The Round Primal is one of the more inexpensive and leaner primal cuts. It is often used in ground beef, steaks, and roasts. It gets its name very simply from the cow’s “round” or rear leg. It is also sometimes referred to as the “beef hip.”
Common Cuts: Beef Round
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.
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Depending on how the round is separated from the loin, it may also include the knuckle, which is known as the sirloin tip.
Round cuts dry out during dry-heating cooking methods like roasting or grilling, which is why slow cooking is the preferred method. When cooked slowly and braised, the meat tenderizes better. The cut’s lack of fat and marbling causes it to dry out.
In other nations, the round cut is one of the more popular. In many South American nations, like Brazil and Argentina, they eat a cut known as the “Picanha” or rump cap. 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.
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