How to Cook a Bottom Round Roast

Beef bottom round is cut from the rear leg of a cow [source: Bittman]. It's great prepared as a pot roast or in a slow cooker, as both these methods help tenderize this tough, lean meat [source: The Meat Source, USDA].

Here's how to make a pot roast out of a bottom round cut.

Ingredients:

One 4-pound (1.8-kilogram) bottom round roast
Salt and pepper
5 tablespoons oil
Four medium carrots, cut roughly
Three small onions, diced
One head of garlic, crushed
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups red wine
Five sprigs thyme
2 ½ tablespoons honey

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius).
Season the roast with salt and pepper.
Brown the meat in oil in a large pot. Be sure to brown on all the sides. Remove the meat from the pot.
Sauté the carrots, onions and garlic in the same pot for five minutes.
Stir in the remaining ingredients, except for the potatoes.
Return the roast to the pot. Cover the pot and place it in the oven.
Bake for two hours, turning the meat twice.
Uncover and bake 30 to 45 minutes or until fork-tender [source: Lieberman].

Here's how to cook bottom round roast in a slow cooker.

Ingredients:

One 1 ½-pound (680-grams) bottom round roast
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons oil
One to two carrots, cut in chunks
One to two ribs of celery, sliced
One medium onion, sliced
Two cloves garlic, minced
One can beef broth
Four sprigs thyme
Two tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
1 cup water

Directions:

Season the meat with the salt and pepper, and then coat it with flour.
Brown the meat on all sides in oil in a heavy pan. Remove the meat from the pan.
Arrange the vegetables on the bottom of the slow cooker.
Place the roast on top of the vegetables.
Pour the beef broth and the water on top of the meat.
Add the garlic, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce to the slow cooker.
Set the slow cooker to low, and let everything cook for eight hours [source: Lee].
Serve the meat and vegetables with the gravy from the slow cooker.