Let's take a look at oven cooking methods for top and bottom round cuts of beef.

The less expensive yet lean cuts of beef are top and bottom round roasts. They cannot be prepared like we would do with well marbled beef like boneless rib-eye steaks or standing rib roasts. The lack of fat and the presence of lots of connective (and strong) muscle tissue make one very tough roast if you cook it with open oven exposure simply until it is medium or well done in the center. One exception to that fact is the Food Nirvana recipe for skillet seared roast beef, roasted in a closed skillet, but that is a different subject.

Most of us have come across an old but good way to handle this problem for cuts of round roast of uniform thickness and about 1 1/2" thick. That method is referred to as making a London Broil, in which very high temperature broiling, close to the heating elements, produces ... after about 5 minutes per side of broiling ... a roast that is well done on the exterior and of varied degrees of doneness towards the middle of the roast, typically with rare beef at the very center.

London broil can be cut, following broiling, into 1/4" thick slices across (not with) the grain of the meat. That yields very tasty beef that can be further cut by the diner into pieces about 1" x 1 1/2" x 1/4" thick. Done that way the beef is easy to eat instead of tough, and it is quite tasty if well seasoned with salt and pepper.

In more recent times different chefs have experimented with alternative methods for cooking lean cuts of beef. I happened to see one example that looked interesting and in fact the idea and the results were/are superb! This new method is definitely superior to making London broil, as the meat is of near uniform doneness of medium rare from right under the surface of the well done exterior all the way to the center of the roast.

I refer in this recipe to using a spray bottle of either canola oil or peanut oil. You can find inexpensive yet high quality spray bottles in places like Home Depot®. The idea is you want to season the meat and then have a light spray of oil that will not affect the previous placement of the seasonings.

In this recipe the optimal thickness for the beef is a uniform 2". That is easy to achieve by cutting a typical 4" thick roast into two parts, each approximately 2" thick. Following the roasting technique and time to rest the beef, it is cut like slices of London broil ... approximately 1/4" to no more than 5/16" thick, across the grain.

You will note that the baking sheet has plenty of room to accommodate two pieces of beef of similar weight. Placed six inches apart, that should not affect roasting time overall. It should remain about the same as what you would do for a single piece of beef. But that assumption falls apart if, for instance, you try to cook four pieces of beef at the same time. In that instance, you have to assume the initial roasting period and the oven cooling roasting time will be longer than the times shown in this recipe, but how long depends on what you choose to roast at the same time. I suggest practice to identify what works best for you with your oven when roasting a larger quantity of beef.

This more modern method of cooking top or bottom beef round roasts is described next in recipe form. You definitely want to make top or bottom round roast by this method. It is superb. But you also need to have all your other meal items prepared first so the meal can be served immediately when the roasted beef is cut into slices. A nice bottle of Pinot Noir or Merlot wine make fine beverage for this meal.

Ingredients: (three servings)

2 lb. cut of Top or Bottom round roast, all external fat removed, uniformly thick around 2 inches

11" x 17" Baking sheet lined with aluminum foil

1 or 2 tsp. of Canola oil or Peanut oil sprayed lightly onto the raw beef following seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Season the beef with salt and pepper, rubbing the seasoning into the meat.

Spray the beef lightly using a spray bottle containing canola oil or peanut oil.

Place the beef on the foil lined baking sheet and put the baking sheet on a middle oven shelf.

Roast the beef for 5 minutes per pound (in this instance, 10 minutes).

Turn off the oven but do not open the door.

Keep the beef in the oven for 15 minutes per pound (ergo 30 minutes for 2 lbs).

Put your serving plate and the dinner plates into the oven on a different shelf.

Remove the roast from the oven, close the oven door, and let the roast rest on a wood cutting board for 15 minutes.

Cut the roast cross grain into 1/4" thick slices with a sharp butcher knife. Put those slices onto your pre-warmed serving plate.

Serve and eat the beef slices while they are hot/warm, juicy and tender, using the pre-warmed dinner plates. Provide steak knives, salt and pepper for your guests.

Do remember to serve the wine and perhaps also some glasses of ice water.

Your guests may even notice and eat the other meal items you prepared ... after they are done demolishing the beef!

Enjoy!