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Beef chuck roast sliced like little steaks

post #1 of 15
9/5/08 at 9:12pm
Thread Starter 
I got some chuck roast that's sliced like little steaks. If I broil them, will they be like ninja weapons? If I had a meat grinder I would make them into hamburgers. I didn't pick the best cut of meat, but I will make it something good. Stew is an option for sure. Whaddya think?
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post #2 of 15
9/5/08 at 9:25pm

my guess i that they woudl get tought if you broil them, they would probaly tentd to dry out very fast and have a very wierd texture. I would think a good stew would be good, so some chili if you cube it up.
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post #3 of 15
9/5/08 at 9:36pm
Meat cuts such as chuck, benefit from low, slow cooking with a tenderizing agent like tomatoes or red wine added to the cooking liquid. Stew or goulash is a definate option. Swiss steak is another. If you have a pressure cooker, this meat is a perfect candidate for that appliance.
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post #4 of 15
9/5/08 at 9:40pm
Thread Starter 
thanks, Grace. Adam, you're right.
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post #5 of 15
9/5/08 at 9:51pm
Oops...forgot to advise you to dust the meat in seasoned flour* first, then sear it in a little hot oil, doing only a few at a time to keep the pan from cooling, and preventing the meat from simply 'steaming' in stead of browning. Then deglaze the pan, and add that to the meat. yum. :)

seasoned flour: all purpose flour with the seasoning of your choice added in.
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post #6 of 15
9/5/08 at 10:03pm
Thread Starter 
Thx, Grace.
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post #7 of 15
9/5/08 at 10:11pm
Some parts of the chuck are tender enough to broil. A lot depends on the butchering itself too.

Some good ideas already. You have a lot of options.

You can cube the meat and make chili -- it's as though 1/3 of your cutting was already done for you. And hey, it's an excuse to have corn bread.

You can certainly pound or jaccard the meat, use a tenderizing marinade (beer for instance) and grill or broil -- just stay pretty rare and you should be alright. Considering they're already cut as steaks this would be one of my first inclinations. Probably great with a couple of eggs for breakfast.

Another would be to make a quick braise like a Salisbury. It's actually not bad if you cook it from scratch.

You do have a jaccard, don't you? If not, it might be time to invest the $5.

BDL
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post #8 of 15
9/5/08 at 10:22pm
Thread Starter 
Who is this Jaccard you speak of?

And I didn't think of chili--an obvious one, Thx
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post #9 of 15
9/5/08 at 10:45pm
A Jaccard is a brand of spring-loaded multi-knife meat tenderizer. Here's a look at one. Amazon.com: Jaccard Tendermatic Meat Tenderizer 48 Blade: Home & Garden

For years, Jaccard made large, expensive ones for commercial use, and the brand name became associated with the tool. I'm not sure when these things started showing up in home kitchens -- a few years ago. At a guess, the patent wore out and with Asian manufacturing it became possible to sell small, home size tools at a reasonably cheap price.

Mine is actually a "Mr. Barbecue," which I bought for $5 at Big Lots. Unfortunately "grilling season" is over and deals like that won't be easy to find. This is one of those little tools you actually need -- and it's worth $20. You'll find you use it for all sorts of things. For instance, we made a very nice sauerbraten in a 8 hours total; tender and marinated right down to the middle. -- that's two days off the normal prep! Couldn't have done it with the jaccard. So yeah, worth it.

BDL

PS. If you decide to buy from Amazon, don't forget to link through ChefTalk. :smoking:
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post #10 of 15
9/5/08 at 11:09pm
Personally I think that beef chuck is a very useful, flavorful cut that doesn't get the appreciation it deserves. Last week I got about a 3 pound chuck roast, diced up most of it for a beef and mushroom soup. Saved some of it to thinly slice and pan sear with a bit of salt, pepper and granulated garlic for a couple of steak and egg breakfasts. BDL must have been peeping through my kitchen window last week. Sure, it isn't melt in your mouth tenderloin, but it can be pretty tasty.

Depending on the grain and the fat marbleing, those steak-like slices could be pretty good pan seared or broiled, with a nice blob of horseradish on the side.

I don't keep very good notes about my smoking, but over the last couple of years I bet I've smoked more chuck roast than brisket. Chuck is a more forgiving, easier cut - I'm getting lazy in my old age, I guess. And the meat/fat ratio of chuck makes it a great candidate for beef based sausages.

One sort of general guideline, in my opinion, is that chuck can be a sort of all or nothing affair. Pan seared, broiling, chopped up for burgers, even smoking you don't want to go past medium rare. Overcooking will make it dry, tough and chewy. But on the other hand, when using it for soups, stews, braises, pot roasts and such, the longer the better.

mjb.
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post #11 of 15
9/5/08 at 11:12pm
Indeed. It is after Labor Day, the grills are being moved out to make way for the Christmas trees and such.

mjb.
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post #12 of 15
9/6/08 at 12:25am

Where the chuck comes from

What needs to be kept in mind is where the muscle groups come from and what they do. The chuck is not only a group of muscles that are locomotive they also turn the neck and head of a big animal. By nature of what these muscles do and the multiple groupings of them attached by connective tissue gives you an idea that some will be more developed muscle and tougher and some will be realitively tender like the cleaned flat iron (2nd only to filet) and the teres major. If you can identify where on the chuck the cut is coming from then you can assess what to do with it.

Not all chuck needs to be braised- remember muscle groups...:roll:
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post #13 of 15
9/6/08 at 10:04am
Chili made with hand chopped chuck is much better flavor wise than using hamburger. For thin sliced chuck steaks I do a braise in tomato sauce with italian herbs, top with mozz towards the end and pop it in the oven to let the cheese melt and brown a bit. Serve over pasta or rice.
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post #14 of 15
9/12/08 at 4:26pm
With chuck, I tend to pot roast it whole, with the usual mirepoix in the bottom after having browned the meat first, brown the vegies, meat back in, add a good half bottle of red wine, couple of cloves of garlic. Cover it with foil, then the lid, over a low heat for about 4 hours.

Comes out fork tender and really delish, just strain off the juices, thicken with a little cornstarch - yum.
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post #15 of 15
9/13/08 at 10:36am
One of my kids favorite meals......3 or 4 pound piece of beef chuck....heavily
seasoned with salt and black pepper....must have some fat on it.....425 degrees......25 minutes.....turn the oven off.....pull it out after 15 minutes...more or less.....let it rest.....slice thinly....not a better roast in my opinion.....have to cut thinly though......white rice and pan gravy....mmmmmm. Very flavorful cut of meat......Also good thin cut raw....pounded....breaded "Milanese".....wifes Mexican.....she loves a good
"Milanese".......Don't know why that dish seemed to make it to Mexico....Torta Milanese......etc......
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