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With just three ingredients, it’s super easy to whip up this mouth-watering dish packed full of home-cooked goodness. When it comes to cooking an equally nutritious and delicious dinner, this is as low maintenance as it gets! And it’s a really affordable meat to buy, too.
If you’re not a whiz kid in the kitchen just yet, this is a really great way to get started on building your confidence behind the cooker honing those pro-chef skills you have yet to discover! Or, you know, you could just have it for dinner for the rest of your life. I’m not sure anyone could ever get sick of this Buttery Herb and Garlic Bottom Round Roast!
How to Cook a Bottom-Round Roast
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pat the bottom round roast dry with paper towels to allow the butter mixture to stick.
- Place the roast in an oven-safe skillet. Combine butter, rosemary, and minced garlic. Spread the mixture by hand over the roast, covering as much as possible.
- Place the roast in the oven, close the oven door, and reduce the temperature to 475 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Roast for 7 minutes per pound, and then turn the oven off completely (keeping the oven door closed).
- After 1 hour, turn the oven on to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for approximately 1 hour or until the internal temperature of your roast reaches your desired temperature (rare, medium, etc).
Is Bottom Round Roast Very Tough?
Bottom Round Roast is affordable so that it can be pretty tough. I mean, it literally comes from the bottom of a cow, so that makes sense! But if you cook it correctly, your Buttery Herb & Garlic Bottom Round Roast can be pretty tender and delicious. It won’t be as tender as a fillet, but close enough for what you pay for it! Contrary to what many people think, it’s also full of flavor.
Note
It’s still worth investing in an electric knife (if you don’t have one) for slicing this roast, as it’s still going to be a little tougher than a more expensive roast.
Bottom Round Roast is One Of The Healthier Red Meats
Bottom Round Roast is tough for a reason. The bottom end of a cow has less intramuscular fat because it’s highly exercised (those cows have been doing their glute activation work!). If you’re a fan of red meat but want to stay healthier, this is an excellent option for you and your family.
What Should I Serve With a Bottom Round Roast?
My advice here is to keep it simple. Why complicate something that’s already super easy to cook? Simply serve it with a side dish of potatoes and vegetables for a hearty and satisfying meal!
Can You Freeze Your Leftover Buttery Herb & Garlic Bottom Round Roast?
Your cooked Bottom Round Roast can last up to 4 days in the refrigerator. But if you want it to last a bit longer, you can freeze it in covered, airtight containers or tightly wrap it with freezer wrap or heavy-duty aluminum foil.
This easy-to-make Buttery Herb and Garlic Bottom Round Roast is jam-packed with flavor, and I’m 99% sure it’ll end up on your regular dinner list once you give it a go (and only because 1% of you might be vegetarian!). Enjoy!
Other Roast Recipes To Try
- Prime Rib Roast: this juicy cooked prime rib roast is culinary heaven!
- Top Sirloin Roast: cook up a fabulous family dinner with this economical roast option!
- Dutch Oven Pot Roast: This yummy recipe cannot be beaten! It is especially nice to make during colder months.
- Creamy Mushroom Beef Chuck Roast: this is the ultimate crowd-pleaser for mushroom and roast lovers with minimal time to spend in the kitchen!
- Dill Pickle Pot Roast & Pickle Gravy: for all of the pickle fans out there, why not get adventurous with this delicious Dill Pickle Pot Roast?
Happy cooking!
Love,
Karlynn
The Perfect Herb & Garlic Bottom Round Roast Recipe
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 35 minutes
- Total Time
- 2 hours 40 minutes
- Course
- Main Course
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 6
- Calories
- 71
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 1 four pound beef bottom round roast
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 tablespoon rosemary
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Pat the bottom round roast dry with paper towels to allow the butter mixture to stick.
- Place the roast in an oven safe skillet. Combine butter, rosemary and minced garlic. Spread the mixture by hand over the roast covering as much as you can.
- Place the roast in the oven, close the oven door and reduce the temperature to 475 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Roast for 7 minutes per pound and then turn the oven off completely (keeping the oven door closed).
