Time To Order Your Meat

How to choose your meat?

Standing in the meat section of the supermarket, trying to decide which cut of meat to purchase and how to cook it best, can be a challenge. In past issues of JOY of KOSHER with Jamie Geller Magazine, we tackled this issue with a complete meat guide that allowed our readers to gain true mastery on how to best cook every cut of meat imaginable.

To sum it all up, I would say that most roasts fall into two preparation categories: 

(1) braising long and slow

(2) cooking on high heat for a short period of time

Most cuts, despite their price, fall into either of the two categories. Contemplating which roasts to prepare and how best to prepare them, I thought it would be fun to cook the most expensive and the least expensive roasts in each category the same exact way to determine if there will be much of a difference in terms of taste. Do I really have to shell out $100 for a standing rib roast or can I get away with serving a $45 silver tip roast that will feed the same number of eaters? I also compared a first-cut brisket (about $16 a pound) to a top of rib roast (about $9 a pound).

ULTIMATE BRAISED ROAST WITH PINEAPPLE GREMOLATA

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I prepared the roasts best suited for braising (brisket and top of rib) in a classic French bourguignon-style and added some pineapples for a unique depth of flavor. Pineapples also contain special enzymes that add tenderness to any protein, which also makes them a great ingredient to add to marinades. The top of rib and brisket come from different parts of the cow but look so similar and both call for slow braising.

OUTCOME: In terms of appearance and flavor there was absolutely no difference between the two. Served up on a random Friday night meal, I tested the roast among my unassuming guests and no one was able to distinguish between the two. 

The top of rib sliced exactly like its more expensive counterpart—the first-cut brisket—and was just as tender. Another roast I would highly recommend for this recipe is the French roast AKA brick roast, which also slices beautifully and is extremely tender, cooked low and slow. A tremendous perk of this recipe is how well it freezes.

2-INGREDIENT RIB ROAST WITH PARSLEY GREMOLATA

For roasts best cooked on high heat and served medium-rare, I cooked a silver tip roast (shoulder roast) and a rib roast using the same recipe and cooking instructions. A rib roast is the king of all roasts and a simple way of cooking steak for a crowd. It is a roast ideal for those who love a juicy piece of steak cooked to medium doneness. A silver tip is classically used to make roast beef and what is used for most roast beef sandwiches at classic delis. I roasted both utilizing one ingredient: fake bacon. Wrapping the roast in fake bacon allowed for the savory flavor to penetrate the roast and kept the roast tender as well.

OUTCOME: There really is nothing as good and rich as a rib roast, but the silver tip was a second-best choice, especially for the price, and it was the roast my children preferred. Another roast I would recommend for this preparation is the Delmonico roast. It is a special cut from a chuck roast that utilizes the best part of the chuck ideal for roasting. I prepared a silver tip the same way as the rib roast.

COOK’S NOTE: To achieve the perfect tenderness when roasting meat, you MUST allow the roast to rest AT LEAST twenty minutes so the juices have a chance to redistribute. If you do not wait, the roast will be dry.

MORE: 20 MARVELOUS MEAT MAINS FOR SEDER