Cuts of beef: identifying, choosing, using

[Anna N]

Kudos!

but ... might you give a few more details on what you made?

I'm very interested in how """Chuck""" or what ever one might have 'in the shoulder area' serves on the plate.

Here you go:

click

[FeChef]

Picked up beef tender shoulder blade. Has sinew going straight through the center of the roast. From what ive read, this cut normally gets sliced with the grain for flat iron steaks to remove the sinew. I want to sous vide it as a roast to slice thin against the grain for sliced beef sandwiches. I started the bath at 145F which im going run overnight and increase in the morning to about 160F. I am aiming for a braised but still sliceable texture. 

 

If anyone has any experience with this cut for what im shooting for, it would be great if you could chime in. It was pretty cheap considering this cut as a flat iron is more then double what i payed per pound, so i wont be heart broken if it a failure. I have high hopes though. The marbling looked like higher end choice, low end prime. @ $3.48/lb i am not complaining.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Please report back but I fear sous vide won't do much for the sinew.

 

[scubadoo97]

I think that tendon has got to go either before or after cooking .  It's tough as nails  but am curious to see your results 

[FeChef]

I wasn't expecting miracles for the sinew. I am mainly curious if this cut would end up dry cooked at to those temps. 160F works wonders for chuck roasts and is still sliceable if cooked in the 16 hour range. But chuck isnt the easiest to slice against the grain unless your starting off with a 20lb chuck roll.

[rotuts]

Ive cooked this cut many many times and its close to being my favorite cut of beef.

 

it would be tops if it were available more often.

 

at one time I got true prime ' blade roasts' at a local chain as the cuts came boxed and sometimes truer prime was in the box.

 

you do have to remove the central tendon wither before you cook it or after.

 

I think its a big mistake to slice the blade roast into ' streaks ' as the cut if commonly marketed

 

I prefer removing the tendon before cooking;

 

get a thin very sharp knife and cut down in the center of the surface muscle as the roast lies on the cutting board

 

my roasts were expertly trimmed so there was no surface fat nor connective tissue

 

once you feel the central tendon w your knife , slowly rotate the knife and cut along that tendon to free  1 streak,

 

that't rotation is why a thin knife is very helpful    i.e. a boning knife

 

its going to be 1/4 of the meat.  do the same for the second surface steak

 

turn the meat over and repeat.

 

cut out any bits of tendon left on these 4 steaks then decide what to do.

 

they are excellent BBQ'd over a very hot charcoal grill

 

keep these streaks rare as they are surprisingly tender and have exellet Beef flavor

 

Im sure if that tendon didn't exist these cuts would be much more expensive

 

sometime I double up the steaks and tie them together , reversing them as you will note one end is thinner than the other.

 

you just rotate the steaks so you get an even bumdle

 

SV these at 130.1  for perhaps 6 or less hours ?

 

the dry and torch and you get a fantastic rare steak.

 

blade roasts are rare in my ares

 

and the cut steaks in the meat counter  ( w the central tendon you will be familiar with ) rarely go on sale

 

I see no point in braising these as its easy after some trial and error to remove the tendon.

 

braising isn't going to make that tendon appetizing and you loose all the advantage of having very tender and well flavored beef 

 

right from the Get-Go ?

 

would you consider braising Filet-Mignon ?

 

then don't braise blade roasts.   do a little knife work first.

Edited November 26, 2017 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

and BTW  if you SV these steaks

 

and then just thaw them in the refrigerator 

 

then slice thin :

 

you get one of the best tasting ' roast ' beef sandwiches you've ever made

 

if there is jus left in the bag , and you get a little at 130

 

just dribble it over the meat on the sandwich

 

Win-Win.

[FeChef]

its already been in for 12 hours @ 136F , then 155F for a few hours, and i'll probably go to 158F for a few hours. As far as would i braise filet mignon? If it was this cheap i probably would give it a try. I like the fall apart texture for sliced chuck roast where its barely holding together by the connective tissue thats broken down. It absorbs my homemade double concentrated beef stock/au jus.

[rotuts]

@FeChef

 

fair enough

 

but do  you like a rare tender steak that's full flavor ?

 

if so  try this cut in that fashion.

[FeChef]

Not rare. But med rare i like. I prefer a nice 2 inch thick charred ribeye when it comes to med rare steak. If i come across this cut again, i'll try making steaks out of it. For now, im just looking for a better alternative to chuck roast for sliced beef sandwiches.

