“Thin meats, such as flank, sirloin flap and skirt steaks all do well with a marinade, and cuts from the hip or round such as the round steak, rump roast and eye of round should all be roasted with dry heat in the oven,” Majchrowicz says. “But be sure to cook these roasts just until medium-rare and carve them thinly.”
What is the least expensive beef roast? One of the cheapest roasts you can find is a top or bottom-round roast. It is cheap because it's a lean cut, and can become tough and chewy if cooked on high-heat.
Go for the chuck
The most common beef used for stew is chuck steak, also known as gravy beef or braising steak. Beef chuck comes from the forequarter of the animal consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade and upper arm. It is easy to find and it's affordable, making it a great choice for your stew.
Corned beef and corned silverside are very similar, the only difference being what part of the animal they come from, resulting in silverside being less fatty. They're also both very cheap, as their salt-curing extends their shelf life.
Traditional Roasting Joints
These cuts come from the top of the hind leg known as the Rump. The Silverside is a very popular roast with the best and strongest beef flavour of the three rump roasts and is a very popular choice. It's a little drier and grainer in texture and best roasted medium to well done.
Topside and Silverside
Silverside is leaner than Topside and can be used as inexpensive roasting joint, but the lean meat yields much better results as a slowly cooked pot roast. Steaks cut from the Silverside make excellent, tasty Braising Steaks.
Chuck-eye steaks are also known as “The Poor Man's Ribeye” because of their lower price. Chuck-eyes are a continuation of the Rib-eye muscle as it extends into the shoulder. Extra beefy flavor and lower price make this cut an amazing every day eating experience.
Shin. Also referred to as the shank, this is another inexpensive but flavoursome cut. Taken from the lower leg of the animal, it's made up of lean muscle and connective tissue that needs to be cooked slowly to become tender and delicious.
Ground beef is probably one of the most cost-effective cuts of beef, and it cooks great in the slow cooker as long as you avoid having too much liquid in your recipe. Oxtail and shank are also inexpensive options that can be cooked in a slow cooker and offer great value for money.
Considered the most tender cut of all, a filet mignon is taken from the center of the beef tenderloin. It is lean yet delivers a melt-in-your mouth, buttery succulence. Perfect for grilling, pan-searing and broiling in the oven. Available in several weights, a filet is perfect for 1 person.
For roasts, the best cuts include rib (on the bone or boned and rolled), sirloin, top rump and fillet. For quick cooking, try fillet, entrecôte, rib eye, sirloin or rump steaks.
When looking for inexpensive cuts keep these three words in mind: chuck, sirloin, and round. The chuck is fattier and more tender, the round is lean and relatively tough. The sirloin falls somewhere between the two.
Sirloin is the rearmost cut of the loin region and the least tender of the two subregions (though arguably more flavorful). Sirloin is typically best for grilling and almost never used for slow cooking. Common cuts include sirloin steak, top sirloin, bottom sirloin, tri-tip roast and tri-tip steak.
Bottom round requires tenderization or long cooking times to reach its peak flavor offering. SHANK Leg, Shin Pot Roast Osso Buco (veal), Cross-Cut The shank is the toughest cut of beef and requires a long, slow cook making it the most popular cut for beef stew.
While Prime (Canada and U.S.) and AAA are the most forgiving when it comes to cooking, they are the most flavorful because of the fat. They're very tender and juicy, meaning they are well suited for the barbecue. AA and Choice steaks are less marbled but can remain tender and juicy when cooked on the grill.
Beef tenderloin is a great choice for your Christmas dinner because it's relatively easy to prepare. It also cooks quickly, has a nice presentation, and has no bones or fat to deal with. If you buy a beef tenderloin that is untrimmed, you're going to have some work to do.
Also note that the topside is best served no more than medium rare because it dries out very easily. I'll finish the roast uncovered for the last half-hour. A better bet than topside for the same price is probably bolar blade because while it can have a bit of gristle it is softer and more tender.
Silverside beef is a roasting joint that comes from between the rump and hind leg of the cow. The silvery covering on its membrane surface gives its name. What is this? It's a relatively cheap cut of meat, which is very lean and, when cooked incorrectly, will be tough.
Topside: Topside of beef is a lean boneless cut from the top of the inside hind leg, also called buttock steak.