- After 1 hour, turn the oven on to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for approximately 1 hour or until the internal temperature of your roast reaches your desired temperature (rare, medium, etc).
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Tammy says
Is it going to be the same amount of time for a 3lb
Ally says
Incredible recipe! I followed it to a T. The roast was the best ever! It really helps if you get a thermometer that you can use to read the temperature of your meat without opening the door. Highly recommend that and you will have success with this recipe!
Can I do this recipe with a top round roast?
Thank You for such an incredible recipe!
Mr. Kitchen Magpie says
Thanks glad you like it, it’s my favorite too!
Felecia says
Not good ! Solid as a rock
Denise says
OMG ! This was the best roast I have ever had ! Followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect ! Served it with mashed potatoes and roasted carrots and made a gravy with the drippings. I give this 10 stars ! You will not be disappointed !
Pete says
This didn’t work at all for me. I preheated to 500F, put the roast in and dropped to 475F. It was a 3lb roast so after 20 mins I turned the oven off and let it sit. After an hour the internal temp was 160F, so it was ruined.
Guess this only works with cheap ovens that don’t maintain temp when off.
Denise says
Pete, after the hour with the oven off,you preheat the oven again but to 200 degrees and keep the roast in for another hour, then it’s all set ! I followed the recipe exactly like it says and it came out amazing ! 5 star recipe. Please try it again but do the extra hour at 200 degrees and see how it goes ! Good luck !
Denise says
OMG ! This was the best roast I have ever had ! Followed the recipe exactly and it came out perfect ! Served it with mashed potatoes and roasted carrots and made a gravy with the drippings. I give this 10 stars ! You will not be disappointed !
Juju says
Ya, a quality oven may keep the temperature too steady with oven off and door closed. Also, to help others with a 3lb roast or less, possibly the 1 hour with the oven off should only be 30 minutes for a 3 lb roast and then raise the oven to 200F to finish it off, like maybe another 15 minutes. Start testing temp when the oven is turned back on and every 10 minutes to grab that perfect temperature. The 160F probably wasn’t reached in the first 1/2 hour off anyway, but in the last 15 minutes. Once a thick roast reaches near 145F it goes fast from there in my opinion.
Evelyn Adrian says
I made this recipe. It turned out fantastic! My roast was very close to 4 lbs. It turned out rather rare (yum!) and very juicy. I didn’t have rosemary on hand, so I used sweet basil instead. I’m trying it again soon with the rosemary. Thank for a wonderful recipe! We really enjoyed it!
Sandy says
I only had a 2 pounder so I cut the time in half, I cooked it for only 12 minutes on 475. Then I let it rest with no temperature in the oven for 45 mins, then cooked it at 200 for about 10 to 15 minutes. I took it out to rest about 10 minutes then sliced it on my slicer. It was awesome tasting and tender. I do think I will cut a little more time off from resting in the oven from 45 minutes to 20. It came out med-rare. I like it more on the rarer side. Also I didn’t follow the recipe for the coating, I used the ingredients but made a bigger batch to cover the whole roast. I will make this again. Very Good 👍.
Julie Burbach says
Daaaaah, what’s up doc! After reading all the comments and reviews I think I shall abort this particular recipe and try another. Sheeesh. I’m so confused my head is spinning. Thanks anyway🤭
Sat says
Your times give the impression of being different by an hour in your directions. Written out it’s the 7 minutes per pound, then hour closed door off, then an hour at 200 degrees. In your short notes on top it says total cook time an hour and 35 minutes. That’s confusing as you apparently are not including the hour with the oven being off. It would be nice to have a start to end time in some way for preparation for your 4 pounds. I had to read a few times to figure this out while reading the reviews. After reading them there’s enough problems posted that I’ll just pass on the recipe.
ms_monkey says
Smaller roast needs way less time. I think, I might try this again if I have a 4lbs roast – but for my 2.3lbs one – it ended up tough. I think a pot roast method would have been better. Or I guess adjusting the times, but that would really mean developing the recipe a bit. I may use the rosemary butter again int he future. It was very good on the outside of the meat!
Jamie says
Wondering it looks like you cut with the grain. I always read cut against the grain for more tender meat. Do you not do that with this for some reason?
