Seven Steak

[Lyle]

My extended family is very close-knit and all happen to live in the same rural town. I don't guess they happen to live there, they choose to. At any rate, they sometimes go in on and butcher an entire side of beef to divide it up. On a recent visit, we got in on their "scraps". We brought home massive amounts of ground and roasting beef.

Last night, while looking for a small meat component for our veggie-intensive-garden-plucking-eating-to-clean-out-fridge-to-waste-as-little-as-possible diet, I pulled out this novelty sized piece of beef labeled Seven Steak. It's huge (no weight printed on it by the butcher)...I'd say maybe 5 lbs...looks like a comically large steak.

Shirley Corriher has a gumbo recipe. Google seven steak. Lots of people have gumbo recipes. I'm not that crazy about 15 lbs of gumbo.

I won't be doing anything with this slab of beef until I get back from vacation, but what else can I do with it? I've never heard of a Seven Steak. What is it cut from? (If you say a cow, I'll scream) Why is it called Seven Steak? Why am I capitalizing that? Can I break it down into further components, cook some as steak, others in, say, a strogonoff?

[melkor]

What is it cut from?

A cow

[Lyle]

AAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!

One of the most enjoyable promises I've ever kept.

Edited July 2, 2003 by Lyle (log)

[melkor]

AAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!

One of the most enjoyable   promises I've ever kept. 

Glad to help

[cdh]

I remember Alton Brown dealing with the 7 steak issue on one of his programs... It has to do with the shape of the bone left in the section of meat... I believe it was the shoulder...

At one end of the cut, a steak-shaped section would have a bone shaped like the number 7 left in it. Further down, the shape of the bone differs. So a 7 steak is a cut from one particular end of a larger cut of beef.

[Chad]

AKA: Seven-Bone Chuck Steak

The seven-bone or center chuck gets its name from the 7-shaped bone in it (you may have to turn it over to see the 7). Since it's part of the Chuck, it's probably better off braised.

Chad

[guajolote]

I think it's chuck, like a pot roast. I'd braise it

more here

[Lyle]

I think it's chuck, like a pot roast. I'd braise it

more here

Apparantly my Google isn't as good as your Google.

Thanks for the link. I'll probably have to divide the "steak" into portions as it's too huge to fit into any braising vessels I own. I guess I was wondering if I could break it down into, well, steaks. Not a good idea apparantly. Braising it will be. Thanks.

[richw]

A good cut for braising. One of the cuts of featured in the 7 bone is the chuck underblade steak a/k/a chicken steak/minute steak. It's the one with the line of connective tissue going right down the middle. This cut has an excellent, beefy flavor.

recent thread on specifically the chuck underblade steak

click

[Jinmyo]

Braise, definitely. Pot au feu.

[RAHiggins1]

Braise, definitely. Pot au feu.

←

I attended a party in Slidell, LA this weekend that was catered by Jacque-Imos's Cafe in New Orleans. They served a Seven Steak Gumbo that was phenominal.

[mkayahara]

Braise, definitely. Pot au feu.

←

I attended a party in Slidell, LA this weekend that was catered by Jacque-Imos's Cafe in New Orleans. They served a Seven Steak Gumbo that was phenominal.

←

Indeed, there's a recipe for a phenomenal seven steak gumbo in Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen that I just made the other night. I was disappointed to learn that seven steak was a type of steak, and that the gumbo didn't actually have seven types of steak in it!

Of course, I didn't actually have any seven steak, so I just substituted blade (chuck) steak, as directed by the recipe.

[deltadoc]

If it really is from a "cow", I'd throw it out!

Maybe it's just midwest farmer colloquiallism, but cow was the beast that gave milk, bull was the one that made the cow give milk, and steer is where the steaks came from.

doc

[Doodad]

A good cut for braising.  One of the cuts of featured in the 7 bone is the chuck underblade steak a/k/a chicken steak/minute steak.  It's the one with the line of connective tissue going right down the middle.  This cut has an excellent, beefy flavor. 

recent thread on specifically the chuck underblade steak

click

←

Is that the same cut as paleron?

[HungryC]

Seven-bone steaks are fairly common in meat markets in south Louisiana, and braising is indeed the right cooking method...the ones I see are a little leaner than your typical chuck (the whole roast is rarely seen, rather it is already sliced into steaks 1" or less in thickness). "#7s" are delicious when cooked grillades-style...pound lightly, cut into cubes, salt/pepper, then flour generously. Brown well in bacon grease, remove from pot & toss in a chopped onion, minced garlic, chopped green pepper, and a rib of celery. Cook until the veggies "clean the pot" (ie, the liquid from the veggies cooks out & soaks the fond off the bottom of the pot), then add the browned beef back to the pot, along with 1/2 cup of red wine, two chopped tomatoes, a bay leaf, a few sprigs of thyme, and a generous pinch of cayenne pepper. Add a little more water/beef stock, if needed, depending on the size of your pot/amount of beef, so that the cubes are just shy of completely covered by the liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce to lowest heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hr or until fork-tender. Serve over buttered grits.

A common cajun dish is smothered #7 steaks, cooked very simply with very browned onions, garlic, bell pepper, and served w/hot cooked rice.

[SundaySous]

If it really is from a "cow", I'd throw it out!

Maybe it's just midwest farmer colloquiallism, but cow was the beast that gave milk, bull was the one that made the cow give milk, and steer is where the steaks came from.

doc

←

I've been told that more cow makes it to the meat market these days. As it was explained to me cattle raised for beef are not economical for milk production. Even dairy cows make it to market if the producer won't get a subsidy to produce milk from that cow or able to sell it as a dairy cow. I'm guessing this is where a lot of veal comes from.

This all pertains to the US. My recollection comes from casual conversation at The Chicago Mercantile Exchange where they trade futures on cattle and feeder cattle.