Chuck steak

Chuck steak is a cut of beef and is part of the sub-prime cut known as the chuck.^[1]

Chuck steak

Different U.S. cuts of cattle beef
Type	cut of beef

The typical chuck steak is a rectangular cut, about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick and containing parts of the shoulder bones of a cattle, and is often known as a "7-bone steak," as the shape of the shoulder bone in cross-section resembles the numeral '7'. This cut is usually grilled or broiled; a thicker version is sold as a "7-bone roast" or "chuck roast" and is usually cooked with liquid as a pot roast.

The bone-in chuck steak or roast is one of the more economical cuts of beef. In the United Kingdom, this part is commonly referred to as "braising steak". It is particularly popular for use as ground beef for its richness of flavor and balance of meat and fat.

Variations

Other boneless chuck cuts include the chuck eye (boneless cuts from the center of the roll, sold as Delmonico steak or chuck eye steak), chuck fillet (sold as chuck tender steak or mock tender steak), cross-rib roast (sold as cross-rib pot roast, English roast, or "the bread and butter cut"), top blade steak or chicken steak, under-blade steak (otherwise known as the "Denver cut"^[2]), shoulder steak and shoulder roast, and arm steak and arm roast.

The average meat market cuts thick and thin chuck steaks (often sold as chuck steak or chuck steak family pack) from the neck and shoulder, but some markets also cut it from the center of the cross-rib portion. Short ribs are cut from the lip of the roll.

Some meat markets will sell cross-rib pot roast under the generic name pot roast. The difference between a pot roast and a cross-rib pot roast is the vertical line of fat separating the two types of chuck meat; the cross-rib pot roast contains the line of fat. This is what creates richness of flavor in the roast.

Common uses

The chuck contains large amounts of connective tissue, including collagen, which partially melts during cooking. Meat from the chuck, once divided, is usually used for stewing, slow cooking, braising, or pot roasting and is ideal in a one-pot cooker.^[3] The top blade part of the chuck is preferred for grilling because it is the second tenderest steak once the gristle is removed. The fifth rib taken from the chuck can also be used as an alternative to the prime rib roast, which is usually from bones 6–12.^[4] They are similar in terms of the proportion of meat and bone, although the fifth rib exceeds the prime rib in the amount of lean meat.^[5] The cross-cut or cross rib, which is the last part of the chuck located between the brisket point and the short rib, can also be used as an alternative to the blade when cooking steaks.^[6] The chuck part cut from the shoulder clod is also used in place of sirloin since it has a very beefy taste.^[7]

Classification

In the United States, chuck has the meat-cutting classification NAMP 113.

See also

• Food portal

• List of steak dishes

Notes

1. Milsom, Jennie; Laurie, Jane (2010), The connoisseur's guide to meat, New Holland, ISBN 978-1-74257-053-2 page 69 - gives variant names as: Boneless chuck roll, scotch tender, boneless chuck fillet, mock tender steak, boneless chuck steak, chuck tender steak and chingolo (Spanish)
2. Alfaro, Danilo (30 September 2019). "What is Denver steak?". The Spruce Eats. Dotdash. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
3. "Your Guide to the Roasts With the Most". Epicurious. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
4. Gisslen, Wayne (2011). Professional Cooking. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. p. 285. ISBN 9780470197523.
5. Fraser, Wilber (1897). Experiments with Corn, 1896: Results of an Attempt to Grow Cattle Without Coarse Feed, Issue 46, Part 160. Urbana: University of Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station. p. 167.
6. Jordan, Harry (2004). Meat Harry: A Meat Lover's Guide to Buying and Preparing Beef, Pork, and Poultry. Renfrew, ON: General Store Publishing House. p. 47. ISBN 1894263774.
7. Aidells, Bruce (2012). The Great Meat Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Buy and Cook Today's Meat. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 50. ISBN 9780547241418.

Sources

• Green, Aliza (2005). Field Guide to Meat. Philadelphia, PA: Quirk Books. ISBN 1-59474-017-8.