Every supermarket carries a variety of beef roasts, and often the labeling can be confusing, especially if you don't know the steer primal from which the roast is cut. The following beef roasts―with photographs from a butcher's block and recipes―are the roasts you'll frequently find in a market or butcher. Show 5:41 Watch Now: The Guide to Popular Beef RoastsChuck Roastannick vanderschelden photography / Getty Images Chuck roast is cut from the cow's shoulder. It is a heavily exercised muscle, which gives the beef good flavor but it also makes it tough. Chuck is often ground for hamburger because of its high ratio of fat to meat (20 percent fat to 80 percent meat is considered the best for a hamburger). Chuck is used for a pot roast or, when cubed, stew, because the connective tissue melts as the chuck braises and self-bastes the beef, making it very tender. Other roasts cut from the chuck are Boston Cut and English Roast or Cross Cut. Eye of Round RoastDiana Rattray / The Spruce The economical eye of round roast is cut from the rear leg of the beef steer or heifer. It is similar in appearance to the tenderloin, but because it is cut from a well-exercised muscle, the eye of round is lean and tough. Eye of round can be cooked with high-heat searing and slow roasting, braising, simmering or poaching. However, because it is very flavorful, it can also be cooked as roast beef. Like with other tough cuts, the eye of round should always be thinly sliced against the grain. Rib RoastThe Spruce A rib roast is cut from the rib section between the shoulder and the short loin (behind the ribs). The three most common rib roasts are Standing Rib Roast, Rolled Rib Roast and Rib-Eye Roast.
Top Round RoastThe Spruce / Nyssa Tanner The top round roast is cut from the upper thigh of the hindquarters of the beef cow. The top round is not a heavily worked muscle, which results in a roast that's more tender and flavorful than other cuts from the round. Top round is often mislabeled and sold in supermarkets as London Broil, which is not an actual cut of beef but a method for cooking tough cuts. Top round roast can also be braised, roasted, stewed or cooked in a slow cooker. You can even slice it for use in sandwiches. Rump RoastThe Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga Rump roast is a triangular cut from the upper part of the round or the hindquarters. Like other well-exercised muscles, the beef is lean and flavorful, but because it can be quite tough, the rump roast should be cooked slowly at lower temperatures (such as the pictured pot roast), which allows time for the cut's connective tissue to soften and melt. Sirloin Tip RoastDebbie Smirnoff / Getty Images The sirloin tip roast (also known as round tip roast) is cut from the hindquarters, adjacent to the sirloin. The sirloin tip roast is flavorful, but like most lean cuts, it can be tough and should be braised or stewed. The sirloin tip roast can also be used for kebabs or slowly oven-roasted at a low temperature. Article Sources The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. What is a top round roast good for?Uses: You can use top round and bottom round for similar pot roast recipes, but cooks utilize them in other ways, too. Cooks use top round often when making London broil (thick steak with a Worcestershire sauce marinade) and Swiss steaks (lean steak made in a roasting pan), as well as for deli meat and beef stock.
What is the best cut of meat for a roast?Best Beef Cuts for Oven Roasting. Tenderloin Roast. The most tender beef roast that is well known for being lean and succulent. ... . Tri-Tip Roast. Boneless and fairly tender with full flavor. ... . Top Sirloin Petite Roast. ... . Bottom Round Roast. ... . Eye of Round Roast. ... . Sirloin Tip Roast. ... . Top Round Roast. ... . Ribeye Roast.. What is the best cut of round roast?The bottom round roast is a lean cut from the round primal. It's one of the best cuts for roast beef, especially when prepared low and slow for maximum tenderness and flavor.
Is top round roast tender or tough?Top round is very lean and tough, and thus it's one of the less expensive cuts of beef. For a budget-friendly cut, top round roast is relatively flavorful. It can also be fabricated into steaks, which are improved by tenderization or marination, but top round is most often roasted and sliced for roast beef.
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