The round cut is one of the more inexpensive and leaner primal cuts. It is often used in ground beef, steaks to marinate or roasts.
It gets its name, very simply from where it comes from, the “round” or rear leg of the cow. It is also sometimes referred to as the “beef hip.”
Eye of Round Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.
The round itself is divided into several different cuts. Those cuts include the eye of round (an extremely lean cut that looks like a tenderloin), bottom round (often used for slow cooking), and the top round (a lean roast that is also often slow cooked).
As you may expect, the top round comes from the top of the cow’s rear, but the bottom round actually comes from more of the center. The eye is not in between, it is parallel to the bottom round and gets its name from the elongated muscle located in the center of the round.
Sirloin Tip Side Steak
The round may also include the knuckle, as known as the sirloin tip, depending on how the round is separated from the loin.
Round cuts dry out during dry-heating cooking meth like roasting or grilling, which is why slow cooking is the preferred method. When cooked slow and braised, the meat tenderizes better. The cut’s lack of fat and marbling is what causes to dry out.
In other nations, the the round cut is one of the more popular. In many South American nations, like Brazil and Argentina, they eat a cut knows as the “Picanha” or rump cover. The Picanha is a prized cut in Brazil and there, the fat stays on until the steak has been cooked, unlike in the U.S.
