Hi gang-
Haven't posted much in a while, been busy trying to sell our house and move to CT, but I read frequently and have been having fun smoking and grilling when I find the time.
I've been on a sort of personal mission to cook my way through all the main cuts off beef this summer. A whole slew of common steaks (ribeye, strip, T-bone, tenderloin, sirloin, flank, skirt) are done, along with ground beef (burgers) and beef franks just to be thorough. As for roasts, I've of course done my fair share of briskets, several tri-tips, and a pair of smoked chuck roasts. Also did beef ribs for the first time and was really pleased with the results.
By my count, I'd down to the last major area, the Round. As best as I can remember, I have never, ever, cooked anything from the round, so I've been doing some research here and wanted to ask a bit of advice. I understand that the cuts of round are generally lean and should be cooked accordingly (hotter & faster rather than low & slow, don't cook beyond medium, pull before reaching ideal temp and let residual heat finish it off while resting, slice thin).
I am interested in trying the Pit Beef recipe, or a variation thereof. As a separate project, I've also been reading up on jerky recipes/techniques. At my grocery stores I often see large Top Round Roasts, smaller roasts or large steaks marked as Top Round London Broil, Round Eye, and Bottom Round Roasts, all of which are generally priced fairly close to one another. Browsing the weekly ads, right now one store has Round Tip Roasts on discount, and another has anonymous-sounding Rump Roasts on buy-1 get-1.
The Pit Beef recipe in the beef section calls for Top Round, but I think I've seen posts of people doing the same prep with Round Eye. As far as beef jerky goes, it seems the consensus from the posts I read is that the "London Broil" Top Round is preferred (since is can be more or less cut directly into strips) but most any lean cut may be used if properly trimmed of fat.
I have three questions:
1. First, for pit beef and for jerky, am I on the right track with the preferred cuts? If there is a significant difference in price, is another cut nearly as good?
2. Of the two cuts on sale right now, Round Tip and Rump Roast, are either of these good for anything?
3. Any suggestions on other uses I might find for various round cuts?
Thank in advance for any advice! I'm sure I am over-complicating things, but I don't want to make a mistake akin to buying pork loin instead of tenderloin, spare ribs instead of loin back ribs, etc. I'm sure most anything is good if prepared well, but as a round rookie I want to match the right meat to the application. Thanks again!
Haven't posted much in a while, been busy trying to sell our house and move to CT, but I read frequently and have been having fun smoking and grilling when I find the time.
I've been on a sort of personal mission to cook my way through all the main cuts off beef this summer. A whole slew of common steaks (ribeye, strip, T-bone, tenderloin, sirloin, flank, skirt) are done, along with ground beef (burgers) and beef franks just to be thorough. As for roasts, I've of course done my fair share of briskets, several tri-tips, and a pair of smoked chuck roasts. Also did beef ribs for the first time and was really pleased with the results.
By my count, I'd down to the last major area, the Round. As best as I can remember, I have never, ever, cooked anything from the round, so I've been doing some research here and wanted to ask a bit of advice. I understand that the cuts of round are generally lean and should be cooked accordingly (hotter & faster rather than low & slow, don't cook beyond medium, pull before reaching ideal temp and let residual heat finish it off while resting, slice thin).
I am interested in trying the Pit Beef recipe, or a variation thereof. As a separate project, I've also been reading up on jerky recipes/techniques. At my grocery stores I often see large Top Round Roasts, smaller roasts or large steaks marked as Top Round London Broil, Round Eye, and Bottom Round Roasts, all of which are generally priced fairly close to one another. Browsing the weekly ads, right now one store has Round Tip Roasts on discount, and another has anonymous-sounding Rump Roasts on buy-1 get-1.
The Pit Beef recipe in the beef section calls for Top Round, but I think I've seen posts of people doing the same prep with Round Eye. As far as beef jerky goes, it seems the consensus from the posts I read is that the "London Broil" Top Round is preferred (since is can be more or less cut directly into strips) but most any lean cut may be used if properly trimmed of fat.
I have three questions:
1. First, for pit beef and for jerky, am I on the right track with the preferred cuts? If there is a significant difference in price, is another cut nearly as good?
2. Of the two cuts on sale right now, Round Tip and Rump Roast, are either of these good for anything?
3. Any suggestions on other uses I might find for various round cuts?
Thank in advance for any advice! I'm sure I am over-complicating things, but I don't want to make a mistake akin to buying pork loin instead of tenderloin, spare ribs instead of loin back ribs, etc. I'm sure most anything is good if prepared well, but as a round rookie I want to match the right meat to the application. Thanks again!