Karlynn Johnston says
Hey, if you look at the last photo (not the pin) where you see the side of the roast more you can see the lines (the grain) running along the roast side, and then how I cut across it. You rarely can tell the grain cut by a slice photo, you have to look at the side of the roast.
You do have to cut against the grain for sure.
Ann Marie McHugh says
Do you cover the meat in the oven???
Karlynn Johnston says
No don’t cover!
CM says
Instructions were easy and roast came out a perfect medium rare. Aging the roast in the refrigerator for a couple of days prior to cooking and adding salt to butter mixture.
Otherwise, wouldn’t change a thing.
Kristen Ross says
I’ve never in all 30 years of cooking made roast beef. This was amazing and easy! A note though- try to find a uniformly sized roast so it cooks evenly and know that smaller roasts will not take as long as the recipe calls for. Ours was about 3.5 lbs and at the 200 degree stage I put it in for 40 mins which was a little too much for our medium rare preference, but still delicious. Also for those who said theirs didn’t turn out – maybe they didn’t multiply the 7 minutes by the # of pounds? Or overcooked it?
Kristen Ross says
I’ve now read other comments and I think the roasts that aren’t turning out well are just overcooked. As another person suggested- test your roast after it has been in the oven turned off for an hour. It may be done at that point and not need to go in at 200 degrees, or need minimal time at 200.
Sheryl says
I had a 3# roast that I cooked for 21 minutes at 475; turned off the oven completely for 50 minutes. I had an internal thermometer in the roast and when I walked over to look at the reading it was already past done with 10 minutes to go. I have a Wolf range; I’m thinking my oven is much better insulated than hers. So yes, I followed the recipe.
JESSICA MANSON says
Another reviewer got it right, that everyone’s oven is different. I have an electric convection oven that’s newer and retains heat relatively well. With that being said I followed the first portion of the recipe and heated the oven to 500 degrees, reduced to 475 when I was ready to put the roast in. I used a roasting pan with a rack rather than an oven safe skillet. Reduce 7 minutes per pound to 6.
For a 4.5 lb roast – 27 minutes.
Shut your oven off and don’t open!
After an hour, the meat came out at 135 degrees in the center and was medium.
Next time, I will leave it in for 45 minutes for a more med/rare temp.
I also added tsp salt, tablespoon fresh thyme, and tsp pepper to the butter rub.
The reason I rate a 3 is because you need some cooking knowledge to tweak and execute properly.
If you’re a total beginner, I recommend reading the reviews to help achieve the best result.
Jane Lightning says
Zero points, a total robbery flop.
Please remove this recipe. It got numerous negative reviews.
Jane Lightning says
Make that RUBBERY, not robbery.
Karlynn Johnston says
Hey Jane, there are almost 200!! positive reviews, and when followed this recipe works. When it doesn’t work, it’s because people aren’t reading the recipe or following it. They jack up the temperature, cook it too long, all things that I don’t tell you to do in the recipe. Follow as is, using the same size of roast, and it’s amazing, as tons of reviewers have stated already.
Nikka Johnson says
I was nervous at the simplicity of the recipe did a few tweaks and it turned out perfect easy and delicious.
Swapped the melted butter for olive oil added teaspoon of salt and a few dashes of cayenne with the dried rosemary and minced garlic. Rubbed in to roast after patting dry then topped 2 tabled spoons of butter on top.
I followed the cooking method up until the end, by looking at it I cut the 1hour in half and let it sit 5 mins before cutting.
Will make this again thx
Lori Orth says
Do you melt the butter?
Roberta says
I made this tonight and it came out terrible! I followed the recipe exactly how you wrote it. When I put in the thermometer the meat was hard as a rock. I wasn’t even close to being done. I jacked the heat up to 350 and then ended up cooking it too long. The meat was very tough. I’m going to turn it into a pot roast.
Maura Weed says
This was absolutely delicious. Followed the recipe to the T. Will definitely make this again and again. My family loved it!!!
James Carruthers says
I am not a chef, but I cook A lot! I read this recipe and thought to my self, “no way this will turn out good.” But I was out of ideas and cooked it exactly as instructed. Amazingly good. This recipe took an inexpensive meat and made it really enjoyable. Kudos!