[rotuts]

good points

 

boned out and stacked and SV'd   makes outstanding sandwiches

 

w the temp you cooked the meat in the back of your mind

 

what do  you think of the flavor of this cut when you get to try it.

 

save the Jus for ' dip '

[Dave the Cook]

IIRC, the blade roast is Jacques Pepin's favorite for pot roast, and it's become one of mine, too. Braising reveals that there seem to be two types of connective tissue running down the center of the cut. Post-braise, the meat is easily separated from the tougher sinew, leaving a sticky layer of gelatinous tissue that some like and some don't. The meat is great for New Orleans-style roast beef po' boys, but, having been braised, isn't really suitable for slicing deli-style. If that's what you're after, @rotuts is giving you good advice. (Once, for a class in modernist techniques, we took out the sinew and put the roast back together with transglutaminase and SV'd it at 122°F. Then we cut it into 1-1/2" cubes, wrapped each cube with chicken skin (using more meat glue) and dropped them into 375° F oil: chicken-fried steak.)

[rotuts]

@Dave the Cook 

 

Dying here   

 

really dying.

 

Im a big fan of CkFrSt

 

but it uses the cheapest of low-flavor tough beef.

 

the ' tenderizer ' machine takes care of some of the toughness

 

the coating fried adds a lot of texture

 

and if the gravy is good as so might the mashed potatoes  

 

what can go wrong here ?

 

well the meat is ant meaty

 

but Blade Roast

 

de-tendonized

 

wrapped in CkSkin ?

 

Wow

 

Ive always noticed this :

 

Ive missed so much   

 

and this CkFrdSt

 

is one Ill put on the top of the list

[kayb]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

@Dave the Cook 

 

Dying here   

 

really dying.

 

Im a big fan of CkFrSt

 

but it uses the cheapest of low-flavor tough beef.

 

the ' tenderizer ' machine takes care of some of the toughness

 

the coating fried adds a lot of texture

 

and if the gravy is good as so might the mashed potatoes  

 

what can go wrong here ?

 

well the meat is ant meaty

 

but Blade Roast

 

de-tendonized

 

wrapped in CkSkin ?

 

Wow

 

Ive always noticed this :

 

Ive missed so much   

 

and this CkFrdSt

 

is one Ill put on the top of the list

 

If you want seriously good chicken fried steak, take some round steak, sous vide it until it's good and tender (I think I go 8 to 12 hours at 140). Then dip in seasoned flour, egg wash, and then cracker crumbs and fry in a hot skillet in about 1/4 inch of oil. It will rock your world. You could go a lower temp if you want, but I don't want much pink in my CFS.

[FeChef]

2 hours ago, Dave the Cook said:

IIRC, the blade roast is Jacques Pepin's favorite for pot roast, and it's become one of mine, too. Braising reveals that there seem to be two types of connective tissue running down the center of the cut. Post-braise, the meat is easily separated from the tougher sinew, leaving a sticky layer of gelatinous tissue that some like and some don't. The meat is great for New Orleans-style roast beef po' boys, but, having been braised, isn't really suitable for slicing deli-style. If that's what you're after, @rotuts is giving you good advice. (Once, for a class in modernist techniques, we took out the sinew and put the roast back together with transglutaminase and SV'd it at 122°F. Then we cut it into 1-1/2" cubes, wrapped each cube with chicken skin (using more meat glue) and dropped them into 375° F oil: chicken-fried steak.)

Picture thin sliced brisket that barely holds together on good ol hamburger buns. But brisket can be too dry. Chuck is good but not easily sliced against the grain like brisket. This why i wanted to try this cut. The meat is first steeped in a very concentrated, gelatinous stock made from beef and caramelized chopped onions. Similar to french onion soup but more beefy. In my area we call this sandwiches "beef barbecue's" even though there is no bbq sauce involved. Its a PA dutch thing i guess.

Cuts like bottom and top round are too lean, chuck is okay but not eaily sliced thin against the grain. Short rib would be top notch but not at the right price point, and alot of work for such little amount of meat.

Edited November 26, 2017 by FeChef (log)

[scubadoo97]

Picked up two shoulder roasts today since they were on sale.  Removed the thick tendon dividing the roast and now wondering if I want to SV  the larger pieces at 121+/- for a good 12 hrs or so.  They are very lean

[FeChef]

56 minutes ago, scubadoo97 said:

Picked up two shoulder roasts today since they were on sale.  Removed the thick tendon dividing the roast and now wondering if I want to SV  the larger pieces at 121+/- for a good 12 hrs or so.  They are very lean

Wonder if its the same cut. I never bothered to take a pic but the one i picked up is not lean at all. Had marbling everywhere.

