Silverside is a cut of

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quant ...

from the

hindquarter The buttocks (singular: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed ...

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ...

, just above the leg cut. Called "silverside" in the UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, it gets the name because of the "silverwall" on the side of the cut, a long fibrous "skin" of connective tissue (

epimysium Epimysium (plural ''epimysia'') (Greek ''epi-'' for on, upon, or above + Greek ''mys'' for muscle) is the fibrous tissue envelope that surrounds skeletal muscle. It is a layer of dense irregular connective tissue which ensheaths the entire muscle ...

) which has to be removed as it is too tough to eat. The primary muscle is the

biceps femoris The biceps femoris () is a muscle of the thigh located to the posterior, or back. As its name implies, it has two parts, one of which (the long head) forms part of the hamstrings muscle group. Structure It has two heads of origin: *the ''long h ...

. Silverside is boned out from the top along with the topside and thick flank. It is usually prepared as a 2nd class

roasting Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat where hot air covers the food, cooking it evenly on all sides with temperatures of at least from an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting can enhance the flavor through caramelizatio ...

joint. It may also be thinly sliced for

minute steak Cube steak or cubed steak is a cut of beef, usually top round or top sirloin, tenderized and flattened by pounding with a meat tenderizer. The name refers to the shape of the indentations left by that process (called "cubing"). This is the mos ...

or beef olives, or split in two to produce a salmon-cut. In South Africa, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, silverside is the cut of choice for corning or brining, so much so that the name "silverside" is often used to refer to

corned beef Corned beef, or salt beef in some of the Commonwealth of Nations, is salt-cured brisket of beef. The term comes from the treatment of the meat with large-grained rock salt, also called "corns" of salt. Sometimes, sugar and spices are adde ...

(also called salt beef) rather than any other form of the cut. The common method of preparation is being boiled and left simmering for several hours. With the addition of onions, potatoes and other vegetables this results in a meal that is effectively identical to the

New England boiled dinner A New England boiled dinner is a traditional New England meal, consisting of corned beef with cabbage and one or more root vegetables, such as potatoes, rutabagas, parsnips, carrots, turnips, or onions. The leftovers are traditionally diced and ...

. In South Africa this cut is often used to make

biltong Biltong is a form of dried, cured meat that originated in Southern African countries (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia). Various types of meat are used to produce it, ranging from beef to game meats such as ost ...

(a form of dried, cured meat). In most parts of the U.S., this cut is known as outside or bottom round, as traditionally, a hindquarter is laid on the cutting table with the outside down or to the bottom, as opposed to the inside being on top. In the U.S. it is also known as a rump roast, which means something different in countries using the British beef cut scheme.

References

Cuts of beef {{meat-stub