What Cut Of Meat Is A French Roast?

With over 100 different cuts of beef out there, it's normal for the average home cook to get used to sticking with the basics. That would be a mistake, however, if you come across something called a French roast the next time you're at the butcher. This cut, also called brick, Colorado, book, California, center-cut under blade, or square roast, comes from the chuck, or shoulder, part of the cow. It's known for beautiful marbling and a superior beefy flavor. As a kosher cut, it's popular at many kosher butcher shops and is featured in many kosher recipes.

The French roast is taken from a bigger cut called the under blade – located directly under the shoulder blade of the cow. The under blade is cut into Sierra and Denver steaks, or a center cut under blast roast (French roast). It's not exactly a budget-friendly cut, but because of its generous marbling and great flavor, it's a forgiving piece of meat to work with. We have a few ideas on how we'd serve a nice French roast.

If you're planning to cook the French roast whole, you can sub it in for any of these pot roast recipes. Although it will cook beautifully in a slow cooker, you can also opt for a slow braise in the oven. Just use the French roast in place of short ribs in this red-wine braised beef recipe. After three hours with aromatics, the meat will be fork-tender and perfect for serving with creamy garlic mash, herbed rice, or roasted root vegetables.

Have a smoker? Some say smoking chuck roast just like brisket will produce amazing barbecue — so why not try it with French roast? Serve with classic barbecue side dishes like creamy mac and cheese, potato salad, baked beans with bacon, and cast-iron skillet corn bread. Whichever way you cook it, you should have plenty of leftover beef that you can get creative with — think brisket sandwiches, chili, beef enchiladas, or even fully loaded nachos.

If you've purchased a French roast but decide you want Denver steaks, it's easy to portion this cut into steaks. As long as it's trimmed nicely, just lay the roast flat and cut 1.5- to 2-inch-thick steaks. The best way to cook Denver steak is grilled on high heat and basted until medium rare. Because of the marbling, some chefs even slice it thinly and use it for Korean barbecue.