[rotuts]

perhaps it was Prime ?

 

other than the usual ' Prime ' cuts that you see here and there

 

the whole steer is deemed Prime when graded on the 1/2 carcass.

 

so the minor cuts are still prime.

 

that why when you look in the meat case  at non-prime meat

 

the marbling varies and you pick out the cuts w the most marbling.

 

please consider this thread :

 

 

and this book :

 

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Beef-Cutting-Professionals-Merchandising-ebook/dp/B00DW9JXVI

 

I highly recommend it for those who enjoy beef and would like to know more about various cuts.

 

it well wroth it to have this book .

 

Ill offer two pics for review purposes on this topic :  The Blade :

 

 

 

the blade roast you might see in the MeatMarket is more of less like pic 4 on the second page

 

its rarely offered as its a bit of work to trim down to this stage and much easier to cut across the grain into ' Steaks '

 

the method here on removing the central tendon leaves the top and bottom whole

 

its easy to do once you understand and have dealt w that central tendon.  the method I mentioned is easier for

 

your fist time.

 

enjoy and consider this book.

Edited November 27, 2017 by rotuts (log)

[scubadoo97]

19 hours ago, FeChef said:

Wonder if its the same cut. I never bothered to take a pic but the one i picked up is not lean at all. Had marbling everywhere.

Looked  like this one but with  bit less marbling.  Photo copied from the HEB website

 

https://www.heb.com/product-detail/h-e-b-prime-1-boneless-beef-chuck-shoulder-roast/1748382

 

[rotuts]

I dont think that that come from the blade

 

if seen this cut often 

 

the tendon through the blade is fairly thick and quite noticible

 

here is a set of classic pics :

 

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://ordonezcattle.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/blade-steak.jpg&imgrefurl=http://ordonezcattle.ca/product/beef-brisket-braised-primal-cut/&h=720&w=720&tbnid=39vfNSNJm3C51M:&tbnh=186&tbnw=186&usg=__pWmA7Bq0-s3acHzFtB-WCkweHuI%3D&vet=10ahUKEwjT-MDhuN_XAhWik-AKHU6FD6UQ_B0I0wEwEw..i&docid=unTT1ag2PGT88M&itg=1&client=safari&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjT-MDhuN_XAhWik-AKHU6FD6UQ_B0I0wEwEw.

 

now doesn't that look tasty ?

 

think of what you'd pay if this cut didn't have that middle tendon :

 

a lot.

Edited November 27, 2017 by rotuts (log)

[Tuber magnatum]

4 hours ago, rotuts said:

... https://www.amazon.com/Art-Beef-Cutting-Professionals-Merchandising-ebook/dp/B00DW9JXVI

 

I highly recommend it for those who enjoy beef and would like to know more about various cuts.... enjoy and consider this book.

 

Definitely going to get this book.  Thank you for the recommendation!  In looking at reviews of this book, I came across this instructional video.  Maybe more than FeChef was looking for, but fascinating nevertheless!

 

 

[rotuts]

@Tuber magnatum 

 

an outstanding Vid.

 

thank you for finding it and pointing it out.

 

Id love to find more like this

 

Im not sure how old it is

 

but the butcher has an email address !

 

thanks again !

 

he points out some interesting things :

 

Prime as we know has more fat in the muscle

 

we know this

 

aging aside

 

its not more tender .

 

"  Know Your Cuts of Meat "

 

          David Letterman.

 

 

Edited November 27, 2017 by rotuts (log)

[FeChef]

5 hours ago, scubadoo97 said:

Looked  like this one but with  bit less marbling.  Photo copied from the HEB website

 

https://www.heb.com/product-detail/h-e-b-prime-1-boneless-beef-chuck-shoulder-roast/1748382

 

Its definitely not that cut. The one i got looks almost round like a beef tenerloin and long (12 inches or so) but with sinew running straight through the center. Top and bottom look crazy marbled like a trimmed flat iron. Image 3 flat iron steaks meat glued together, that is what i got.

[scubadoo97]

This is typical shoulder roast

[Tuber magnatum]

3 hours ago, rotuts said:

@Tuber magnatum 

 

an outstanding Vid.... Id love to find more like this ...

 

"  Know Your Cuts of Meat "

 

          David Letterman.

 

 

 

 

Did a google search and came up with these! Haven't watched them yet but will do at some point, so I cant vouch for them.  Enjoy!