- February 29, 2024
- Beef
Smoked Bottom Round Roast Recipe
Discover the ultimate Smoked Bottom Round Roast Recipe, expertly crafted with a dry brine and seasoning technique for unparalleled flavor. This guide walks you through the steps of coating your roast in rich butter, slow-smoking for that perfect infusion of smoky taste, and finishing with a high-heat sear to create a delectably caramelized crust.
Why This Recipe Works
Affordable: The beauty of this smoked bottom round roast recipe is that you are taking an affordable cut of meat and making it into a tender, flavorful masterpiece! The method of smoking allows the lean meat to be cooked slowly, resulting in tender, beefy meat with a super flavorful crust.
Cooked to Perfection: Each step in this smoked bottom round roast recipe ensures that the result will be a perfectly cooked piece of meat! First, I recommend a dry brine of salt to help infuse flavor into the meat. Then it is coated with a compound butter that has a homemade prime rib spice rub that adds so much flavor! Finally, it is slowly cooked in the smoker to a tender medium rare and then seared to get a nice crust on the outside. Served with a creamy horseradish sauce, this round roast is absolutely delicious!
What Is A Bottom Round Roast?
Bottom round roast, also known as bottom round rump roast, comes from the cow’s rump and hind legs. It is a very lean cut of meat, which can result in tough meat if not cooked properly! That is why bottom round roast is perfect for smoking low and slow and then searing to get a nice crust!
Supplies Needed
- Wire Rack and Baking Sheet
- Smoker
- Meat Thermometer
- Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- Bottom Round Roast: Shoot for a bottom round roast that is about 3 pounds.
- Salt: I like to use coarse kosher salt.
- Butter: Softened butter is mixed with the prime rib rub and then used to coat the meat. This adds fat and so much flavor!
- Prime Rib Rub: You can make a homemade prime rib rub, or use your favorite store-bought version.
- Horseradish Sauce: To make a homemade horseradish sauce on the side, simply whisk together the fresh chives, sour cream, heavy cream, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper! This is optional, but a super flavorful and creamy sauce!
How to Smoke A Bottom Round Roast
Dry Brining
- Prep the Roast: Remove the bottom round roast from the packaging and pat it dry with paper towels. Trim any hanging pieces of fat and any visible silver skin.
- Tie: To keep the roast nice and round, you can tie butcher’s twine around it every 1.5-2 inches or so if desired. This isn’t necessary for cooking but for appearance.
- Season with Salt: Lightly coat the whole roast in 3 tsp of kosher salt (1 tsp of salt per pound- make adjustments according to the size roast you have). Place on a wire rack over a baking sheet and into the fridge, uncovered for up to 24 hours to dry brine.
Smoking
- Preheat Smoker: Preheat the smoker to 225 F and set for indirect heat. Remove the dry brining roast from the fridge and set it aside.
- Combine Dry Rub & Butter: In a bowl, combine the prime rib dry rub and the softened butter and mix to combine.
- Season Roast: Using your hands, cover the entire roast on all sides in the butter mixture.
- Smoke: Place the buttered roast onto the center of the smoker grates and smoke until the roast hits an internal temperature of 115 F. This takes about 1.5 hours but monitor based on temperature, not on time.
- Remove: Remove from the smoker and let rest for 30 minutes.
Searing
- Preheat Skillet: Preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. Use a little neutral oil in the pan for searing.
- Sear: Carefully place the roast into the pan and sear it for 1-2 minutes on all sides until the internal temperature comes up to 130 F or until it his your desired level of doneness. Keep in mind, since this is a lean cut of meat, it will easily dry out if cooked too long. Medium rare will produce the best results!
- Remove & Slice: Remove the smoked bottom round roast from the cast iron skillet and thinly slice pieces for serving alongside the horseradish sauce or other sauces as desired and enjoy.
What To Serve With Bottom Round Roast
Along with the creamy horseradish sauce, you can serve this smoked bottom round roast with all of your favorite side dishes! I like to pair it with homemade french fries or other forms of potato like mashed potatoes, crispy roasted potatoes, or loaded smoked potatoes!
As a vegetable side, try pairing it with Italian roasted veggies, grilled lemon pepper Brussels sprouts, or air fryer bacon wrapped asparagus!
More Recipes To Try
- Smoked Pork Shank
- Smoked Sausage Burnt Ends
- Dill Pickle Brined Pork Chops
- Grilled Beef Satay Skewers
- Smoked Beef Shank
Smoked Bottom Round Roast Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lb Bottom Round Roast
- 3 tsp Kosher Salt (1 tsp of salt/ pound of meat)
- 1/2 cup Butter softened
- 2 tbsp Prime Rib Rub or other dry rub
Horseradish Sauce
- 1/2 cup Fresh Chives minced
- 1/4 cup Sour Cream
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 2 tbsp Horseradish
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
Dry Brining
- Remove the bottom round roast from the packaging and pat it dry with paper towels. Trim any hanging pieces of fat and any visible silver skin.
- To keep the roast nice and round, you can tie butcher's twine around it every 1.5-2 inches or so if desired. This isn't necessary for cooking but for appearance.
- Evenly coat the entire roast in the 3 tsp of kosher salt. Place on a wire rack over a baking sheet and into the fridge, uncovered for up to 24 hours to dry brine.
Smoking
- Preheat the smoker to 225 F. and set for indirect heat.
- Remove the dry brining roast from the fridge and set it aside.
- In a bowl, combine the prime rib dry rub and the softened butter and mix to combine.
- Using your hands, cover the entire roast on all sides in the butter mixture.
- Place the buttered roast onto the center of the smoker grates and smoke until the roast hits an internal temperature of 115 F, this takes about 1.5 hours but monitor based on temperature and not time.
- Remove from the smoker and let rest for 30 minutes.
Searing
- Preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. Use a little neutral oil in the pan for searing.
- Carefully place the roast into the pan and sear it for 1-2 minutes on all sides until the internal temperature comes up to 130 F. or until it hits your desired level of doneness.
- Remove the roast from the cast iron skillet and thinly slice pieces for serving alongside the horseradish sauce or other sauces as desired and enjoy.