Is Eye of Round the Same Cut of Meat as Beef Tenderloin?

As a butcher, my favorite type of meat to work with is beef. For a butcher, working with whole sides of beef is one of the things they are most proud of, even more so than working with other animals.

Its pure size and versatility creates an exciting challenge and offers a unique range of options. For instance, some individual muscles are very tasty, but when it comes to other animals, like lamb or pork, they aren’t big enough to warrant a separate serving. A perfect example would be the flat iron steak. Isolate that steak in a pork shoulder, and you’re looking at maybe one or two single bites. With beef, I can get six steak portions of flat iron from this one muscle.

For the home cook, it shouldn’t be intimidating to try new and different beef cuts. The best place to start is knowing which cooking technique to apply to each cut of meat.

The three main techniques are searing, roasting, and braising. Sometimes it’s best to use more than one method. For example, you could sear (brown) a piece of meat before braising it, or you could slow roast a piece of meat and then finish it off with a hot sear. There are a lot of choices, but you can cook any piece of meat perfectly as long as you know what method to use and for how long (to reach the right internal temperature).

THE QUALITIES OF A PARTICULAR CUT

So how do you know which method will work best for each piece of meat? That depends on a few things. Lets start with the amount of connective tissue that the cut contains. In brisket and shank, for example, there is a lot of connective tissue in the muscle. This is what makes these cuts taste so good. It’s also best to cook slowly, like by roasting or braising. The connective tissue will add moisture and flavor to the meat. But it will take time, so be patient. The second thing you need to consider is the amount of fat the cut contains, specifically intramuscular fat. , which is what creates marbling, the beautiful white fat that can be seen within the muscle’s interior. If, say, a cut has a lot of marbling, you’ll have more options for how to cook it because the fat inside the muscle will basically bast the muscle as it cooks. This goes a long way toward helping the meat remain moist during a dry roast. But if you’re cooking leaner meat, a wet method will work better because it will keep things moist and make it less likely that the meat will dry out. A slow dry roast might also work for a leaner cut of meat, but you would need to keep an eye on the temperature inside to make sure it doesn’t get too done (for example, medium rare for sliced roast beef). The third (and final) consideration to know is the amount of work the muscle actually does. Even though tenderloin and top round steaks don’t have a lot of connective tissue, the amount of work the muscles have to do determines how tender each cut is. There is a tenderloin in the middle of the animal that doesn’t do much work. The top round comes from the back leg and does a lot more work. The tenderloin will only need a good sear in order to yield delicious, tender results. Even if overcooked, the tenderloin will still be tender. But if you want to make smothered steak, for example, a top round steak should be marinated before it is seared, or it could have a quick sear followed by a braise until it is fork tender.

WHAT MAKES UP A SIDE OF BEEF?

Now that we have a better idea of some of the factors at play, let’s divide a side of beef (one half of the whole animal) into five separate parts and talk about the cuts that can be made from each one. During the butchering process, the first four parts, which we can call “primals,” are broken down into “sub-primals” and then into individual cuts and portions. Animal organs and other parts that don’t quite fit into the first four groups are in the fifth section.

To keep things simple, we’ll just talk about a few of the most common cuts you can find in our online butcher shop. But with the help of a butcher, you can get hundreds of different cuts and muscles from a single side of beef. There are a few great books out there on that exact subject.

There are five categories we will focus on. I’ll explain each one in detail below.

This is the shoulder and front leg (arm) area of the animal. Since a cow walks on both its shoulder and leg, it makes sense that this part of the cow has cuts that cook more slowly than steaks that cook quickly. But because the animal has a pretty limited range of motion, there are some tender gems hidden in this primal

There are seven cuts we will discuss for the chuck primal.

CHUCK ROAST is a cross-cut piece of meat from the shoulder that has a lot of muscles and is great for roasting or braising. This portion is excellent for slow cooking, such as pot roast. This cut does best with a moist and wet heat, but it can also be slow-roasted until fork-tender, especially if it has been dry-rubbed with salt and spices ahead of time.

It’s important to know that meat starts to fall apart during a dry roast when the internal temperature reaches 180 to 200 degrees. This is true if the meat is a tougher muscle with connective tissue rather than a leaner roast like a sirloin, which should be served medium-rare to medium, or even less if you like it rare.

However, you can use other parts of the animal as well. STEW MEAT is usually cut into 1-inch pieces from the shoulder and neck area. These chunks of meat only take 1-2 hours to become fork tender. This cut of meat is great for braising because it has a good mix of lean muscle, fat, and connective tissue. Check out our simple beef stew recipe for a delicious way to prepare this cut of meat.

