Round and Shank Primals
What is the Round Primal? - Best Online Steaks
My favorite way to prepared roasts from the Round Primal is to pressure cook them with fresh vegetables in beef bone broth. -Kevin Bouchard
The Round Primal, also called the Beef Hip, features cuts of meat from the rump as well as the rear legs. These cuts of meat often provide leaner meats; however, because the muscles in this area are used for walking, the meat also tends to be less tender, which means it usually benefits from being slow cooked.
The Steaks and Roasts of the Round Primal
- The Steamship Round - The Steamship Round, sometimes also called Beef Round, Barron of Beef, Handle on, and Rump and Shank Partially Off, is often baked or roasted and is most commonly used by restaurants, caterers, cafeterias, and other foodservice operations.
- Outside Round Flat - The Outside Round Flat, also known as the Bottom Round Flat, gets its name because, once the heel is removed, it is the flat piece of the round that is left. It features the largest segment of the full bottom round that is removed from the heel and is usually divided into various inexpensive cuts, including bottom round steaks, western steaks, western strip steaks, outside round rump roasts, and bottom round roasts, which are lean cuts but benefit from some method of tenderizing. The meat from this subsection is usually baked, roasted, pan-broiled, or braised to tender perfection.
- Outside Round Heel - The Outside Round Heel is the portion of the full bottom round that is removed from the Outside Round Flat. It is smaller than the Outside Round Flat and typically only includes two main cuts of meat:
- Merlot Steak - Merlot Steaks resemble Flank Steaks; however, they have a finer grain. They usually benefit from being grilled quickly over high heat, or they can be broiled.
- Braison Cuts - The Braison Cut is a smaller, boneless, round cut, which can be braised or pot-roasted to make an Osso-Buco-style roast.
- Eye of Round Roast - The Eye of Round Roast, also called Round Eye Pot Roast, features a lean, tasty cut of meat that can be baked, braised, or roasted for casual meals. It can also be used to make roast beef like your favorite deli.
- Eye of Round Steak
- The Eye of Round Steak, also known as Beef Round Eye Round Steak, is a boneless, lean cut of meat that tastes similar to more expensive cuts of steaks but at a fraction of the cost. The Eye of Round Steak typically benefits from being marinated and then skillet cooked or grilled. It can also be stir-fried, pan-broiled, and oven broiled.
What is the Shank Primal?
The Shank Primal features the section of the leg that is used exclusively for walking; therefore, it is usually cut into Shank Cross-Cuts, which are used for braising, tender, rich-flavored dishes, such as Beef Caldo and Osso Buco.
- Shank Cross-Cut (Osso Buco) - The Shank Cross-Cut, also known as Cross Cut Shanks, Center Beef Shanks, and Fore Shanks, is a cross-segment of the leg that is used solely for mobility, which results in a lean meat that benefits most from slow cooking or braising. The Shank Cross-Cut can be bone-in or boneless and is often used to make hearty roasts and soups, such as Osso Buco and Beef Caldo. The bones provide an intense beef flavor that can also be baked or roasted and then used to make beef broth.