Good beef roast cuts
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. A standing rib roast, also known as prime rib, is a cut of beef from the primal rib, one of the primal cuts of beef. While the entire rib section comprises ribs six through 12, a standing rib roast may good beef roast cuts anywhere from two to seven ribs.
It is most often roasted “standing” on the rib bones so that the meat does not touch the pan. An alternative cut removes the top end of the ribs for easier carving. Rib-eye steaks are cut from a standing rib, boned with most of the fat and lesser muscles removed. While often referred to as “prime rib”, the USDA does not require the cut to be derived from USDA Prime grade beef. The traditional preparation for a standing rib roast is to rub the outside of the roast with salt and seasonings and slow-roast with dry heat.
USDA The Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book pg. The Meat Buyer’s Guide, North American Meat Processors Association. Roast beef can be the splurge-worthy centerpiece of a holiday meal or a budget-friendly weeknight dinner. There are almost as many cuts to choose from as there are ways to prepare them. Food Network star and Executive Chef for Omaha Steaks Chef David Rose says roast beef reminds him of family celebrations and the holidays — from smelling a roast in the oven all day to the delicious leftovers. What cut of meat you should use to make roast beef depends on whether you’re looking for a tender, rosy slice of meat or a melt-in-your-mouth bite that’s almost falling apart.
Cuts vary vastly in price and how they’re best prepared, so taking your budget and desired cook time into account is crucial. From cuts you may never have heard of to the best budget and splurge cuts for making delectable roast beef, learn more about the absolute best cuts of meat for roast beef. This well-marbled yet lean cut with a robust beefy flavor has been steadily gaining popularity over the years, but you may be more familiar with tri-tip as a steak than a roast. It has a unique triangular shape and is less common on the shelf at your grocery store because there are only two of these cuts per cow. Chef Rose is a fan of using tri-tip for making roast beef because it has “great beef flavor at a fraction of the price” of many other cuts.
He recommends cooking it between rare and medium temperatures, which is about 125 F to 135 F. Anything higher runs the risk of becoming dry or tough. While it can be roasted in an oven, Rose prefers to grill or smoke this cut, and he says it’s critical to ensure you slice against the grain, as cutting it incorrectly can lead to toughness. Bottom round rump is a traditional cut for making roast beef that benefits from a low-and-slow style of roasting.
This cut hails from the cow’s rear leg and, as such, is a leaner piece of meat. A four-pound bottom round rump roast will provide between eight and ten servings of meat, and it should be cooked at a lower temperature of 275 F to reach doneness between rare and medium rare or an internal temperature of about 125 to 135 F. Keep in mind the internal temperature of the roast continues to rise during resting, so keeping a close eye on the reading and pulling the meat out before it reaches your desired temperature is key. If you’re not a fan of a pink or red center in your roast beef, you may want to give chuck roast a try. While it’s not considered traditional roast beef, Chef Rose says it’s an inexpensive cut that offers great beef flavor. Chuck roast contains a large amount of connective tissue like collagen, which takes time to render but creates velvety-soft meat.
It goes by several names, including chuck seven-bone pot roast and beef chuck arm. Rose recommends braising this cut low and slow as a pot roast or in a crock pot or slow cooker, ensuring you allow the meat enough time to cook gently to prevent it from being dry or tough. Despite being braised in liquid, chuck roast still benefits from a resting period after cooking, just like its leaner, dry-roasted brethren for maximum juiciness. If you’re looking for a lean cut for roast beef on the more inexpensive side, the cylindrical eye of round roast is a delicious choice. Like all round cuts, it comes from the round primal, which is cut from the well-exercised rump and rear leg muscles. It’s a lean choice, too, since this cut contains just 3.
