This reverse sear bottom round roast beef is not your usual cooking method for roast beef. It’s also not the standard cut. Bottom round is usually relegated to pot roast. Meh. I’ve never been a fan of pot roast. Or brisket either.
But, if you cook that bottom round properly, you end up with a tender, flavorful roast (and for far less than you’d spend on a rib roast). There are two parts to a reverse sear bottom round roast beef. First, you cook the meat slowly on a low temperature. My mom accidentally “invented” this part long ago. She left a roast in the oven on low to defrost, and then ended up leaving it for hours. However, the reverse sear method has an additional, easy step.
With reverse sear, if you haven’t heard of it, instead of searing the meat in a pan on high first, and then turning down the temperature to cook it through, you reverse the process. First, a low temperature slow roast in the oven, and then sear in a pan. It turns out beautifully rare, all the way through.
And, since this is “single serving chef” the portion of meat is small. Which means that even though we’re cooking at a low temperature, it doesn’t require a lot of time. So roast beef dinner in about an hour!
If you like, you can also make a quick horseradish sauce to go with it. I’ve included the recipe for that, but if you prefer, you can just buy it in the store.
If there are any leftovers, it makes great sandwiches the next day. Just pile slices onto some crusty bread and slather it with the horseradish sauce.
Reverse Sear Bottom Round Roast Beef
Notes
*(I bought a two pounder, cut it up, and froze the pieces in individual portions of roughly half a pound each)
Also, if you don't want to make the sauce, you can buy it ready made in the store.
Ingredients
Roast beef
- 1/2 lb. bottom round roast*
- 1 small garlic clove, slivered
- 4 tsp olive oil (divided)
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Horseradish sauce
- 2 T sour cream
- 1 1/2 tsp bottled horseradish
- 3/4 tsp mayonnaise
- 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Roast beef
- Heat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Cut small slits all over the roast with a knife and insert the garlic slivers. Combine half the olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Baste the roast with the oil mixture.
- Place the roast in a small tray (the tray from your toaster oven will do nicely) on the bottom of the oven and cook about 45-50 minutes.
- Add the remaining olive oil to a pan and heat. Then remove the roast from the oven, put it in the pan, and sear it on medium-high until the outside is browned.
- Remove from heat and rest five minutes before serving. Slice the meat against the grain (perpendicular to the lines running through the meat).
Horseradish sauce
- While the roast is cooking, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate.
More Beef Recipes
Pan-Fried Steak with Mushroom Brandy Cream Sauce
Great for a festive holiday meal or special occasion. Rich, creamy, indulgent, and utterly delicious. And a lot less work than you might expect.
Cold Leftover Steak Salad with Goat Cheese and Red Wine Vinaigrette
A “summer” dish that’s hearty enough for cool weather. Use steak, or leftover sliced roast beef.