- Season
- Available all year round; fresh and dry-aged loin is sold continuously by Czech butchers and supermarkets.
- Price
- High
- Nutrition per 100 g
- 146 kcal
- 22 g protein
- 5.7 g fat
- 0.2 g carbs
Beef Sirloin
Meat
Beef Sirloin
Hovězí roštěná is the boneless Czech beef loin taken from along the upper back of the animal, either side of the spine. Czech butchers divide it into the vysoký roštěnec (the forward part, known internationally as the rib-eye) and the nízký roštěnec (the rear part, known internationally as the striploin).
In practice
How to store
- On the counter
Do not keep raw beef at room temperature. Take steaks out of the fridge only for about 20–30 minutes before cooking so they cook more evenly.
- In the fridge
Store at 0–4 °C on the lowest shelf, sealed or in a covered container so juices cannot drip onto other foods. Use unwrapped butcher's meat within about 2–3 days. Vacuum-packed meat keeps until the date on the label; once opened, use it within 1–2 days.
- In the freezer
Wrap tightly or vacuum-seal and freeze at −18 °C. Quality stays good for several months. Thaw slowly in the fridge, never on the counter, and cook within a day of thawing.
How to choose
First decide which section you want. Choose vysoký roštěnec (rib-eye) for juicy, marbled steaks. Choose nízký roštěnec (striploin) for leaner steaks, roast beef (rostbíf), or even slices for znojemská roštěná and other braised dishes. Packs labelled simply 'roštěná' or 'roštěná plátky' are usually slices of the loin meant for pan-frying and braising. Look for meat that is cherry to dark red with firm, creamy-white fat. Dry-aged loin is darker and slightly drier on the surface. Choose fine, even marbling and avoid grey or brown patches, stickiness or sour smells. Vacuum-packed beef can look purplish when first opened and turns red again in the air. Czech labels often state the origin (for example, Czech-reared young bulls), the breed, and whether and for how long the meat was aged (zrání). Many butchers will cut steaks to the thickness you ask for, typically 2–3 cm for pan-searing.
What to swap in
Best swap
Beef tenderloin (svíčková) for quick-cooked steaks, or, for braised roštěná dishes, the cheaper rump (květová špička) or thick flank (ořech), sliced and pounded the same way, with a slightly longer braise.
In a pinch
Beef chuck (podplečí) or shoulder (plec) slices for slow-braised dishes. These cuts need longer cooking but stay juicy in sauce. For pan-searing, thick pork neck (vepřová krkovice) steaks are a cheaper option.
Preparation
Pat the meat dry before cooking. Trim any silverskin, but leave some of the outer fat on the striploin because it adds flavour while cooking. For braised Czech dishes, slice the meat across the grain about 1 cm thick and pound it lightly. Then make small cuts in the fat edge so the slices do not curl in the pan. Season with salt and pepper, dust lightly with flour if the recipe asks, and sear quickly on both sides before braising. For steaks, season just before cooking or well ahead (at least 40 minutes), sear in a very hot pan, and rest for a few minutes before slicing. Whole cuts of beef can be served pink because bacteria sit mainly on the surface, which searing kills. Meat that has been pounded, pierced or minced should be cooked through, especially for young children, pregnant women, older people and anyone with a weakened immune system. Wash your hands, boards and knives after handling raw meat.
Don't toss it
Render trimmed fat slowly in a pan and use it to sear the meat or fry onions for the sauce. Freeze small offcuts and silverskin-free trimmings for beef broth, goulash or a mixed mince.
In the kitchen
Cooking
In traditional Czech cooking, roštěná is sliced, pounded, seared and then braised in a sauce until tender. Classic dishes include: - Znojemská roštěná: braised with bacon, onion, mustard and diced gherkins, usually served with rice. - Vídeňská roštěná: served with crisp fried onions. - Esterházyho roštěná: cooked with root vegetables and a sour-cream sauce, a dish from the Austro-Hungarian tradition. Czech cooks also braise it with beer or with peppers and onion. Today the cut is also widely cooked the international way: the rib-eye and striploin are pan-seared or grilled as steaks, and the striploin is roasted whole as rostbíf. A common rostbíf method is a hard sear followed by roasting at about 160 °C until the inside is still pink, after which it is served warm or cold in thin slices. For steaks, a core temperature of about 54–57 °C gives a pink (medium-rare) result. Rest the meat for a few minutes after cooking.
