Roast Beast questions.

[buckytom]

i just did a little food shopping to help out some friends that are going through a rough patch, and knowing they really like it, i picked up some cold cut roast beef for sandwiches this week.

the deli counter guy gave me a slice to try (i haven't been given a sample slice of cold cuts since i was a little boy, woohoo!) and i happened to notice that it was extremely moist, almost wet.

it made me wonder if delis normally brine their roast beef to get it that way?

also, every deli i've been to seems to sell roast beef that is roughly the same shape: a somewhat long oval.

i've seen eye round roast beef, but what cut is used to make the long oval?

most top, bottom, and rump roasts i've bought to make roast beef aren't quite the same shape.

does anyone know about brining and the cut used to make deli roast beast?

tia.

 

[Siegal]

Our restaurant makes our roast beef. The reason it's so moist is bc it's mostly raw and bloody. We use filet and don't brine it. Just make a rub.

When we used to buy the roast beef it would come in a big cryovacked package I think it was sitting in preservative brine like juices. Most deli meat is injected with a solution.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I always thought that the commercial turkey, beef etc. was cooked in the sealed bag that you see at the deli counter. Sort of like a commercial Sous-vide process that would tenderize the tougher cuts of meat.

 

[msmofet]

When I worked at the deli we got large raw roast beef in the same kind of wrap like you see meats in the case. We cut the package open seasoned the meat and roasted it. No brine in package just blood. I have no clue what cut it was. We did have to trim it and the trimings were ground and added to the chop meat for meatloaf or meatballs.

 

[buckytom]

thanks siegal, b, and mofet.

I always thought that the commercial turkey, beef etc. was cooked in the sealed bag that you see at the deli counter. Sort of like a commercial Sous-vide process that would tenderize the tougher cuts of meat.

i saw a 'how do they do it" show once about how cold cut turkey is made. it explains how a large round ball can be called 100% turkey breast.

boneless turkey breasts (sort of football shaped each) are injected with an enzyme in many spots, then put into big tumblers for a while that causes them to ooze a digested bit of themselves to make them sticky. 3 or 4 of the breasts are then put into a round mould which is sealed and steam cooked (sous vide-ish), causing the breasts to fuse together from the ooze into the round shape. the mould is removed, flavourings sprayed on, and a final baking and repackaging is done before they're shipped out, again, as 100% turkey breast which technically they really are.

if you look closely at thin sliced turkey cold cuts, you can almost see the seams between, or pull them apart at the individual breasts.


i'm not sure if the same method applies to the roast beef cold cuts. besides, there are cuts of beef large enough to make a single roast like that. i've often seen them served as steamship roasts, so i did a little search on that.

it looks like the cut of meat that i was talking about was a subprimal cut known as the top round. here's a cool site that explains a breakdown of a primal cut of beef: AustinTexasButcher: Steamship Round. The Breakdown.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

I read once you can still get real Arby's Roast Beef, made from an eye round, or whichever real/ whole/ cut, not pressed and pre-sliced. Somewhere in Maine. Where I am not. It might be an urban myth though. I also liked Arby's white sauce which in later life I discovered is a diluted horseradish sauce.

BT, that's nice you help out your friends.

 

[lyndalou]

So good of you to help out friends, Bucky. We all could take a lesson from that, I think. I did buy school clothes for 4 children whose single dad lost his job, but I am going to think a little further out of the box.

 

[CWS4322]

A friend of mine was fired from her job (because she couldn't work, car accident, long story, but it took 4 YEARS to settle). I used to buy about $80 of groceries for her every 2-3 weeks and always the things she liked (and could not afford). It makes the world of difference when times are tough to have food in the cupboard. Life doesn't seem quite as rough when you have food.

 

[buckytom]

thanks, guys. it was no big deal. i spent $50 on 3 lobsters for our valentine's dinner, so buying them a few groceries was nothing.

i was a bit shocked that they killed off a little over a pound of meat in one sitting as hot open roast beef sandwiches for their valentine's day dinner. lol, i guess they enjoyed it. that's all that mattered. like a kid left alone with a whole box of cookies.

getting back to the op's thread ... ... i'm still hoping someone knows more about store bought or deli roast beef.

 

[Cerise]

When I go to the supermarket's deli, I usually look for Boarshead
View Premium Deli Meats and Cheeses | Digicatessen | Boar's Head

It can be a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. The deli usually has several different brands (store-brand is usually on sale). I compare the prices, and always ask they they slice from an unopened package. The deli always gives me a slice to taste, weather it's meat or cheese. I have found & tried some unusual cuts with sun-dried tomatoes. How the store or manufacturer prepares the deli meat, I don't know. I steer away from the "wet" cuts - which probably are soaked in a saline solution as a preservative.

When I want to treat myself, & I'm in the neighborhood of an Italian market, I splurge, & pick up some ricotta salada (not cheap, at about $15 a pound). I pick up roast beef or turkey, put it on ciabatta bread w/ a little mayo, avocado, ripe tomatoes & red onion. Heaven!