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Angus Roast Beef ... which cuts to buy and recipes to cook?

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My grocery is having a half-price sale on Boneless - Eye Round, Sirloin Tip, Top Round, Bottom Round, Chuck.

Which cut(s) would you buy, and what recipe(s) would you make?

Beef! It's what's for dinner! http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/ ;-).


ps, If i also want to serve some beef at an upcoming buffet brunch my club is having, what should i do? go for some "round" roast, marinate it, roast and carve in thin slices? (brunch is on march 14...buy & freeze? or "age" in my fridge?) which round roast would be suitable? how would you serve it? room temp? horseradish sauce? gremolata? chimichurri? aioli? all of the above?

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  1. Angus is no higher quality than any other choice beef, so buy accordingly. If you're looking to simply stock up on beef, that's cool, but don't buy boat loads of it just because the label says Angus. It's nothing super-special so you would do just as well with any other Choice grade beef in your grocery store.

    Angus, in the simplest terms is a brand name.

    1 Reply
    1. re: HaagenDazs

      i don't care about the "angus" aspect -- i care about the beef.

      did you have some cut and/or recipe idea for me, hd?

    2. Of the cuts you have mentioned above, Sirloin Tip and Chuck works best for me. The others are too tough and dry. Although Chuck in generally considered more for pot roast, I have found using the low and slow method of roasting meats works well for it and comes out very tender. If possible, you should also consider Top Butt Sirloin and Tri-Tip cuts. A Top Butt Roast, I believe, was named the poor man's preferred cut for Roast Beef by America's Test Kitchen. When I was working for a premiere country club caterer years back....and also as an attendee at many events at Country Clubs myself, Tri -Tip was often served at the carving stations when the Deckle cut was unavailable.

      I was never a fan of cheaper cuts of meat in the past, cooked traditionally at a high temperature. That all changed when I started when I read an article in Cook's Illustrated a number of years back touting the advantages of slow cooking a Prime Rib Roast, after testing a number of roasts at 25* increments from 225* all the way up to 500*. It was determined 225* was the best way to achieve perfect medium-rare temperature and tender results. As noted above with the Chuck Roast Cut, it's the only way I roast meats now, including Pork and Turkey. Other beef cuts, like Hanger steak and Top Blade/Flat iron work equally as well for sliced steak sandwiches. This is actually how the large Deli Companies make their roast beefs for cold cuts, but @ 200* instead of 225*. Slow roasting also has the added benefit of less shrinkage, which in turn gives you a higher yield.

      Personally, I like to marinate only in Soy Sauce and Garlic. I know others that like to use vinegar or bottled Italian dressing...but I am not a fan of using either. I like the idea of serving the beef at warm or at room temperature for your buffet with any of the sauces you mentioned above....with a nod going to the horseradish and chimichurri. One sauce that we used to use @ the Country Club for leftover veal rack slices was an Aioli of mayonaise and tuna fish blended smooth in a food processor, then with capers added. Most people loved it and could never figure out the ingredients....including me. I only found out after watching the chef prepare it one day.

      Here's some additional information on slow cooking and suggestions for recipes that will work for your event:





      BTW, I just purchased a Top Butt Sirloin at Costco yesterday @ $2.45 per pound. It was only a half portion at four pounds. I trimmed it of the silverskin and sinew, rolled it back up to shape and tied it...seasoned only with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.....slow roasted on a wire rack....350* for the first 10 minutes and then reduced to 215* for 3 hours and 50 minutes...4 hours total time...never used a thermometer and it was a perfect medium-rare, tender and very flavorful....and it resembled a small whole tenderloin roast.. If you do not have access to Costco or a similar buying club, just ask the butcher for a whole piece of Top Butt Sirloin butchered to the roast size you wish to present.....don't just purchase what's in the case. I always request my roast cuts to be 3-4 inches thick, for something like a chuck roast when it is on sale at the supermarket.

      5 Replies
      1. re: fourunder

        thank you so much fourunder, for all of your information and valuable ideas. i appreciate it. i'm gonna try a run at the buffet dish, as a "test", using your slow roast method. here is another thread on that method, that i got from your links above: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/354187 your sauce idea with tuna and capers sounds delicious. it's a play on the veal with tonnato sauce, italian style, right? http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/re...
        (i'm afraid i'd eat that by the spoonful!!!).

