Wagyu Bottom Round Roast

A Wagyu bottom round roast is a great comfort food that will envelop you in warmth and satisfaction. This dish is especially cozy on a cold and rainy day, but is delicious year-round!

The slow oven-roasting process makes this an easy “set it and forget it” dish that will fill your home with a mouth-watering aroma, easily getting the whole family excited for dinner. This cut is on the leaner side, making it a healthy red-meat option that can still be beautifully juicy when cooked right. Overall, this dish is perfect for hectic days, flexible enough for creative substitutions, and at a great price point for the weekly dinner menu.

What is a Bottom Round Cut?

A bottom round cut is a lean cut of meat from the outer rear leg of the cow. It tends to be more muscular since this area is used for a lot of movement, resulting in lower amounts of marbling. This type of cut benefits from being slow-cooked at low temperatures, which helps dissolve the tissue and make the roast more tender and flavorful. Tenderizing methods, such as slow cooking or marinating, are excellent ways to prep this type of cut.

How to Choose the Best Roasting Pan

Slow roasting is the key factor in making our delectable Wagyu bottom round roast, so it’s important to have the best roasting pan that can do the job. Roasting pans are great for vegetables and succulent meats and are known for creating crispy exteriors and tender interiors. 

When shopping around for your next roasting pan, the material and weight of the pan should be at the top of your list of considerations. A roasting pan intended for large cuts of meat should be made of thick, heavy materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, or carbon steel. All of these options are sturdy and distribute heat evenly. In general, avoid dark-colored pans as they tend to absorb and distribute heat more quickly, resulting in an uneven bottom round roast. 

For roasting big cuts of meat, like a bottom round roast, you’ll want a pan with deep sides and supported handles that make lifting your roast out of the oven a breeze. We recommend a roasting pan with a removable rack to help keep the outside skin of your roast dry and crispy while catching all of the mouthwatering juices that run out. As a bonus, if your roasting pan is also stovetop-safe you can make gravy directly in the pan with the leftover drippings.

Note: while our recipe calls for a roasting pan, Wagyu bottom round roasts can be cooked in pressure cookers and slow cookers as well! A roast will typically reach medium rare within 30 minutes in a pressure cooker and can take several hours at a low temperature in a slow cooker. Follow the instructions for your specific piece of equipment for the best results.

How to Tenderize Your Bottom Round Roast

Tenderizing is an excellent way to add extra flavor to your roast while enhancing the tenderness of the meat itself. The act of tenderizing helps break down the connective tissue in your meat, making it easier to cook, cut, eat, and enjoy! A bottom round cut is a naturally tougher cut of meat, but it also tends to be more flavorful, so it really benefits from the extra care of tenderizing. That’s why we recommend the slow-roasting method.

The idea of cooking your roast “low and slow” allows the meat time to cook in and absorb its natural juices along with your seasoning, without the risk of getting dried out. Roasting slowly at a low temperature allows the connective tissue protein known as collagen to break down and melt, which not only tenderizes the meat but adds to the flavor immensely.

Tenderizing the Meat

Although slow cooking is our preferred method for this cut of meat, there are a few different ways you can tenderize a cut of steak that also work well with your bottom round roast:

Pounding with a meat mallet – physically break down some of those fibers and connective tissues with a meat or kitchen mallet. Mallets typically have both a flat and a spiky side. Spiky points cut up the connective tissue and muscle fibers, making it easier to cook quickly over high heat. The flatter side is ideal for breaking up the tissue and creating a uniform thickness.

Salting – salt your Wagyu roast beef up to an hour in advance of cooking to not only season the meat but to break down proteins and make the meat more tender. Use a liberal amount of salt to coat, then scrape off the coating before cooking.

Marinating – acidic components like citrus juice, buttermilk, yogurt, wine, or vinegar help break down tough connective tissue and muscle fibers. Mix in oil and your favorite spices to make a delicious marinade that your meat can soak in, refrigerated, for anywhere from a couple of hours up to overnight.

What This Pairs Well With

Your Wagyu bottom round roast will, of course, be the star of your meal, but complementary side dishes will help bring your dinner together. And since your roast will be cooking nice and slowly, you will have plenty of time to whip up a side dish or two!

Potatoes are a classic side dish option, and crispy mini potatoes are easy to throw together with the help of an air fryer. To really create a cohesive meal, use the same seasonings that you used on your roast to coat your potatoes. Creamy mashed potatoes can also bring some starchy heft, and their silky smooth texture perfectly balances the crispy exterior of your roast. Plus, they’re simple to whip up on the stovetop top while your oven is busy.

Vegetable sides not only add nutritional balance to your meal but liven up your plate with a bit of color. Green beans can be quickly blanched in boiling water for just 30 seconds to a minute and then tossed with your favorite spices and olive oil. Take your veggies straight from the boiling water into a bowl of ice to instantly stop the cooking and help keep that bright green color. Or, if your roasting pan is large enough, toss in some rainbow whole peeled carrots toward the end of your roast’s cooking time. The carrots will get nice and soft on the inside while crisping up on the outside and will soak up all of the heavenly flavors from your roast.