Round, Jerky, 70°

Cook Round as “Jerky” until the centre reads 70 degrees. The mark to keep is 70°. Before you pay, check once that the cut named on the package matches the cut on the slip. If the seam of sinew is badly split, change the slip from a short sear to a long cook. Lean retail grades dominate here; high BMS carcasses still yield relatively lean round. At the butcher, open Round so the slip shows 70° first, 70 next, and “Jerky” beside them.

This week, before you enter the butcher, write the cut, the method, and the core temperature at the top of the shopping slip, and at home keep the heat until the thermometer shows that figure. If the grain is coarse, give more time at the same temperature, and do not time a thin slice and a chunk the same way. The order is Round, 70°, 70, then “Jerky”. When the thermometer is done, look again only at 70° for Round and leave 70 on the slip.

Do not call the meat done from color alone, and do not read the temperature as a grade score. Check that the core temperature on the slip and the thermometer match, and do not kill the heat before that mark even if the color changes first. If the seam of sinew is badly split, change the slip from a short sear to a long cook. Match Jerky with 70 at the butcher before you close 70° for Round. Cook Round as “Jerky” until the centre reads 70 degrees. The mark to keep is 70°.