I did a thing, Top Round Steak that is dry brined and then marinaded for even more flavor. Wanna see how to do it?
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The magic of this top round steak recipe didn’t stop with a dry brine and a marinade. I used cherry wood during the reverse sear to add a sweet smoky flavor too. It has perfect flavor and tenderness. A “fancy” dinner at a reasonable cost for the family. Let’s get cooking…
Dry Brine (think of a salty dry rub)
Your first step is to dry brine the top round steak. This is simply adding a salt-based dry rub to the steak and putting it back into the refrigerator to tenderize the meat. For the dry brine/dry rub we like to keep it on the simple side, so we don’t overpower and “camouflage” the meat’s taste. For this recipe, I mixed up a classic dry rub with lemon pepper, salt, smoked Paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Combine all these spices and rub them evenly on the steak. Once you coat the steak, place it back into the refrigerator, uncovered for a few hours.
Umami marinade
Marinading is the second step. It is a great way to infuse more flavor into the meat you are cooking from beef to pork. What got me thinking about using both was how much I enjoyed the dry brine from the Bone in Ribeye and the marinade from the Smoked Sirloin Tip Roast.
For the top round steak, I used an umami inspired marinade. It offers a more subtle umami flavor by mixing olive oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, honey, and minced garlic. Our marinade highlights the flavor of the meat while bringing that umami taste and enhancing the smoky flavor of the cherry wood.
BBQing the top round steak
Once you have done the dry brine and the umami marinade magic. It is time to head out to the BBQ to do the reverse sear with cherry wood. Set the BBQ up for indirect cooking at 225 degrees F., add your smoking wood, then place the top round steak on the grill grates to do the low and slow smoke. It should cook for just under an hour before you rest the top round steak. Change the BBQ back to direct cooking and increase to 450 degrees F. Bring the steak back out for searing, and then you’re done. You can serve and enjoy it immediately.
Low-temperature cook for the reverse sear.
Quick high heat sear on each side.
Scroll down to the recipe card for specifics on ingredient amounts and instructions.
Choose a different smoking wood for a different flavor:
- Maple brings a nice sweetness.
- Hickory has a more intense smoke.
- Apple has a subtle change of flavor from the cherry wood.
Substitutions for a top round steak
This recipe is great for any leaner cut of meat you want to make more tender and flavorful. You can change the top round steak with a flank steak, an eye of round, or even the bottom round. The key is that the cut of meat is big enough to benefit from the reverse searing low-temperature cook.
Equipment you’ll need
The BBQ with an indirect cooking setup or smoker and a remote thermometer are your friends for this cook. A large plate to have the top round steak dry brine & rest on is helpful too. Let’s talk about the umami marinade. I used a whisk and bowl to combine it. A ziplock bag to fully coat the steak while marinating in the fridge.
Storage / Leftovers / Rewarm
Storage: The top round steak can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days.
Leftovers: Oh boy lots of options here. You can make Quesadillas, Steak Tacos, or add it to Fried Rice.
Rewarm: I like to use the air fryer for this at 250 degrees F. for 3 – 5 minutes. Time will depend on the size. The lower temperature prevents the top round steak from getting overcooked.
What to serve the top round steak with…
What do you think of the top round steak recipe? Please leave us ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in the review below and tag me @thekitchenbucketlist on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Top Round Steak
Equipment
- BBQ
- Smoking wood, cherry wood chips
- Remote thermometer
- Large plate/tray
- Whisk
- Bowl
- Freezer-safe Ziploc bag (1 gallon)
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ pounds top round steak
Dry brine
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked Paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Umami Marinade
- ½ cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
Instructions
Dry Brine
- In a bowl combine the lemon pepper, salt, smoked Paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder to make the dry rub.
- Unpack the top round steak and place it on a plate/tray. Dry off the steak with a paper towel and apply the dry rub. Don't be shy to rub it in.
- Place the steak in the refrigerator uncovered to dry brine for 4 hours.
Umami Marinade
- Before the 4-hour dry drine is done make the umami marinade. The olive oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, honey, and minced garlic come together easily in a bowl with a whisk.
- Once the marinade is done and the steak has finished dry brining open a 1-gallon freezer-safe Ziploc bag and roll the opening down. This will make placing the steak in the bag easier to marinate.
- Place about a ¼ cup of marinade in the bag and lay the top round on top of it. Then pour the rest of the marinade over the steak, remove as much air as possible from the bag, and seal. Ensure the marinade completely covers the top round steak.
- Place the steak back in the refrigerator for 4 hours. I use a plate or tray under the steak in case there is a leak in the bag.
Reverse Sear & Enjoy
- The dry brine and marinade are done. So head out to set the BBQ up for indirect cooking at 225 degrees F., add your smoking wood, then place the top round steak on the grill grates to do the low and slow smoke for just under an hour.
- Once you reach your level of doneness pull the steak. It was 45 minutes for our steak. This was for medium rare.NOTE: The top round will continue to rise in temperature by around 10 degrees F. once pulled.
- Nap time…whoops I mean rest time. It is just 10 minutes.
- While the top round steak rests, change the BBQ back to direct cooking and increase it to 450 degrees F.
- Searing time. Bring the steak back out and sear for 2 minutes on each side.
- Time to enjoy the top round steak. You can bring it right in and serve immediately.
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