The brisket is a popular cut that comes from the animal’s chest. It has two types of muscles: the point muscle, which is bigger, and the flat muscle, which is thinner. It’s often used in Texas-style barbecue, and cooking it slowly over low and dry heat can take up to 16 hours. Best braised or roasted, some also like the dense texture it provides in ground beef or chili. Brisket is also very popular for pastrami and corned beef.

OSSO BUCCO (SHANK) is cut from the lower leg into 1. 25-inch cross-sections, this cut is a prime candidate for slow, wet cooking. It’s not very fat, but the connective tissue in it gives the braising liquid a deliciously thick flavor and keeps the meat moist when cooked long enough. Aside from being great when braised, Osso Bucco is also one of the most affordable cuts of meat you can get. The shank does a lot of work on the animal, so it has great flavor.

FLAT IRON STEAK rests on top of the shoulder blade. It is on the outside of the scapula, and because the cow’s arm can only move in a certain way, it is very sensitive. It takes some skill to cut because it is lined with dense connective tissue, but when seared, it makes one of the best, most tender steaks on the whole animal. Typically on the thinner side, these steaks cook quickly and only need salt and pepper for delicious results.

RANCH STEAK (SHOULDER STEAK) is cut from the backside of the arm (triceps). This steak technically contains two different muscles. One of these muscles is surprisingly tender, while the other is only moderately tender. However, this steak is affordable and easy to cook, great for a weeknight pan-seared option. Shoulder steak is also sometimes referred to as “ranch steak. ”.

The humerus bone, which is shorter than the femur, is where the marrow bone from the front leg comes from. It tastes great roasted in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until it bubbles and turns golden brown. Bone marrow can also be added to sauces and stocks but is great as a stand-alone item. Marrow bone makes the ultimate beef butter.

OTHER CUTS FROM THE CHUCK include different ways of preparing the above items, as well as smaller tender steaks, chuck eye steaks, and Denver steaks that you can find at specialty butchers. There are many different things one can pull from the shoulder with the technique of seam butchery.

Some of the best known and most delicious cuts of meat are found in the front middle part of the animal. If you roast this primal whole on a spit over slow-burning wood coals, it looks amazing and tastes amazing. There are three cuts we will focus on for the rib primal.

RIBEYE STEAK can be cut thick or thin, bone-in or boneless, and is best seared or roasted. In a technical sense, the ribeye is just one muscle, the loin, which goes all the way down to the lower back and turns into the strip steak. However, the steak usually has at least one or two extra muscles on it, like the ribeye cap.

Here at Augustus Ranch, we like our ribeyes cut at least 1. 25 inches thick, allowing you to get a good crust on the outside before the interior overcooks. Alternatively, we cut a 2 – 2. 5-inch bone-in ribeye, which can be treated more like a roast. To get the right temperature inside, it will need some indirect heat. The steak can be seared before or after most of the cooking is done.

SKIRT STEAK has become very popular for fajitas. At one point, skirt steak wasn’t on most people’s cooking radar. There are two skirt steaks from this primal, the inside and outside skirt. There is a small difference in thickness, width, and length between the inside and outside, but they cook about the same. This steak has a great beefy flavor, and the distinctive muscle grain gives it a great texture. We like to leave a lot of fat on the outside of this steak so that when it’s grilled or pan-seared, the crust stays moist and golden brown. Remember that it’s important to cut steaks with a very clear grain 90 degrees across the grain after they’re cooked.

BEEF RIBS are rich, fatty, and wonderful. Depending on how they are cut, they can be roasted, braised, or even seared. The amount of fat they contain gives them a lot of versatility and flavor. For slow cooking, short ribs can be braised in a tasty mixture of red wine and broth. For barbecue, they can be left in larger 4-bone racks and slow-roasted until fork tender. If you want to sear the ribs, you can cut them across the bone into quarter- or half-inch strips. These are sometimes called Korean-style short ribs. Any way you prepare this versatile cut, they are delicious.

There are also some of the best and most tender cuts on the whole animal in the back middle section. The loin primal doesn’t do a lot of work either because the front and back legs carry it around. There are eight cuts we will talk about from this part of the animal.

STRIPS, which are like ribeyes, can be cut in a few different ways and taste best when roasted or seared. As a T-bone or Porterhouse steak if the tenderloin muscle is left attached to the spinal column. It can be thick or thin, with or without bones. Some people like ribeyes better than the strip, but they are both made from the same muscle but from different parts of the animal. NY Strip steaks are typically boneless, and bone-in strip steaks are often referred to as Kansas City strips.

