How to Shop for a Slow-Low Roast

Discussion Policy

Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

The best cuts to buy for slow, low-temperature oven roasting are:

MORE EXPENSIVE: Prime rib, boneless rib-eye, strip sirloin, tenderloin.

LESS EXPENSIVE: Boneless shoulder roast, top round, eye of round, rump roast, bottom round.

- Select from among the well-known cuts of beef that are graded USDA Prime or Choice. Or look for Certified Angus Beef, from Black Angus cattle, which is a brand rather than a USDA grade; about 8 percent of beef that is produced in the United States carries that label.

- Never hesitate to ask a butcher at the store for help, including a request to roll and tie the roast you have chosen. More important than discovering a butcher's favorite cut of meat is remembering that while the prime cuts from the center of the steer are consistently more tender and easier to cook, the muscle density and connective tissue in less-expensive cuts can provide a beefier flavor.

- Avoid sinewy chuck roasts, briskets or blade roasts labeled "pot roast." Among other concerns, the grain of the meat in these cuts is too multidirectional to carve satisfactorily for this preparation.

- My favorite cut for this type of roasting is the boneless shoulder roast, preferably from Roseda Beef in Monkton, Md., in Baltimore County, or Nature's Promise brand at Giant Food. Dry-aged Roseda Black Angus Beef is something of a growing secret among Washington restaurateurs and people who prefer naturally raised beef from local sources. Roseda's roasts can be purchased online; go to http://www.rosedabeef.com.

-- Steven L. Katz