It’s also important to cut the meat against the grain to reduce chewiness. I roasted a bottom round yesterday (which I’m going to turn into thinly sliced beef on my deli slicer today, to use for Italian beef and just deli cuts), and just cut off a thick slice of beef against the grain for myself to snack on and it was delicious and surpassingly tender. Just seasoned salt (I use Tony Cachere’s Creole Seasoning) and roasted at 225 to 140 (that was an accident – I meant to roast it to 130, but forgot about the roast. It was still plenty red and juicy inside.) I also cut another slice against the grain and then into little slices to make a quick “steak” taco on a corn tortilla, and it worked splendidly for that as well. So remember, against the grain!
I roasted a top round last night - it was smaller (2.5 lbs) and I kept it in for 5-10 minutes too long. It ended up mostly medium instead of medium rare. 
With smaller roasts, keep a close eye on the temperature.
Can I hijack this to ask about braising beef? I’ve done this only two or three times (good results) and am open to suggestions. Not sure of the cut; it’s a single piece from the rear leg, just forward of the hip. I use a pressure cooker and would consider foregoing the pressure part (with regular lid), but oven roasting is out of the question. I’ve been applying Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper to the raw meat and letting it sit for a few hours, then browning the meat and pressure cooking it over low heat with chopped onion and green pepper and a little beef broth. The piece is about the size of a coconut, and I cook it about 20 minutes, turn it over and give it another 20, sometimes more if it’s still tough. I read somewhere online that letting the pressure cooker cool gradually before opening is key to tenderness, the alternative being more quickly cooling the pot under running water, which is what I usually do. Anyone know about this? Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Braising is best done with a collagen rich cut like chuck roast. Shank works well, too, as does short rib and brisket (particularly the point.) The cut you are describing sounds most likely to be a round or sirloin roast cut of some sort. That is better suited to more traditional roasting methods and fineness levels than braised beef, which is typically cooked well last normal well done levels in order to break down the collagen and soften up the meat (if you sous vide you can get the best of both worlds.)
Typically, I find in a pressure cooker I go for about an hour to braise beef to my liking and tenderness.
The cut is pretty uniform looking, and you’re suggesting another that looks like it’s made of different parts, right?
ETA: Never mind, I’ve just seen some images of chuck roast. Thanks! When I get a handle on this, I’ll be asking you about making Italian beef at home! Deli slicer is pretty important, innit?
Typically—you want to see good intrsmuscular marbling (not just big pockets of fat). This is not meant with any snark, but do you have an unlabeled 1/4 of a cow or some similar situation where you don’t know what cut you have?
Surly butcher. 
A-ha! Intramuscular marbling.
I think I know just what you mean, and I was wondering how to say that.
I like the high temp method for making roast beef:
- Preheat the oven to 475F
- Coat the meat with oil then liberally apply salt, pepper, and garlic powder
- Place the roast in the oven, uncovered, for 7 minutes a pound
- After that time has passed, turn off the oven and walk away
- DO NOT open the oven for any reason besides “it’s on fire”
- Come back in 2.5 hours
- Done!
It’s going to feel like it’s not going to get done. I was highly skeptical at first but I’ve successfully cooked consistently perfect medium-rare roasts this way many times.
We really like the beef and chicken varieties of this. I think a big jar goes for $5-6 at Costco.
I see a few recs for beef stock. I wouldn’t use the stuff that comes from a store, as it has all the flavor of salty water. You’re better off using Swanson chicken stock (not broth), which at least has some heft to it.
I don’t believe in store bought stock - broth? Fine, not a bit deal, but store stocks do NOT get the job done.
Plus, stock ludicrously easy to make with a slow cooker. Buy meat beef bones (or save in freezer any you generate yourself over time) plus maybe a piece of whatever beef is cheap if you want a more ‘beefy’ flavor. Roast the bones briefly in a hot over, ideally with some onion and maybe a root veggie or two (I normally just want the onion). Throw all in slow cooker (I have two). Add water, salt, and maybe a minimalist herb packet (peppercorns, rosemary and some garlic) and leave on low overnight.
Next day, remove, strain, and freeze for months.
Back to @not_what_you_d_expect - with the leftovers, you’ve still got options. As I (and a few others) have said, you can still mitigate the chewiness with knifework. Again, super thin (I must now say ‘wafer thin’ in an atrocious French accent) and against the grain, ideally in smaller individual slices. I would then make into a philly steak style sandwich with some smoked mozz and/or make a quasi homemade au jus with good beef broth and seasoning. Top round being dry, a melty cheese and or dipping sauce is going to go far.
Don’t tell that to this guy!
Reading the article, they actually agree with me in large part. Or I agree with them. Note that they said if you want to use a slow cooker you should add flavor by roasting your meats and veggies ahead of time, which I suggested myself. In the article’s case, they felt it was more worthwhile just to do the whole thing in the oven if the long and low options was best.
Like a lot of things, there is compromise - I could probably extract more flavor by using a long, low dutch oven, but you have to watch it a lot more, my slow cooker is substantially larger (my stock making one), and since it’s all dishwasher safe cleanup is a snap. That’s not to say I don’t have a cast iron dutchie (for making overnight rise hard crust breads mostly), or a pressure cooker - they just do different things better than others.
And any foodie would tell you that even the most lazy homemade stock and broth is going to be a better option than even the highest end store-bought stuff with the sole exception being clarity (if you want a seriously clear stock or broth, you are going to have to put some actual effort into it).
I am enjoying this roast well enough. I sliced it very thin and melted some cheese on top and wrapped it in a flour tortilla that I “burned” on the gas stove.
It is still a little chewy, but it tastes pretty good. I think I might freeze the half I have left and make some Philly cheese sandwiches in a few weeks.
Which cut gives you that big slice of beef I keep thinking about? The one that might give me some of that yummy gravy I’m craving?
A standing rib roast, perhaps?
Oh, I’ll look for that. Thanks!
They usually go on sale around Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you’re thinking of the classic roast beef dinner, that’s what you’re thinking of. (Aka prime rib.)