Meat Selection

[trillo15]

Hey Everyone!

Still new to this, and learning everyday. So far on my smoker, I have only done Pork Ribs, Loin, and Chicken. I want to take a foray in to the beef world now. I went down to the local grocery and took a good look through the meat section. This is what I found:

Sirloin Tip Roast
Outside Round Roast
Whole Outside Round
Whole Inside Round
Whole Strip Loin

Can anyone shed some light into these? What I would specifically like to know is are these good cuts, which work best for smoking and why, and which work best for steaks and such.

Thanks in advance!

 

[old sarge]

Here is a chart on the various grades. AA is going to be rather lean with AAA being better marbled. Almost any grade can be smoked, grilled, roasted, or ground up for some real tasty burgers. Leaner cuts may need injecting with broth or brining before smoking while cuts closer to prime need less or none at all. Here is a chart:

 

[trillo15]

Here is a chart on the various grades. AA is going to be rather lean with AAA being better marbled. Almost any grade can be smoked, grilled, roasted, or ground up for some real tasty burgers. Leaner cuts may need injecting with broth or brining before smoking while cuts closer to prime need less or none at all. Here is a chart:

Thanks Old Sarge!

 

[pops6927]

Sirloin Tip Roast
Outside Round Roast
Whole Outside Round
Whole Inside Round
Whole Strip Loin

Best way to describe these is with a beef hindquarter graphic:

See the left-hand section called the 'Sirloin Tip'. This is where the sirloin tip roast comes from. The outer part of the sirloin tip is removed:

leaving it 'with cap removed':

It can be used as a roast or sliced into any thickness steaks - it is of good tenderness, usually done to medium to medium rare.

From the Round:

Outside Round Roast: This is known as the 'bottom/eye' round roast. Less tender than Sirloin Tip or Inside Round roast. See a Round Steak:

On the left is the bottom/eye, on the right is the top round. Around the bone is part of the sirloin tip. The part on the left is the bottom, nearest the front, and the eye, in the back. Those can be separated.

Whole Outside Round: this is known as a whole bottom round; i.e. the "outside of the round". It may or may not have the eye of the round attached. It is the outer layer of hind muscles. This is the least tender of all the cuts; best used as beef roasts, not steaks.

Shown with the outline of the Eye of the Round:

Whole Inside Round: This is the interior of the round, also known as Top Round.

It is The Top Round. This is used as a thick cut steak cooked as a London Broil (cooking method) to medium rare, sliced thin across the grain.

Showing the parts labeled:

Whole Strip Loin: I am assuming boneless.

This is where NY Strip steaks come from. Looking at the diagram, the section called "Loin" is the entire loin of beef. The Strip loin is about where the pointer line falls on the beef - below that line. Once the Strip aloin is removed, you have a strip of solid muscle called the Strip loin: (this is the tenderest of all steaks)

The difference between the 'outside' round and the 'inside' round:
Outside Inside

 

[trillo15]

Sirloin Tip Roast
Outside Round Roast
Whole Outside Round
Whole Inside Round
Whole Strip Loin

Best way to describe these is with a beef hindquarter graphic:

View attachment 355189

See the left-hand section called the 'Sirloin Tip'. This is where the sirloin tip roast comes from. The outer part of the sirloin tip is removed:
View attachment 355190
leaving it 'with cap removed':
View attachment 355191
It can be used as a roast or sliced into any thickness steaks - it is of good tenderness, usually done to medium to medium rare.

From the Round:

Outside Round Roast: This is known as the 'bottom/eye' round roast. Less tender than Sirloin Tip or Inside Round roast. See a Round Steak:

View attachment 355192

On the left is the bottom/eye, on the right is the top round. Around the bone is part of the sirloin tip. The part on the left is the bottom, nearest the front, and the eye, in the back. Those can be separated.

Whole Outside Round: this is known as a whole bottom round; i.e. the "outside of the round". It may or may not have the eye of the round attached. It is the outer layer of hind muscles. This is the least tender of all the cuts; best used as beef roasts, not steaks.

Shown with the outline of the Eye of the Round:

View attachment 355193

Whole Inside Round: This is the interior of the round, also known as Top Round.

View attachment 355194

It is The Top Round. This is used as a thick cut steak cooked as a London Broil (cooking method) to medium rare, sliced thin across the grain.

Showing the parts labeled:

View attachment 355195

Whole Strip Loin: I am assuming boneless.

This is where NY Strip steaks come from. Looking at the diagram, the section called "Loin" is the entire loin of beef. The Strip loin is about where the pointer line falls on the beef - below that line. Once the Strip aloin is removed, you have a strip of solid muscle called the Strip loin: (this is the tenderest of all steaks)

View attachment 355196

The difference between the 'outside' round and the 'inside' round:
Outside Inside

View attachment 355197

Thanks so much for the help!