The Chateaubriand beef tenderloin roast is considered to be the most tender cut of beef for a roast. This cut of beef comes from the loin area of the cow, which is right below the backbone, behind the rib section and in front of the sirloin section.
The best cuts of beef for roasting are the eye fillet, rib eye (on the bone or boneless fillet), sirloin or rump. When choosing your beef cut in store, look out for: A moderate covering of fat on cuts such as sirloin or rump – which will add delicious flavour and prevent the meat from drying out during cooking.
The rump roast, although from the same primal cut, experiences slightly less use than the round, and as a result has more intramuscular fat. It produces a more tender cut, and has 10 grams of fat per serving.
Beef tenderloin is a great choice for your Christmas dinner because it's relatively easy to prepare. It also cooks quickly, has a nice presentation, and has no bones or fat to deal with. If you buy a beef tenderloin that is untrimmed, you're going to have some work to do.
Top round and bottom round cuts come from the back end of the cow. The top round is very lean but tends to be more tender than the bottom round, and is often cut into steaks (which are sometimes labeled "London broil"). The bottom round, which is divided into a bottom round roast and a rump roast, is a bit tougher.
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.
If you're out in the grocery store, look for cuts with "Chuck," "Shoulder," "Rump," or "Round" in the name. Next, notice the quantity of white fat. Remember, fat = tenderness and moisture. Lean roasts with less fat will shine in recipes with extra moisture/liquid added, especially in the slow cooker or pressure cooker.
The rump roast sits at the juncture of the cow's leg quarters and the rest of its body. This meat cut is tough and packed with collagen and dense muscle fibers.
Best Way to Use Rump Roast
Rump roast can easily be cooked unattended in an oven or slow cooker. It's a good choice when you want to make pot roast, and leftovers are perfect for hot sandwiches with gravy or BBQ sauce. You can also cook it low and slow in chunks to make beef stew.
Bottom Round Roast
Best for roasting or slow-cooking and slicing thin.
The rib eye steak is one of the most beloved, flavourful, and tender cuts of beef both here in Australia and around the world. It is also known as the rib fillet or the scotch fillet steak, depending on where you go.
Shank. Shank is arguably the toughest, cheapest cut of beef. Located in front of the brisket at the cow's forearm, this beef cut is notable for its sinewy dryness. Due to its lack of popularity, shank is not typically found in retail stores.
The Flat Iron steak comes from the chuck subprimal of the animal, and is the second most tender cut after the tenderloin. It's often considered to be an ultra-tender alternative to the ribeye.
Of the several varieties of steaks that come from a cow, the filet mignon (also known as a tenderloin or chateaubriand) is the most tender of all. Other supremely tender cuts of steak include flat iron, strip, rib-eye, short ribs, t-bone, and porterhouse.
Beef. Naturally, the toughest parts of beef are found around the legs: The shanks, the rounds, the shoulders, the brisket, and the neck. Round or Heel of Round is another incredibly tough cut of beef, which is why it usually gets made into ground beef with a sampling of other tougher muscle cuts and trimmings.
The Rib-Eye Roast is the boneless center cut of the rib section. Very well-marbled, tender and flavorful, it is the most desirable and the most expensive of the roasts.
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. Stove top roast recipes can be customized with your choice of herbs, vegetables, potatoes, and liquid braising mixtures.
Undercooked pot roast will be tough and chewy. Test your roast with a fork before you remove it from the pot. If it is done, the fork will go in easily and you'll be able to twist off a forkful of meat. It if is still firm, return the roast to the pot and continue cooking for another hour.
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.