Top Round vs. Bottom Round: What’s the Difference?

Beef top round roast comes from the inner rear leg of a cow, so this beef round comes with a lot of muscular connective tissue and low total fat content (or marbling).

Slow cooking methods—such as braising at a low temperature for a long cook time—can help dissolve this tissue and increase tenderness and flavor in these cuts of meat. If you have a more limited prep time—maybe you’re in a rush on a weeknight—you can reduce the total time by cooking at high heat. However, it might lead to a less tender cut of the top round.

Beef bottom round roast is a lean cut of meat from the outer rear leg of a cow and is just as muscular and low in marbling as the top round cut.

Like top round steak, bottom round steak benefits from slow cooking at a low temperature—this helps dissolve the tissue and little amount of fat to make the steak more tender and flavorful. Tenderizing the bottom round is also common. As with any other cut of steak, you should use a meat thermometer to ensure the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit before serving it.

Subdivided into different sections, the eye of the round is the most notable. The eye of round is a segment of the bottom round known for being even tougher than the rest of this already rough cut of beef.

Top round and bottom round have more similarities than they do differences. Here are four key comparisons between both beef cuts:

• Origin: Both top round and bottom round come from the rear legs of a cow. Top round is cut from the inside of the leg, while the bottom round is cut from the outside.
• Preparation: Both types of beef round benefit from time in the moist heat of a slow cooker. Either cut is a good option for a Dutch oven roast. Grilling these steaks can work, but the higher heat and shorter cooking time will likely lead to them being tougher in texture. You’ll experience the same tough texture if you sear round steaks in a pan rather than braise or roast them in an oven. As with most steaks, it’s common culinary wisdom to cook round steaks to a medium rare level of doneness.
• Size: Top round is generally thicker and larger overall than bottom round. Both are fairly lean in comparison to other cuts of beef roast.
• Uses: You can use top round and bottom round for similar pot roast recipes, but cooks utilize them in other ways, too. Cooks use top round often when making London broil (thick steak with a Worcestershire sauce marinade) and Swiss steaks (lean steak made in a roasting pan), as well as for deli meat and beef stock. They more regularly use bottom round for cube steaks (tenderized cuts of meat).

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