How to Choose a Good Roast

From Grandma's favorite recipe book to Julia Child's "The French Chef Cookbook," instructions on how to prepare a flavorful and tender roast beef are to be found among the pages. The human love affair with tender, juicy beef is a constant throughout history. A fatted calf plumped up for communal celebrations is mentioned in the Bible. A gravy-covered pot roast is a traditional hearty dinner, and an elegant wedding reception may feature tenderloin on its menu. Beef, in its many cuts and forms, is recognized as a staple of modern diets.

Instructions

1. Determine the cut of beef according to how it will be cooked and how many servings you need. A 3- to 4-oz. serving is considered a healthy portion. However, buy additional meat to allow for shrinkage and heartier appetites.

2. Buy a less expensive yet flavorful chuck roast if the meat will be used in a stew or braised with liquid as in a pot roast. Consider a seven-bone chuck roast no bigger than 3 1/2 lbs. as recommended by the Cooks Illustrated magazine editors in "Italian Classics". You may also choose a top-blade roast that has connective tissue and tie the meat with twine during cooking to keep it from falling apart. A chuck-eye roast is often thicker than the other cuts and needs a longer cooking time and should also be tied.

3. Select a more expensive tenderloin, standing rib or rib-eye cut for dry-roasting. The meat should be at least 2 in. thick and roasted using a meat thermometer. Look for meat that is nicely streaked with fat. The fat gives more flavor to the roast. Prime beef has more fat streaks than choice cuts.

4. Choose a roast that is firm to the touch and a cherry-red color. According to Truestar Health, a prepackaged roast should be cold and free of punctures in the wrap. Buy within the stamped sell-by date.

Source: eHow