Need help in the Far East

[ricwhiting]

I am a retired cook living in The Philippines. I'm helping a friend get his new restaurant open. As you may know, quality beef over here is very hard to come by. To make metters worse, the folks who man the meat counters have no idea what a roast is. I may have located a market that does its own butchering. My dilemma is that my knowledge of butchering is extremely limited. I would like to serve a nice , very large roast beef on Sundays but I'm not sure what cut to ask for. Because of the poor quality, I plan on roasting it: low and slow. Please also tell me exactly what part of the animal the roast I need comes from as I may have to actually show him. Thank You. Ric

[Steve A]

Ric,

These two sites should help you along A Guide to Beef Cuts with Steak and Roast Names and Certified Angus Beef site.

How you plan on cooking the product may dictate what best to buy. For example, the most popular roast in restaurants is a rib roast (AKA prime rib, standing rib roast) which is nothing more than a large THICK chunk of meat which would be cut to ribeye (or delmonico) steaks. The rib roast is popular for it's nice texture and flavor and marbling of fat in the meat.

A sirloin roast is another potential candidate for you. A bit chewier than ribeye due to minimal marbling, the sirloin adapts well to marinades which help break down some of the tissue.

The Certified Angus Beef site has good information on the cooking processes involved for each cut.

ALSO, don't be mislead by the moniker Certified Angus beef, it means nothing more than the pedigree of the animal.

Ciao,

[foodpump]

You'll also have to get quality meat, USDA prime is your best bet, Australian comes a distant second, Canadian is very good but poorly marketed. Check with the big hotels and see which suppliers they use. Never worked in the Phillipines, but have worked in S'pore, and USDA was pretty easy albeit expenisve to get.

[bigwheel]

Think you need whut is called a pork roast. Tell em to just whack off his front leg and hand it over. No need for the trotter less you into pickled pig feet.

bigwheel

Originally Posted by ricwhiting

I am a retired cook living in The Philippines. I'm helping a friend get his new restaurant open. As you may know, quality beef over here is very hard to come by. To make metters worse, the folks who man the meat counters have no idea what a roast is. I may have located a market that does its own butchering. My dilemma is that my knowledge of butchering is extremely limited. I would like to serve a nice , very large roast beef on Sundays but I'm not sure what cut to ask for. Because of the poor quality, I plan on roasting it: low and slow. Please also tell me exactly what part of the animal the roast I need comes from as I may have to actually show him. Thank You. Ric

[kuan]

Guys, he's in the Phillipines. They don't do beef like we do here.

ricwhiting: Do a search for a chefkaiser on this board and email/pm him.

[ricwhiting]

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the info. I have located a source for sirloin roast but I'n told that it is extremely chewy. If anybody has any ideas about a marinade that will still retain that "down home" roast beef flavor, please let me know. Hint: it must be made from basic ingredients and not contain some special name brand off the shelf tenderizer because it is very unlikely that I could obtain it here. Thanks Again

[bigwheel]

Sure it works like any other old tough beef roast. Just cook it with some liquid and a lid till it dies and gives up. Crockpot should work great. For liquid a 50/50 mix of black coffee and beef broth works well..little shot or beer..a littlle wooster blah blah blah.

bigwheel

Originally Posted by ricwhiting

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the info. I have located a source for sirloin roast but I'n told that it is extremely chewy. If anybody has any ideas about a marinade that will still retain that "down home" roast beef flavor, please let me know. Hint: it must be made from basic ingredients and not contain some special name brand off the shelf tenderizer because it is very unlikely that I could obtain it here. Thanks Again