Maura Todd says
This is a fantastic recipe! I got a great deal on a 4lb bottom round roast at Save a Lot and decided to use this recipe. I’m so glad I did. I followed it to a T and the roast turned out perfectly. It was tender and juicy. Very flavorful. It was a perfect medium rare. I threw in a handful of mushrooms towards the end because my husband loves mushrooms. I will definitely be making this every time I purchase a round roast!
Corey says
Started using a modified version of this recipe a few months ago and I haven’t looked back.
Will melt the butter over the stove. Stir in the rosemary and garlic until you can smell how good it is, about a minute or 2. Let cool for a few minutes.
Pat dry your roast. Place in a cast iron skillet and generously spoon your mixture on your roast. May have to use your hands to make sure it’s covered.
Instead of cooking at a high heat, cook at 350. Cook to medium rare. About 20 minutes a pound. Highly recommend utilizing a meat thermometer. Remove when it hits 160 and let it sit for 10.
Save the excess drippings for a gravy!!!
The cast iron plus cooking at 350 gives it an amazing crust on the bottom.
Susan Deloach says
Made this according to the directions turned out terrible had to throw it away.
Roberta says
Susan. I just wrote a review. Mine was terrible too. I’m going to turn it into a pot roast.
Chuck says
Roast for 7 minutes per pound and then turn the oven off completely (keeping the oven door closed).
– that would be 28 minutes for a 4 pound roast
After 1 hour, turn the oven on to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for approximately 1 hour or until the internal temperature of your roast reaches your desired temperature (rare, medium, etc).
– 1 hour to sit, and another hour @ 200 degrees.
My math says this should take 2 hours and 28 minutes. Recipe says an 1 hour and 35 minutes. Is this new math, or am I missing something?
Just trying to follow the recipe. Cheers.
Amy says
I’m thinking the same thing? Do I just let it rest for 10 mins before starting the 200 degrees?
Julie Bechthold says
ZERO stars!! I should have read the reviews before thrying this recipe! Followed directions, EXACTLY! Came out extremely well done and dry! Horrible!
Julie Bechthold says
I forgot to mention that I checked the meat temp just before tirning the oven back on to 200 degrees. Already extremely well done. No good if you like your meat medium rare!
Karlynn says
It all depends on how your oven retains heat. Some people after using the hour of retaining heat cooking method have posted that their roasts are DONE at the 1 hour mark, some people need to turn the temperature up to 200° and cook it. My brand new oven retains heat like crazy but most people have older ovens and some people have models that leak heat a lot. That’s why at that point where it’s been in the oven for an hour that I say cook it for another hour OR until your desired temperature is reached. Your roast might be done after the retaining heat for an hour,. It’s all about what temperature you like your roast cooked to.
Linda says
I think this is correct – the oven I have now retains heat much better than my old oven. My burners reach temps equal to the face of the sun, so I have to be extra careful with stovetop recipes!
Since I want medium rare meat, I will insert a meat thermometer before putting it in the oven and set it for 130 degrees so I can pull it out if it reaches temperature before an hour is up – which I am sure it will since I only have a 2 1/4 pound roast.
Ashley says
Ok I thought I was crazy. Approx 2.5 hours is correct.
Billie Jean says
Using the broiler for so long….
Should roast sit in middle of oven? Top 1/3? Bottom 1/3? Please help.
Thanks
Bunny says
Made this recipe at over 6000 ft and lots of times the elevation tweaks the success, but it turned out absolutely perfect! I will definitely make this again and again.
Mike O’Connor says
This recipe is horrible. Hardy any instruction and terrible formatting on the site itself.
Rose Herrera says
Thanks for this delicious and very simple recipe!! You just saved my Christmas dinner!!
Val says
Do I need to cover this roast with foil while cooking? Making this today?
Stephen says
it appears not!
Tara Wilson says
Can I let the meat rest in the oven for more then an hour???
Joyce Payton says
I followed the directions, didn’t change a thing.. I will use this recipe again as it was delicious! Thank You.