For the Marinade

• Diary products do a better job of tenderizing meat than an acid-based liquid which primarily adds flavor. Combine yogurt, buttermilk or whole milk with either fresh or dried herbs. For example, an Italian roast calls for your choice of fennel, garlic, basil and oregano. Combine the herbs and diary product in the blender if the herbs are fresh. Rinse off the roast after you're done marinating and pat dry.

On the Rub

• Pat on a dry rub before you brown the roast. Some of the herbs in the dairy marinade penetrate the round roast, but adding a dry rub kicks up the flavor even more. Browning the rub when you brown the meat gives a different flavor to the herbs. Dry herbs and seasonings work better as a dry rub than fresh ones do. Massage the rub onto the roast. If you want a south-of-the-border flavor, use cilantro, onion powder, cumin and coriander seeds. Brown the roast in just enough cooking oil to cover the bottom of the pan. The oil should shimmer when it's hot enough. Deglaze the pan with a splash of liquid and add to the braise.

In the Braise

• Bottom round roast needs moisture while it slow cooks. If you don't add moisture, by the time the connective fibers and collagen in the meat have softened and melted, the meat has dried out. Herbs like rosemary, sage and bay leaves are strongly flavored and benefit from long simmering. Others like thyme and chervil are delicately flavored. By the time the roast is done, their flavor is almost cooked out. For a roast reminiscent of the flavors of the south of France, use rosemary, garlic, chives and savory. Either finely chop the herbs so they blend into the braising liquid or put the herbs in a cheesecloth sack that you place into the liquid. Fish the sack out when the roast is finished

At the End

• Freshen the flavors of the herbs you've used in the marinade, rub and braise by roughly chopping the more delicately flavored herbs such as thyme and tarragon and sprinkling over each serving. The classic osco busco uses gremolata -- fresh minced parsley, lemon peel and garlic -- as a garnish for veal shank, but there's no reason you can't use gremolata to garnish a beef bottom round roast.