TENDERLOIN is the most tender muscle on the animal and is also best seared or roasted. While it tends to be a bit leaner, the tissue itself should remain tender no matter what. That is, unless you’re making beef jerky, in which case it might still be fine. This is also the most expensive cut of meat, but it always seems to work out well. Typically cut into medallions and seared (filet mignon) or left as a whole roast. This is an excellent beginner cut because it’s so easy to cook.

FLANK STEAK is a unique, flat steak with a distinctive grain and good flavor that’s best when seared. Also popular for fajitas, this cut is easy to cook and eat. Some people like to stuff, roll, and tie it for different recipes like pinwheel or braciole because it is flat and long with an even thickness.

SIRLOIN FLAP, also known as Bavette steak, has strong directional muscle grains and great beefy flavor. This cut is best seared. It’s not as tender as the skirt or flank, but who cares if their steak has a little more chew to it if it tastes good? The whole muscle is pretty big, which is why it’s usually cut into three or four pieces per muscle.

HANGER STEAK is unusual because of its grain and strong beef flavor, but absolutely delicious seared. There is only one of these steaks per animal, so you won’t see many of them, but the butcher really likes them. This steak hangs from the inside of the hindquarter after the animal has been killed and cut into quarters, which is how it got its name.

When seared or roasted, TOP SIRLOIN has a good flavor and a fairly tender texture, even though it tends to be lein. It is also a mid-priced steak, which is why many folks enjoy it regularly. If not, it can be left in a bigger shape and still make great roast beef as long as the temperature inside is kept high. Medium rare will be best with this cut.

The cap muscle on the top sirloin is one of my personal favorites. It has a thick, wonderful fat cap that will get very crispy if scored, salted, and roasted hot. The top sirloin cap can also be cut into one-inch steaks, otherwise known as Coulotte steaks. This muscle is very popular in Brazil because of its fat cap. It is called Picanha and is usually cooked on skewers over hot coals. Top sirloin caps are best seared or roasted.

TRI-TIP is a three-point (hence the name), elongated, triangular-shaped roast that was made popular as barbecue in California. Just like the top sirloin, it’s a little leaner but has a lot of fat on the outside, which will help it get a good crust and stay moist while it’s cooking. Typically, this cut is seared then roasted over indirect heat to finish (or vice versa).

The round primal is the hind leg of the animal. This part of the animal is very lean but very useful. It can be used to make cheap steaks, cutlets, roasts, ground meat, and stew meat. The leg can also be left whole and cooked as a Steamship, which is a huge beef roast with a cleaned (frenched) shank bone sticking out! We will talk about six main parts from the round primal.

TOP ROUND is a big leg muscle that is great for roast beef, steaks, or beef jerky. It is also called the “inside round” because it is located on the inside of the leg. Also popular for thin-sliced, deli-style cold cut roast beef, top round is best roasted, seared, or braised. Top round also has a cap muscle that can be isolated, cleaned, and cooked medium-rare. Not particularly tender, this cut has good flavor. A marinated top round steak can be the perfect steak on a budget.

Bottom Round, also called the outside round because it is on the outside of the leg, is another big leg muscle with a different grain pattern than the top round. This muscle is also great for roast beef or tenderized beef cutlets. The bottom round is best roasted, seared, or braised. It is sometimes called London broil, but London broil is actually a cooking method, not a cut.

The eye of the round is a small, cylinder-shaped muscle that runs from the back of the leg to the bottom of the round. If left attached to the bottom round, the whole portion is referred to as a Gooseneck. This muscle is good roasted, seared, or made into beef jerky. Sometimes cut into small little steaks called minute steaks for pan searing.

There are a few different muscles that make up knuckle, which is also called a sirloin tip. These muscles can be separated into single steaks, but there is a lot of connective tissue to deal with. The knuckle tastes best when seared or braised, but it can also be used in stew meat if you give it enough time to cook the connective tissue through.

SHANK (OSSO BUCCO) is from the lower leg area and can be cross-cut into sections and braised. Full of connective tissue, this cut does great with slow, wet cooking. The connective tissue will eventually render moist deliciousness and serves as a natural sauce thickener.

It is the best marrow bone in the whole animal. It comes from the femur, which is the upper leg bone. This bone is great for cutting down the middle or into cross-sections. It tastes and feels rich and decadent when roasted.

Eye Of Round Roast, Juicy and Tender! Delicious!