        (i'm also getting a hankering for a gingered beef dish, or stroganoff. gee, i'm hungry!).

        question for you: where on this beef cuts chart is the "top butt sirloin"? is it where the sirloin and "round" rump sections meet? http://www.angus.org/pubs/beefchart.pdf
        is it the "top sirloin", as described here by greygarious: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/5830...

        the butcher at this store is nice, and i'm sure he'll accommodate me if at all possible with getting a good cut.

        1. re: alkapal


          Yes, it's where the two meet and the same that greygarious references in his suggestions...... it is the Top Sirloin Steak referenced on the chart....this is the sirloin steak you will find in most national chain restaurants when they have it listed on their menus....not to be confused with the New York Strip Sirloin. Outback Restaurants built up their empire using this cut.

          Most do not remove all the silver skin and sinew when roasting the whole top butt....as it stay together better when slicing. I do it because I like to butcher my own meats. there are three main sections of beef you can separate into smaller pieces if you decide to do so. This is true also of the Tri-Tip Sirloin as well. The reason why you would separate is to remove the silver skins and sinew, but it also make it easier to slice. as the pieces of meat are smaller....if you were to do so, you could reduce the total cooking time to 2.5-3.0 hours .

          I guess it comes down to how you would like to present the meal...but if you are preslicing out of the kitchen, this is the way to go in my opinion. The shapes resemble more of a London broil when separated.

          With reference to your Gingered Beef dish.....I use a condiment that is popular with Chinese Cooking, usually served with the Boiled Whole Chicken., but i also use it for beef, pork and any type of Asian style dumpling.

          The ingredients are very simple and can be pulsed together in the food processor.

          Ginger and Scallions (chopped or pulsed)
          Kosher Salt and Canola or Vegetable Oil...added after to the mixture.

          That's it, but I also like to spice it up at times with red pepper flakes and the addition of Sesame Oil or Chili Oil for a twist.

          I remember seeing a guide on how to butcher a roast...I'll try to research it , but meantime, the following will give you an idea on how to separate the muscles and remove the fat, silverskin and sinew. Open the link, and click on the document.

          1. re: fourunder

            fourunder, thanks for that canadian beef link. i see what you mean about dividing the cut.

            also, thanks for the gingered beef condiment. no garlic?

          2. re: alkapal


            Re: Low temperature roasting....it seems the folks at CI have varied their opinions over the years, but from my experiences, roasting between 215-225 works best for me. When cooking the full seven bone roast the cooking time is usually 4-4.5 hours...not 3 hours as indicated by some in the comments. On the topic of searing.....as in the threads I supplied, I prefer to just brown at the end in the oven at a higher temperature of 450-500*. I also recall from the article I read that searing does not really matter in the loss of any liquid when slow roasting.....placing an unseared roast and cooking to medium-rare temperature had no significant difference in weight from a seared roast....the only difference was the unseared roast appeared greyis in color and less appealing to the eye. Some like to brown in the oven at the beginning....which I have tried....I have found it doesn't really matter much...so I like to do it at the end.....The reason why I just do it in the oven is simply less clean up and mess on the stove for something I have found to be unecessary.......an option to searing not mentioned in the thread...is to sear on your outdoor grill...it solves the problem of finding a pan large enough to sear the roast on the stove.

            Re: tuna aioli.......yes that's basically it......making large amounts with anchovies may increase the costs.....I guess that's why the chef cut corners and simply used salt....I do not recall him first preparing the liquid addition

            Re: Ginger/Scallion Condiment....in the past I have used garlic.....the only problem for me is I always tend to use to much garlic and I suffer from the same fate as when I make pesto......the garlic stays with me and comes out of my pores for days.....

            Here's a video to show you how to clean up a whole Top Butt section:


            1. re: fourunder

              Certified Angus beef is the best and i have rotisseried the roast mind you using the best beef available even as a steak I managed to buy a whole sirloin tip roast and you can feel the difference in the meat but that is Alberta beef. I bought a sirloin tip in halifax and it was tough. Here the sirloin tip is tender AAA Alberta beef the certified Angus beef is just maybe a little tenderer and a buttery flavour You can grill this steak and its tender. Alberta Certified Angus Beef is what I am talking about

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