Tender and Tough Neighbors

• Sitting on the cow's back just ahead of the rump, the sirloin contains both very tender cuts toward the middle back and tougher cuts as it nears the rump. Behind the sirloin are all the round muscles, the overall category for the hind section that includes the rump. From the rump at the top of this section and moving down the cow's leg are the tender, top round and sirloin tip from the inside of the leg, the less tender bottom round and the least tender eye of round.

A Closer Look

• A rump roast comes the lower section of the rump area and the upper part of the entire round section. Specifically, the roast comes from the muscle that sits on top of and toward the back of the cow's hipbone. Unlike a human hipbone that sits vertically in the body, a cow's hipbone sits horizontally, with the muscle resting on top of it.

Butchering Basics

• Even though the rump roast comes from the top of the round section, commercial retailers often refer to the roast as a bottom round roast or a bottom round rump roast. The roast appears either as a triangular cut or a square-shaped cut, and comes either boned and rolled or as a standing rump roast with the bone left in.

Cooking With Care

• A rump roast gives you beefy flavor, but it needs long, slow cooking or cooking in liquid to become tender. You can roast it in the oven at 225 degrees Fahrenheit until the meat reaches a temperature of 130 F on an instant-read meat thermometer before turning the oven off and letting it sit in the warm oven until the roast reaches 145 F internally. Or, cook the roast partially covered in liquid for about 2 1/2 hours for a 3-pound roast, also until it reaches 145 F.