Need Help with Top Round Roast

[Peweh]

Forgive me, I'm a bit challenged with cooking/uses for different cuts of beef and am trying to branch out in the New Year! I bought a 'Top Round' roast and was trying to search for recipes... Sneezles' eye of round 500 degree recipe looks intriguing but I don't think this is the right cut (mine is 5-6 lbs).

I dug out an old 1966 Meat cookbook from the recesses of my shop and in the midst of the dilled tongue salad and other gross recipes, found a picture of the cow and different cuts but the top round looks more like a steak than a roast... and this book is skeeving me out ('shrimp in lime ring' i.e. Jello!! )

Any suggestions on how to cook? Is it a 'pot' roast?

TIA!

[AzAnne]

Can't find the link to a beef cut site that was posted here, that I found very helpful. But I did find this site. http://www.certifiedangusbeef.com/chef/cuts.php

If it's a "roast" looking, meaning round and perhaps tied w/ string then I would say that Sneezles recipe would work. Also there are quite a bit of recipies if you search for "top round".

[mundy]

Personally, I wouldn't use this cut for the recipe Sneezles posted. I think the cut you have would be better used in a recipe that calls for liquid and slower cooking. It should work out fine as a pot roast or cut into pieces for a stew. I've been planning to try this recipe from CL Jan-Feb that calls for top round steak. If you do try it, let us know how it turns out.


Beef with Spicy Cocoa Gravy


CATEGORY WINNER Entrées. "The unsweetened cocoa gives the broth a rich texture and heartiness. Serve with egg noodles, rice, or couscous." -April Sims, Denton, TX

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 pounds top round steak, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced organic fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained (such as Muir Glen)
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Fresh oregano (optional)

Combine unsweetened cocoa and next 7 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a large bowl. Add beef; toss to coat. Remove beef from bowl. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour to cocoa mixture; stir with a whisk. Return beef to bowl; toss to coat.
Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef mixture to pan; sauté 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add onion and green bell pepper to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add red wine and tomatoes; cook 3 minutes. Stir in beef broth, salt, and black pepper; return meat to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 10 minutes or until beef is tender, stirring occasionally. Garnish each serving with fresh oregano, if desired.



Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 263(27% from fat); FAT 7.8g (sat 2.2g,mono 3.8g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 30g; CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 37mg; SODIUM 731mg; FIBER 2.3g; IRON 3.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 15.3g