RECIPE: Pepper-Rubbed Top Round Roast

Here's a spicy idea for how to prepare your next beef top round roast. The prep work is minimal, and the left overs make A+ sandwiches.

Ingredients:

1 3 lb 100% Grassfed Beef Top Round Roast
1 Tbsp coarse ground black pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tsp powdered garlic
1 tsp red chili pepper
1 tsp cayenne

Tools:

Meat thermometer

Instructions:

1. Fully thaw top round roast.  While meat is raw and before you add seasonings, try to identify which direction the muscle grain is running.  Can you see any cuts the butcher has made?  If a small and tighly formed cross-section of grain is observed, that is the direction you want to make your cuts when carving the roast.  If you see long narrow grains, make your cut in a perpendicular direction.
2. Preheat oven to 250°F.
3. Combine dry ingredients and mix well. Rub on exterior of roast.
4. Place roast on a rack in roasting pan or oven safe dish.  
5. Roast until to your desired internal temperature is reached. 
   
   Rare (~120°F) 20 minutes per lb 
   Medium Rare (~130°F)  23 minutes per lb  
   Medium (~140°F)  25 minutes per lb
   
   
6. Remove from heat and rest for 10 minutes
7. Carve and enjoy!

*Note* To best enjoy your top round roast, it is important to carve or slice it across the grain.   

In a top round roast, identifying the direction of the muscle grain can be tricky.  Try to understand the patterns and pick your cut while the meat is still raw.  Remember, you want to cut the roast perpendicular to the grain so as to shorten the muscle fibers as much as possible, making each bite more tender.  Do the best you can to make cuts resulting in the shortest fiber length possible.