4 lb . Bottom round roast

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1

I recently cooked a 4 lb. Round roast at 130 F for 28 hrs. Medium rare - perfect, tenderness ,-outstanding, texture?.. that is my question. The texture, was like the meat broke down. Too long a cook time?

2

One of the objectives of SV cooking is to tenderize usually tough cuts of meat. As you discovered, over tenderized meat will have an unusual texture. Could you accept your meat being less than oustandingly tender?

Have you previously had success using that time and temperature with a similar roast?

I like a bit of “chew” in my meat so 28 hours seems long to me. Depending on meat thickness and heritage i cook similar pieces 16 to 24 hours.

3

Frank, thank you for your reply. I’ll try your suggestion of 16 to 24 hours.

Thanks again,

Bill

4

@Bill_Lynch, split the difference and try the 20 hours. Do yourself a big favour and make a record of the times, temperatures and a review of the outcome in a journal so that you can refer them in future.

5

Thank you, great advise.

I wouldn’t think 4 hrs would make a difference, but obviously it does.

Bill

6

Bill, if you do think about it, almost 30% less time could result in a significant change in texture for you.

And while you are thinking about your next cook, you might want to consider the meat’s thickness and shape rather than its weight in determining time. Consider that Round Roasts are cut in a variety of shapes which can affect cooking times with rectangles taking up to twice as long as the flatish cuts. Record thickness in your cooking journal too to replicate outcomes.

7

Hey Bill, i’m usually more observant than this having just noticed you were cooking a bottom round roast. You might want to move your next purchase higher up the hind leg. Consider buying a Top Round, Rump, or Sirloin Tip roast that will require a more moderate cooking time.

8

Hey Frank, you got it on. Thank you, again. Very much appreciated.

Bill

9

My pleasure, glad to be helpful.

You will find Ember’s suggestion of record keeping for everything you cook to be an essential system leading to consistent cooking success. Satisfying outcomes are the result of attention to facts and detail, rarely guesswork or others’ faulty recipes.

Do well.