot roast) are two of the best ways to cook a bottom round. It can also be cut up and used as stew beef.
Compared to a chuck roast it doesn’t have the amount of fat marbling that a chuck roast has, but it does have less connective tissue. Almost an even trade off. The bottom round roast is more closely compared to a top round roast. The top round roast comes from the inside of the steers leg so it can be perceived as a more tender cut of meat.
How to make Bottom Round Roast
- Add the chopped garlic cloves, shallots, fresh thyme, rosemary, oregano, dry mustard, kosher salt, and black pepper to a small bowl.
- Mix the seasonings until well blended.
- Remove the roast from its container and pat it down with paper towels.
- Cover the entire roast with with a thin coat of oil, then rub the seasoning blend into the surface of the beef. Place the roast on a pan uncovered in the refrigerator for 6 – 8 hours. *Leaving the roast uncovered will help the surface dry out, which will help the beef achieve a better crust on the outside of the roast. The roast can be covered if you’d rather not leave it uncovered in the fridge.
- Remove the bottom round roast from the refrigerator and set it on the counter for 30 minutes, allowing it to come to room temperature.
- Place the roast on the center rack of the preheated oven and cook for approximately 1 hour per pound. Cook the beef until it reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
We’re cooking for temperature, not time, so start checking the roast at the 3-hour mark. Cooking times will vary depending on the weight of the roast and your home oven, so make sure to use a meat thermometer or an instant-read thermometer.
- When the beef has reached the desired temperature, remove it from the oven and loosely cover the roast with aluminum foil for 15 minutes.
- Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.
- After 15 minutes, remove the foil and thermometer and place the beef back into the oven. Let the roast cook for 8-10 minutes until a nicely browned crust has formed. Then carefully remove the pan from the oven and transfer the roast to a cutting board, letting it rest for 30 minutes before slicing.
- While the beef is resting, add a cup of water to the pan drippings in the roasting pan and place it on the stove to heat back up. Use a heavy spoon to scrape all the tasty browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Strain the au jus and keep warm until ready to serve the beef.
*You can add red wine or beef broth to the pan drippings for added flavor or to stretch the au jus.
Don’t wait for a special occasion to serve this delicious bottom round roast to your family. It takes very little work to prepare and clean up is easy.
Store any leftover roast tightly wrapped with plastic wrap, refrigerated for 5 days. You’ll be able to slice it more thinly for roast beef sandwiches after its completely chilled.
Serve the roast with mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes and your favorite green vegetable.
Recipe FAQ’s
Cooking a bottom round roast slowly at low temperature will help improve its tenderness. But overcooking the roast in the attempt to make it more tender will cause it to become dry and tough.
Let the roast rest for at least 20 – 30 minutes after removing it from the oven. This will let the juices redistribute through the roast, helping to make a juicer slice of beef.
Yes, you can. But it will be difficult to control the doneness and the entire roast will be well done.
Slice the roast against the grain for maximum tenderness. Use a sharp knife to cut thin, even slices.
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Garlic Herb Bottom Round Roast
Ingredients
- 4 pound bottom round roast
- 1 tablespoon garlic finely minced
- 1 tablespoon shallots finely minced (or garlic)
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves finely chopped or 2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary finely chopped or 2 teaspoon dried rosematy
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
- 2 teaspoon cracked black pepper or 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
Instructions
- Add the garlic, shallots, thyme, rosemary, oregano, dry mustard, salt, and black pepper to a small bowl.
- Mix the seasonings until well blended.
- Remove the roast from its container and pat down the entire roast with paper towels.
- Coat the roast with olive oil.
- Rub the seasoning blend into the surface of the beef.
- Place the roast on a pan uncovered in the refrigerator for 6 – 8 hours. *Leaving the roast uncovered will help the surface dry out, which will help the beef achieve a better crust on the outside of the roast. The roast can be covered if you’d rather not leave it uncovered in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F.
- Remove the bottom round from the refrigerator and set it on the counter for 30 minutes, allowing it to come to room temperature.The meat will cook more evenly if it's allowed to come to room temperature before roasting.
- Place a wire rack in a roasting pan, and place the seasoned room temperature bottom round fat side up on the wire rack. Insert a digital thermometer into the thickest part of the roast, deep enough to reach the center of the roast.
- Place the roast on the center rack of the preheated oven and cook for approximately 1 hour per pound. We’re cooking for temperature, not time, so start checking the roast at the 3-hour mark. Cooking times will vary depending on the weight of the roast and your home oven.
- When the beef has reached the desired temperature, remove it from the oven and tent the roast with aluminum foil for 15 minutes. *The internal temperature will continue to rise by 5-10 degrees during the resting period.
- Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.
- After 15 minutes, remove the foil and thermometer and place the roast back into the oven. Let the roast cook for 8-10 minutes until a nicely browned crust has formed. Then carefully remove the pan from the oven and transfer the roast to a cutting board, letting it rest for 30 minutes before slicing.*Keep an eye on the roast; you don't want it to burn.
- While the beef is resting, add a cup of water to the drippings in the roasting pan and place it on the stove to heat back up. Use a heavy spoon to scrape all the tasty browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Strain the au jus and keep warm until ready to serve the beef.
- Serve the roast beef with mashed potatoes or oven roasted potatoes and your favorite green vegetable.
Chris
I never had cooked a bottom round roast before but I made this last night and it turned out a perfect. Very flavorful. Thank you so much for posting this recipe. It’s a keeper.
Chef Dennis Littley
You’re welcome Chris. Nothing beats a good bottom roast, it’s all about simple techniques when roasting meats.