Perfect Roast Beef

Ingredients:

o  Grass-fed Top Round Roast, 3-5 lbs.

o  1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

o  1 tsp. mustard powder

o  Beef rub of choice, or;

Roast Beef Rub:

o  ½ Tbsp. coarse Kosher salt

o  ½ Tbsp. ground black pepper

o  ½ Tbsp. Aleppo pepper

o  1 tsp. onion powder

o  1 tsp. garlic powder

o  ½ tsp. hickory smoked salt

o  ½ tsp. Hungarian (hot) paprika

o  ½ tsp. Ancho chili powder

Directions:

1.      The day before you plan on serving, remove thawed top round roast from refrigerator and pat dry with a paper towel. Rubbing a day in advance greatly increases the flavor and overall quality of the bark, however it will still be delicious if done day-of.

2.      If you have a very thick fat cap, you may score it in a grid pattern, being careful not to slice through to the meat. This will help the fat to render, and also to allow more flavor from the rub to pass through the fat.

3.      Combine Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder. Rub over entire surface area of roast, followed by the dry rub. Wrap in plastic wrap and place back into fridge.

4.      Preheat oven to 450-degrees. 

5.      Place a cooking rack on a low-rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. 

6.      Directly from the refrigerator, remove plastic wrap from roast and place on cooking rack. This is one of the few circumstances in which I do not recommend allowing beef to set at room temp.

7.      Place pan into preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes.

8.      Reduce oven temperature to 325-degrees and cook for approximately one more hour, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast reaches your desired doneness. Keep in mind that it will continue to cook, raising in temp another 5-10 degrees. 

9.      Remove roast to a cutting board and allow to rest for 15 minutes.  

Notes:

• With my thermometer placed in the center of the thickest portion of the roast, I pulled it when it read just a hair over 130-degrees, and it hit 140-degrees while resting. The result was a nice medium-rare center, with medium and medium-well (not much!) doneness closer to the edges. The starting weight of my top round was 4 lbs. 2 oz. and it took 67 minutes cooking at 325-degrees.
• This rub recipe pairs well with just about any cut of beef or pork. It's a little smoky with a tiny kick, well-balanced and pairs well with a wide-variety of flavors.
• This recipe makes excellent roast beef sandwiches! Just throw in on a delicious, Cunningham's Brioche Roll with a fresh slice of garden ripe tomato and onion. Yum!