The best cuts for roasting beef and tips on how to cook it (2024)

FAQs

The best cuts for roasting beef and tips on how to cook it? ›

Topside, silverside and top rump

For roasts, the best cuts include rib (on the bone or boned and rolled), sirloin, top rump and fillet. For quick cooking, try fillet, entrecôte, rib eye, sirloin or rump steaks. Brisket, topside and silverside are good for pot roasts, and stewing and braising steak are good for stews and casseroles.

Tenderloin. The most tender roast of all—it's under the spine— with almost no fat or flavor. It's tapered in shape, the middle being the "center cut." The labor involved and waste produced in trimming and tying a tenderloin drives up the price.

A surefire way to make a tender, juicy pot roast is through braising; that is, cooking the meat in a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pot at low temperature.

Cook It Slowly

This is certainly true when it comes to notoriously tough cuts of meat like beef brisket and pork shoulder. Cooking these cuts of meat slowly, either by braising, stewing or grill roasting, is the best way to get these tasty cuts of meat meltingly tender.

Cuts like a whole eye fillet (aka chateaubriand) are the quickest to cook and the most tender but a rolled scotch roast probably has the best combination of flavour and tenderness. A porterhouse roast is the next best thing.

A perfectly cooked beef joint makes a wonderful centrepiece for a Sunday roast or Christmas dinner. To cook it until it's so tender it falls apart, you'll need to choose a joint like chuck and blade or beef brisket and either braise, slow roast or slow cook it for at least a couple of hours.

Brisket. Universally beloved by barbecue pitmasters, the brisket is the breast of the cow and one of the toughest cuts. The grains of brisket are much coarser than those of other parts of the animal, so the cut requires some seriously long cook time.

Chuck pot roasts have more fat, and therefore more flavor, than those from the round. Beef round roasts suitable for pot roasting are round tip, round rump, bottom round and eye round roasts. Most beef round and chuck pot roasts can be used interchangeably, with only slight adjustments in cooking time.

What is the best tenderizer for beef roast? ›

Acidic ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, and even yogurt have a low pH that can assist in tenderizing your beef. And naturally-occuring enzymes like papain in papayas and bromelain in pineapples can likewise help soften your steak.

To give your meat a flavourful crispy exterior, cook uncovered on a rack set in a shallow roasting pan. Don't add water! Invest in a digital thermometer that lets you monitor the temperature of your roast – or even alert you when it's done – without opening the oven door.

When cooking a roast in the oven, keep it uncovered until roasted to the desired doneness. After removing from the oven, tent with foil and let stand 15 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute, preventing them from draining out during carving—and preventing dry, disappointing meat.

Whether hosting a holiday cookout, serving up some stir-fry or tackling game meats, baking soda is the go-to meat tenderizer to help make your steak, chicken or turkey silkier, juicier and yummier.

In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts.

Look for Marbling

The amount of marbling plays a huge role in the tenderness, juiciness and flavor in a beef roast, whether you're choosing one for a special occasion or everyday dinner. Marbling, the little white flavor flecks within the lean beef, are key to great taste.

Where Do They Come From? Chuck roast comes from the forequarter—the front of the cow. It can come from the neck, shoulder blade, and upper arm areas. Meanwhile, beef brisket comes from the breast and lower chest area.

1) Beef Tenderloin

If you love filet mignon, this is the holiday roast for you. Use our beef roasting guide as a resource to help perfectly cook this savory meat to your liking. To ensure moist deliciousness in every bite, always remember to let your meat rest after cooking and before slicing.