Traditional roast beef advice please

[Stonebriarfarm]

Well in the larger scheme of things this seems a bit trivial, after all my family has good food on the table and generally we don’t suffer, it’s not the same for sure. 5-years ago I bought a 5 lbs Rib roast (prime grade; Canadian AAA) for $54, the next year $74. This year it’s $135 for the same roast. I can’t really afford it. My husband’s family is from the UK and Sunday lunch is always roast beef, particularly on Boxing Day. All I need is tender (Costco is way more than my local butcher for some strange reason), what are your suggestions? Should I go with Prime grade sirloin with a careful cook? Perhaps a smaller rib eye, it’s only the two of us this year, but I do love leftovers for sandwiches, beef stroganoff etc.

a few years ago a full tenderloin was $24/kg now it’s $59 kg. My spouse isn’t particular, I would say poor taste, except he thinks the world of me so that’s great taste in my books.

I have a Webber kettle, a pit barrel, gas grill, an Onni and an Anvoa circulator. if I have to go with a lower grade of beef but use the sous vide to make it tender that’s OK. I just can’t stand anything over medium rare unless it’s a pot roast.

[Hulagn1971]

My suggestion is a bottom round (you can find prime in some areas). Sous vide at 131 degrees for 18-24 hours, a short rest, pat dry then quickly brown all sides in a cast iron skillet. That's the short of it.

[captainlee]

Yes it's crazy pricing. Bought one yesterday from the local butcher, local cattle. 19.95 lb no bone. Ours came in at $380. Butcher said they were selling like hotcakes. We cut it down and freeze for appropriate sizes depending on what is planned. This is at a higher price but it is fresh, local and never disappoints. Only do this once a year but it is getting very expensive.

[Mosca]

I don’t know what your local grocery’s meats look like. But look for a nice choice roast from the chuck end, the one that looks like this, with several different muscles:



[ETA: Not chuck roast, but rib roast from the chuck end. This is sometimes called “large end” or “second cut”.]

I don’t care what anyone else says. This is more tender than the loin end.

I’ve done close to 100 of these, from choice to American Wagyu. (And ruined a lot of them at first, too.) For rib roasts, USDA choice is fine. A choice roast cooked properly is better than a prime roast cooked poorly. You shouldn’t need to go sous vide; I never do. 250° oven to 125° roast works perfectly well.

I’m not a fan of the bottom round roasts, but I think an 18 hour sous vide would work. I have a friend who does bottom round low and slow, then slices thinly against the grain, and it’s damn good.

[Oak Smoke]

+1

[Davek8282]

I have done a lot of the less expensive inside round roasts from Costco. Sous Vide for 10-12 hours @132. Sear on your cooker of choice (I use cast iron skillet if its really cold out). I have the best results when cutting across the grain on a steep angle to make larger looking slices.

[Skinsfan1311]

I don’t know what your local grocery’s meats look like. But look for a nice choice roast from the chuck end, the one that looks like this, with several different muscles:



I don’t care what anyone else says. This is more tender than the loin end.

I’ve done close to 100 of these, from choice to American Wagyu. (And ruined a lot of them at first, too.) For rib roasts, USDA choice is fine. A choice roast cooked properly is better than a prime roast cooked poorly. You shouldn’t need to go sous vide; I never do. 250° oven to 125° roast works perfectly well.

I’m not a fan of the bottom round roasts, but I think an 18 hour sous vide would work. I have a friend who does bottom round low and slow, then slices thinly against the grain, and it’s damn good.

I do something similar...then let it rest for ~ 1hr tented in foil and crank the oven up as hot as it'll get then sear it until I have a nice crust....usually about 10 minutes or so....perfectly pink from edge to edge with none that fugly gray color.

[Huskee]

I've done poor man's prime rib with bottom round and it turned out very tasty- drier and tougher than you're used to- but with a careful cook, like you say, it's quite tasty on the cheap. Next in line was a strip loin, cheaper than rib roast but pricier than cheap roasts. If you want a tasty, but messy, roast, a chuck cooks up good too.

[WI Bubba]

Someone, maybe Troutman , did a post several years ago about medium rare chuck roast. It takes a day or 3 in the sous vide, but it does make for a tender and flavorful hunk of meat that would provide leftovers.

[Oak Smoke]

As Mosca said I like chuck roasts. I’ll put one on the smoker at 250 F to get some good smoke flavor then wrap in foil at 160 F internal temp. You can take it to 185 internal before wrapping for more bark and a more brisket like flavor. Place which ever one you choose in your oven at 225 F to braise for a couple of hours and it will be so good.

[Mosca]

I just got a text alert, my local grocery has bone-in rib roasts for $9.99/lb from now until the end of the year. It might be worth it to check a few flyers and circulars in your area.

[realdocBBQ]

You can do some amazing things with the combination of cookers you have at hand!

Check out Bradley Robinson's latest, showing medium rare beef dino ribs. Looks AWESOME!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdF8FsSlCWA

I definitely want to do this.

[randy.56]

X2
That end result, mouth watering.

[LA Pork Butt]

I am with Moses and Oak Smoke. Go with a chuck roast. It has great flavor can be cooked low and slow on the grill, or in the crock pot, or braised.

[randy.56]

Have you tried Tri tip? There has been a lot of discussion this past week about them on here. I have been doing one about every other month. This weeks pole found them anywhere between $5.99 to $9.99 per lb. Not pricy, easy to do. I SV at 135 for 5 to 5.5 hours, then sear I normally go to 140. After sear apply a little splash of Kerry gold butter, and your favorite rub. They come 3-4 lbs, leftovers make a great sandwich. Or Tacos, always slice across the grain. Let it rest 10-15 minutes.

I Like this: thinks the world of me so that’s great taste in my books.

[Stonebriarfarm]

I love Tri tip but unfortunately at $15 CAD minimum a pound it’s way more than I want to spend. Flank steak is $20. Chuck roast, also a family favourite is currently $23 + a kg which is a bit less than 10 per pound. Is it swearing when I say it just sucks?

[Michael_in_TX]

I agree. I did prime rib one year, but even doing it once a year I can't justify that price for something that is 'basically' roast beef.

Several have suggested eye of round and there is a style of this that I really like and it is surprisingly tasty for such a cheap cut of meat: Baltimore Pit Beef.

Basically, generously salt a chunk of eye of round and dry brine for 1-2 days. Then, over a hot fire, sear the heck out of it on all sides. You want it charred, but not burnt (careful not to overdo it). Then, over indirect heat, cook until the interior reaches a bit under medium rare. (The size of the meat will get you a decent amount of carry-over cooking, more than a steak.)

Slice thin. Like near-deli-thin (eye of round is tough). Serve on.....onion roll or whatever. My wife and I were shocked at how much beefy flavor this had with just salt! I like to use a horseradish spread.