Goes well with
- Onion
- Gherkins
- Mustard
- Smoked Bacon
- Black Pepper
- Garlic
- Butter
- Thyme
- Root Vegetables
- Sour Cream
- Rice
- Potatoes
- Czech Lager
What it is
Hovězí roštěná is the boneless Czech beef loin taken from along the upper back of the animal, either side of the spine. Czech butchers divide it into the vysoký roštěnec (the forward part, known internationally as the rib-eye) and the nízký roštěnec (the rear part, known internationally as the striploin). In Czech butchery, roštěnec (vysoký and nízký) is the name of the cut, sold with or without the bone, while roštěná usually means the meat prepared for cooking, especially boneless slices. The word roštěná also names the classic slow-cooked dishes made from slices of this meat, such as znojemská roštěná. Czech shops sell it as a whole or part joint, as thick steaks, and as thin slices (plátky, or roštěnky) for braising. The main muscle is the long back muscle (m. longissimus). It does little work during the animal's life, which is why this is one of the most valued and expensive beef cuts in Czech shops.
How it tastes
Clean, full beef flavour with a fine grain and a juicy, tender bite when it is not overcooked. The vysoký roštěnec (rib-eye) has more intramuscular fat and visible marbling between several muscle layers, so it tastes richer and more buttery. The nízký roštěnec (striploin) is a single compact, leaner muscle with a firmer, milder taste and a strip of fat along one edge. Dry-aged loin develops deeper, nutty, savoury notes.
Common questions
What is the difference between vysoký and nízký roštěnec?
Is hovězí roštěná the same as sirloin?
Which part should I buy for znojemská roštěná?
Can roštěná be eaten pink?
How long does fresh roštěná keep?
Deep dive
3 min read
Varieties
Vysoký roštěnec (rib-eye)
the forward part of the loin, belonging to the forequarter. It sits over the middle thoracic vertebrae and runs on from the chuck (podplečí). It is made of several muscle layers and has more intramuscular fat, with visible marbling. It is the source of rib-eye or entrecôte steaks, and of bone-in rib steaks when the rib bone is left on.
Nízký roštěnec (striploin)
the rear part of the loin, belonging to the hindquarter. It sits over the rear thoracic vertebrae and all the lumbar vertebrae. It is a single, compact, leaner muscle with a fat cap along one edge. Striploin (New York) steaks and roast beef are cut from it. When it is cut through the bone together with the tenderloin (svíčková) that lies beneath it, it gives T-bone and porterhouse steaks.
Roštěná plátky / roštěnky
thin slices of the loin, sold for braised dishes such as znojemská roštěná.
Dry-aged and premium loin
Czech butchers and retailers sell loin dry-aged for anything from about a week to several weeks, often labelled by breed or farm.
Different products, not roštěná
the American 'sirloin' and the rump area (top and bottom sirloin, tri-tip, picanha) lie behind the loin, towards the leg. In Czech butchery this area belongs to the hindquarter cuts around the rump (for example květová špička), not to roštěná.
History
Roštěná has long been part of Czech and wider Central European home and restaurant cooking. In the Austro-Hungarian kitchen tradition, slices of loin were seared and braised with onion, as in Vídeňská and Esterházyho roštěná. Znojemská roštěná, flavoured with gherkins and mustard, takes its name from the Znojmo region in South Moravia, which is known for its pickled gherkins.
In Czechoslovak restaurants of the later 20th century, znojemská roštěná was considered a special, festive dish because the cut was relatively expensive. Since then, Czech butchers have increasingly used international steak cutting and dry-ageing, so the same loin is now sold both as traditional braising slices and as rib-eye and striploin steaks.
Science
The loin muscles support the spine and do relatively little work, so they contain little connective tissue. That is why the cut can be cooked quickly and stay tender, unlike shoulder or leg cuts, which need long braising. Marbling (intramuscular fat) melts during cooking and keeps the meat juicy, which explains why the rib-eye feels richer than the leaner striploin.
Searing browns the surface through the Maillard reaction, creating savoury aroma compounds. Pounding thin slices and braising them gently in a sauce breaks down the meat structure and keeps the slices moist.
During ageing, the meat's own enzymes slowly break down muscle proteins, which tenderises it. Dry-ageing also concentrates the flavour as moisture evaporates, at the cost of weight loss and trimming.
Sourcing and ethics
Czech beef comes mostly from young bulls and heifers raised on Czech farms, including suckler-cow herds of beef breeds that graze in summer. Origin labelling of fresh beef is mandatory in the EU, so the label shows where the animal was born, reared and slaughtered.
Because the loin makes up only a small share of the carcass, buying it alongside cheaper cuts (chuck, shoulder, brisket) helps butchers use the whole animal. Organic (BIO) beef, certified under EU organic rules, is also available. Beef has a relatively high environmental footprint among foods, so many shoppers choose smaller portions of higher-quality, traceable meat.