How to Cook Beef Topside in a Slow Cooker

If you're trying to figure out how to cook a topside roast in a slow cooker, here's what you need to know. Follow this easy recipe for a tender and moist slow cooker roast beef.

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Topside is a cut of beef from the top round section of the cow's thigh, which is an extra lean cut of beef, according to the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic explains that while the best-tasting cuts of beef are the ones with more fat, lean and extra lean cuts are better for your health and weight because they have less saturated fat and cholesterol. They're also usually cheaper than their fattier counterparts.

The USDA's 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that you stick to lean meats as much as possible. The National Institutes of Health notes that extra lean cuts of meat have less than 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of saturated fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol per 3.5-ounce serving.

Lean red meat can be part of a healthy diet; an August 2016 study published in the journal Proceedings of the Nutrition Society concludes that red meat is a rich source of high-quality protein and other vital nutrients and can therefore be part of a healthy diet. The authors of the study also suggest including lean red meat in weight loss diets because the high protein content promotes satiety.

Read more: 5 Healthy Red Meat Recipes That Satisfy

Cooking a topside roast in a slow cooker is a good idea. The USDA explains that slow cookers use low heat to gently tenderize leaner cuts of meat over many hours, with minimal shrinkage.

Slow cookers also require you to add liquid, like water or broth, to the pot. The steam from the liquid gets trapped by the tightly covered lid. This helps tenderize the meat and destroy any harmful bacteria, according to the USDA. The liquid also ensures that you have a moist slow cooker roast beef, instead of tough, chewy and dried out meat.

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services lists a quick and easy slow cooker roast recipe that adds root vegetables for flavor and nutrition.

You will need:

• 3 pounds of boneless beef roast
• 3 russet potatoes
• 2 large carrots
• 1 large onion
• 1 pack of mushrooms
• ½ cup of water or beef broth
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Follow these steps to make a slow cooker topside beef roast:

• Chop the ingredients: Peel and dice the potatoes, slice the carrots and mushrooms and chop the onion.
• Brown the beef: Coat a frying pan with olive oil or cooking spray. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the roast, then cook it over medium heat, until it's browned on all sides.
• Put the ingredients in the cooker: Add the vegetables to the slow cooker and season them with a little salt and pepper. Place the beef on top of the vegetables and then pour the liquids on top.
• Let it cook: If you're using the high heat setting, the roast should be done in six hours. On the low heat setting, it should take about 10 hours.

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