Top round roast, often referred to as a “London Broil” is an extremely lean but delicious beef cut that really benefits from sous vide cooking. With sous vide, you’re able to do a low and slow cook to tenderize the meat while still keeping it medium-rare. There’s practically no other way to achieve these results!
Using sous vide to prepare your top round roast will take longer than traditional cooking methods, however, the results are worth it. You just can’t get meat this tender with any other method without overcooking!
So, how long are we talking? I recommend 8-12 hours. Some recipes have you cook this cut for as long as 24 hours, but I found that length to be unnecessary.
Sous vide is one of my favorite ways to prepare roasts of any kind – make sure to check out all of my sous vide roasts so you can plan your upcoming holidays, family dinners, picnics, or just a special Tuesday night!
I’m so glad you found this recipe!
I can’t wait to be a part of your sous vide cooking today, and hopefully more to come!
I’ve been passionate about sous vide for almost a decade now. I take a different approach from other sous vide experts. While I love the science of sous vide, I want it to be an approachable cooking technique for everyone, and I don’t want you to sweat the details.
If you’re new to sous vide, make sure to read through this blog post or consider joining Sous Vide School.
I also have two sous vide cookbooks I think you’ll love: Everyday Sous Vide and Sous Vide Meal Prep.
Got questions?
Leave a comment and I’ll get right back to you!
Time and temperature
This roast will be cooked for a very long time: 8-12 hours. Anytime we’re cooking longer than 3 hours, we should be cooking above 130 degrees F for food safety, so none of the temps I’m listing here will be below that (even if I often sous vide beef at lower temps!).
However, I’m going to get very close to that temp: I recommend 132 degrees F for 8-12 hours for top round roast.
| Result | Temperature | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Medium-Rare | 132 degrees F | 8-12 hours |
| Medium | 137 degrees F | 8-12 hours |
| Medium-Well | 142 degrees F | 8-12 hours |
Although sous vide may seem like a “fussy” cooking method, this process is incredibly simple and hands off!
I slice this roast into 1/2 inch thick slices and serve with Creamy Horseradish Sauce, but it would be delicious with Chimichurri, too. Some Crispy Roasted Potatoes or Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes on the side and you’re all set for an incredible meal!
Get the Recipe:
Sous Vide Top Round Roast (London Broil)
Ingredients
- 2-3 lb top round roast, also called London Broil
- favorite steak seasoning or salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp ghee
Instructions
- Preheat water bath using immersion circulator to 132 degrees F for a medium-rare roast. For other temperature options, see the chart above.
- Liberally season the roast with your favorite steak seasoning or kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Add the roast to a vacuum seal bag and seal or use another air removal method.
- Add to the preheated water bath and cook for 8-12 hours. I recommend securing with sous vide magnets to prevent the bag from floating and covering the container with a lid or plastic wrap or foil to prevent evaporation.
- Once done cooking in the sous vide bath, remove the bag from the bath and the roast from the bag. Pat the roast completely dry with paper towels or a clean dish towel.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Once smoking, add the ghee and sear the roast on all sides until well browned. Remove to a cutting board.
- Let rest for 5 minutes and slice into 1/2 inch thick slices. Serve with Creamy Horseradish Sauce.
Good basic recipe. I was afraid to cook just the time you recommend so I cooked 24 hours like many other websites recommend. I was wrong. It was a little dry. Next time I will stick to instructions!!
I made the recipe and loved it!!
I had a 3 pound London Broil Top Round and cooked it at 132 degrees for 12 hours and it came out perfect! Was medium rare and was sooo tender!! I used a Dijon sauce as the sauce but need to try the Horseradish sauce. I was concerned about the cooking time and temperature on such a big piece of meat, but it really was perfect! Thank you for the trusted guidance!!!
I’m so glad to hear this, Michael!!! These cook times can seem totally crazy, but they really do produce the most tender roasts! A Dijon sauce sounds delicious.