Enjoying a finely cooked roast just may be one of life’s little pleasures. But, which roast is right for you? Seeing your Lowell Provision Company & Alpine butcher is the place to begin as every roast is a bit different and will bring its own unique cut and flavor to a meal. Roasts, are, generally, cut from just about every part of the cow. Some, as your butcher well knows, will take more love and preparation while others can be tender and a joy to work with.
- Your eye of the round roast is inexpensive and comes from the rear leg of a steer. Since it comes from the steer’s heavily muscled leg, it can be tough but it has an explosive flavor and can be quite lean. It can look like a tenderloin and should be cut, as you butcher is sure to suggest, against the obvious grain and the slices should be rather thin due to its tendency to be tough in nature. The best way to cook this roast is to slow roast it and sealing in all of the juices you can. Other cooking methods include searing at a high heat, braising and poaching.
- The chuck roast tends to be an all time favorite and comes from the cow’s shoulder. Again, it can be tough because the shoulders are heavily muscled. It has a nice flavor to it and your butcher will, generally, grind it into hamburger because of the high fat content. Chuck is the favorite pot roast and is often cut up and used as stew meat.
- The top round roast comes from the hindquarters thigh area and can be more tender than other butcher cuts as it is usually away from the heavily muscled areas. It serves well roasted or cut up in a stew and tends to have more flavor than many round cut roasts.
- The rib roast may be the most tender roast cut of all and a rib eye steak will emerge from the center of it producing prolific marbled features and a tender and flavorful piece of individual steaks or larger whole roast. The standing rib roast is cut by your butcher with anywhere from 3-7 ribs. When cooked with the ribs on the bottom, the fat melts away and the roast will baste itself to near perfection.
- Finally, the rump roast and the sirloin tip roast are perennial favorites. The rump is cut by your butcher from the cow’s hindquarters and will be rather tough. However, it has plenty of flavor and tends to be more lean that some of the other roasts. You must cook it slowly for a longer time than normal in order to have it come out more tender than when it went in. The sirloin tip roast also originates from the hindquarters and is best when used as kebobs or in a stew.
Selecting the right roast for the right occasion can be a challenge but your Lowell Provision Company & Alpine butcher will be more than happy to assist you and to cut something special for that special dinner.