top round
A lean, relatively tough cut of beef from the round (rear leg); this muscle does a lot of work on a live animal, so it carries more connective tissue than cuts like ribeye or tenderloin and turns chewy if cooked quickly like a tender steak.
Buying guidance
Best suited to slow, moist cooking (braising, pot roast) that gives connective tissue time to break down into gelatin, or to a quick high-heat sear followed by thin slicing across the grain, as for London broil -- there's little in between; cooked to medium the way a tender steak would be, it stays chewy. Look for firm, deep-red meat without excess liquid pooled in the package.
Substitutions
- Bottom round or eye of round -- similarly lean, tough cuts from the same general area; treat the same way, low and slow or thin-sliced.
- Chuck roast -- more marbled and forgiving in a braise, with a richer result, though it costs somewhat more.
- Sirloin tip -- a bit more tender if a quicker cook is wanted, though it still benefits from thin slicing against the grain.
Tips & common mistakes
Because it's so lean, cooking it past medium dries it out quickly since there's little internal fat to keep it moist -- for a quick sear, keep it to rare or medium-rare and slice it thin against the grain.
Storage
Its leanness means it has less fat to protect the surface from freezer burn than a fattier cut like ribeye -- wrap it tightly, double-wrapped or vacuum-sealed, if freezing it for more than a month or two.