The Chu Forums

So I tried to make a small 3 1/2lb beef roast (outside round -- whatever that means) today. It was basially crap. The meat was great, but the thin strips of fat within the meat were super tough. I always have this same problem. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

Preheated oven to 425F, stuck in roast and turned down heat to 300F. Roasted for 1:15 until internal temperature was 142F ish. Let it relax for ~20 minutes.

Am i doing something wrong or is it just the quality of meat?

I never seem to have this problem with pork.

My gut instinct tells me that it's the meat that you are buying. For roasts, I generally bottom out at AAA. Are you letting the roast sit out for 40 - 50 minutes first so that it can get close to room temperature before you put it in the oven? That's pretty important. For such a small roast, I would recommend searing the sides in a cast iron or steel pan first as well, just to make sure that the moisture stays in. Without enough mass, you run the risk of losing too much during the initial heat shock. Also, no matter how small the roast, you still need to tie it up and put in with the rib side down.

I think it was AA. What's better than AAA?
It was at room temperature.
It was tied, but it was boneless. I don't remember which side I had down though.
I'll try a better quality next time.

next step up with Canadian beef is Prime and US beef is USDA, but really, the AAA roasts that I've purchased from Costco have been excellent

Ok. Next time, AAA it is.

Just don't buy the Safeway or Save on Food AAA. Not that good in my opinion. If you let me know ahead of time, I'll just pick some up for you at Costco. I'm there at least once a week, and I buy large portions, so it's easy just to cut off a chunk for you.

i heard safeway is pretty decent, not sure from who though. it could have been that guy who works for safeway lol.

Of the supermarket meats, Safeway is probably the best, then Save-on.. But that's supermarket meat.

Butchers are a bit more expensive, but so much more worth it.

wow you seem to know your meats. you must love teh meat.

You can bet your rump roast I do.

yes, you love my rump roast.

winnie tried to make a roast type thing in her new crockpot today. it tasted fine, but it was dry as heck. apparently she kept opening the lid to see how it was going, and i figure that's what let a lot of the crockpot moisture out? not sure.

I don't why some people have such difficult time making roasts. They're so simple! ... ... says the guy who started this thread. haha.

I've never tried making a roast in a crockpot, but I'd suspect that you wouldn't want to keep opening it up.

My last two roasts have been awesome (by my meager roast standards). What am I doing differently? Changed the cut of meat. Still using AA but am getting Sirloin Tip roasts instead of the Inside/Outside rounds. Also, I'm roasting it @ 250 instead of 350.

Oh Wow... can't believe I missed that. The Cut of the meat makes a HUGE difference. Inside/Outside is definitely not a preferred choice for a tender roast. And definitely, the lower the temp and longer the cook time, the more tender it gets.

yeah, she said she just picked up any old slab. i don't even know if she knows what cut it was. but the first thing she said was that she thinks that it's a problem with the cut.

so it's the tips that we should go for?