Ground, as opposed to intact.

[Priscilla]

Craig Claiborne RIP said somewhere, and I paraphrase, that if he were given a nice steak he would be tempted to grind it up for cooking. Ground meat does have its own charms, doesn't it.

Mr. Cutlets, where do you appear on the intact-ground continuum?

[Mister_Cutlets]

Well, it depends. I'm the only one I know who loves to grill and broil chuck steaks and chuck roasts; and I would have to say that, barring the addition of thick american cheese and a toasted enriched white bun, for pure meat flavor I prefer chuck eaten straight up. But sirloin, it seems to me, is seen to much better advantage as ground meat than as steak. It's strictly a second-rate steak -- and if the truth be told, second rate as hamburger. But ground up and moistened with sauteed mushrooms, onions, and peppers (and maybe even a little, yes, A-1 sauce) it makes a damn fine Atkins dinner.

Yours,

Mr. Cutlets

[picaman]

Well, it depends.  I'm the only one I know who loves to grill and broil chuck steaks and chuck roasts; and I would have to say that, barring the addition of thick american cheese and a toasted enriched white bun, for pure meat flavor I prefer chuck eaten straight up.

My grandfather and my mother, both of whom were old-school butchers and ran mom-and-pop meat market/grocery stores, swore that the best steak was a thick-cut 7-bone chuck steak, and that's what we always ate around the house. Growing up, I thought they were just telling me that so I wouldn't ask for the more expensive steaks.

Later in life, I realized that they were serious, and you've reminded me how much I miss that flavor. I'll soon try to get one from a butcher shop, but in the meantime, do you know of any area steakhouses that actually serve these and do a good job with them?

Thanks!

Jamie

[Mister_Cutlets]

As far as I'm concerned, Picaman, chuck steaks are the biggest secret in the restaurant world right now. Nobody serves them that I know of, although I love them. What is a "7 bone chuck steak"? I never heard of that.

yours curiously,

Mr. Cutlets

[Dave the Cook]

Mister Cutlets:

The seven-bone steak is taken from the middle of the shoulder blade. The name comes from the shape of the bone, which some people calim resembles the numeral "7". (Personally, I don't see it.) If you cut it thick, it's a roast; cut it thinner and it's a steak. It is tasty.

Here's a picture.

I'm with you on the whole chuck thing, by the way. I do think that some restaurants are catching on to the flatiron steak as a viable commercial cut.

Edited November 5, 2003 by Dave the Cook (log)

[Schielke]

What is the best way to cook a chuck steak? Isn't is designed for a braise or the like?

[picaman]

Here's a picture.

Meat just made me misty.

Jamie

[Mister_Cutlets]

That is a great steak. It's more commonly called a "center chuck steak" and I frequently grill it. I don't know why people say that it has to be braised. It's delicious cooked over hardwood embers. You do have to slice it up before you serve it, though, owing to that weird bone. As for the flatiron steak, it's probably my least favorite piece of the chuck -- but it is very tender, and if I ever go on a diet will probably eat it, sliced up and fried in butter, for breakfast every morning.

yours,

Mr. Cutlets