Chuck eye steak

[fendel]

One of the supermarkets in my area has started carrying chuck eye steak, perhaps in an attempt to provide quasi-tender steaks for a price that won't send shoppers fleeing.

I picked up a pack, vaguely remembering that these are supposed to be like a continuation of the ribeye muscles into the chuck.

Anyone have experiences/recipes to share? I'm planning to panbroil one of these tomorrow night, and I'm not sure what to expect. Normally I buy ribeye.

[fendel]

Having cooked one of these now, I guess I'll answer my own question. Kinda chewy. Decent flavor. Better than a bad piece of sirloin, not as good as a good piece of sirloin (and nowhere near a decent ribeye).

Oh well, so much for my bargain steak...

[tommy]

so you broiled it? would you suggest a slow cooking method for this cut?

[fifi]

A few years ago, I sent my son shopping. He came back with these chuck steaks because they were on sale. (This was before he knew better.) What to do. I seem to remember that I whacked them a bit with the tenderizer mallet, seasoned them up, lightly floured, sauted and then "smothered" in the good old southern style. That would be kinda like a braise. They were pretty good. Chuck has wonderful beef flavor but is a little too chewy for a typical steak treatment in my opinion.

[Dave the Cook]

Sorry, fendel, I wish I'd seen this sooner. I kind of like these steaks, but I have to remind myself to keep my expectations in line with my budget. no, they're not ribeyes, but they have a good beefy flavor, and they're about half (or less) the price.

My Mom used to buy these all the time, and grill them rare, so they wouldn't get tough. As fendel notes, they can be chewy.

A few months ago, Cook's Illustrated did an article on tri-tips, which come from the other end of the cow, but are also a cheaper cut with some texture issues. I have since adapted their technique for the various chuck steaks: mock tender, chuck eye, top blade and flatiron.

Make a brine/marinade with a soya base. Add brown sugar and some acid in the form of citrus juice, and some oil for lubrication (I'm considering leaving the oil out on my next round). Finally, chile powder helps bind everything together. Since it takes quite a bit, I use a mild chile like ancho or New Mexico. Mix all this into a loose paste, and put it in a ziplock bag with the steaks. Let them soak for an hour or two, then wipe some, but not all, of the paste off the meat before grilling.

Although I usually cook steaks to medium rare, I like these closer to medium; rare just doesn't let their flavor develop full potential. Over a two-level fire, I mark them for four minutes (two minutes, then rotate 90 degrees and go another two) on each side, then pull them to the lower coals for another four to six minutes total. I usually serve then with a wedge of whatever citrus I used in the marinade.

[scubadoo97]

While shopping for steaks this evening I happened to be next to a guy who was raving about find a pack of chuck eye steaks (I had never heard of these). I talked with the butcher who confirmed that they are good steaks and it is one of the only steaks he eats. He proceded to cut me 3 large 1+ inch steaks and told be to give them a try. I got home and gave them a rub while lighting the grill. I cooked them medium and let them rest. I was suprised to find these very tender. Not as tender as tenderloin but more tender than sirloin and strip steaks with little waste. These had better flavor than tenderloin and were a great bargin as well. The butcher told me that when ever they have sholder/california roast on sale that he will cut me chuck eyes for the same price. What a deal and a nice unexpected find.

[Bicycle Lee]

grind that shit up....

fresh ground beef

[scubadoo97]

Chuck, shoulder and brisket are what I buy to grind (I never buy preground meat) but this was really good not chewy or tough at all.

[wesza]

"Chuck Eye Steak" often called "Calahchel" for Jewish Cuisine is utilized at many Chinese Restaurants as the Beef of Choice for most quick sauté recipes after slicing and marinating.

It's a very tasty low fat "Pot Roast" when Braised and Simmered, or used as a Boiled Beef in various recipes.

In Southern/Southwestern Cooking it makes a excellent "Country Fried Steak", mostly used for CFS Sandwiches since it cubes or pounds out Round, in the correct Sandwich size, plus curls appropriately as true CFS should

The one thing, contrary to other posters opinion is it not really suitable for using as "Hamburger" since it's to lean. But I'm sure that our posters aren't aware that in Europe, especially France and Germany due to it's rich beef taste and character it the cut of choice served at some of the most expensive Restaurants as "Steak Tarter"> [RAW].

Irwin

[Mild Bill]

grind that shit up....

fresh ground beef

Chuck-eyes are GREAT!

Spicy rub, sauté a crust on both sides, rest, scarf!

Wonderful on the grill... Foreman and outdoor...

Super tender, juicy and flavorful...

A local Italian grocery around here recently had them on special for $2.99lb...

I bought them every day for that week I think...

Comparing on 3-4 levels, you'd be wasting your money on the tenderloin...

Edited March 30, 2004 by Mild Bill (log)

[snowangel]

The chuck eyes we grilled last night (rare) were outstanding!

[howard88]

I use the Cooks illustrated marinade they recommend for Tri tips, for Hanger and Chuck eye. I let it ride in a plastic bag for an hour and a half.

I either grill or pan fry in cast iron to a medium rare doneness.

What can I say. Rich and intense in flavor and close to the tenderness of a rib eye.

I love these cuts.

[johnjohn]

Is another name for this cut - chicken steak? I saw them at the butcher yesterday, and thought about picking a few up.

johnjohn

[Dave the Cook]

Is another name for this cut - chicken steak? I saw them at the butcher yesterday, and thought about picking a few up.

johnjohn

Go here:

Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications

Go to item 116D (page 36), Chuck Eye Roll. If you cut the roll crosswise into one-inch (more or less) slabs, you get chuck-eye steaks.

Is this what you saw?

[cassareep]

I grill chuck steaks often. First a marinade of garlic, worcestershire, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, soy sauce and olive oil; leave in a ziplock bag for a few hours and grill to medium rare. For a delightful stock, take the 'leftover' bones, connective tissue, etc. and throw it in some cold water with an onion, some cloves of garlic, a carrot, whatever trimmings weren't used in the salad, some salt and simmer for 2hrs - seive and reduce until it's perfect.

[tissue]

Do you have to ask your butcher specifically for these?

[Kim Shook]

Bringing this old thread forward.  Not a many seem to have loved this back then, but I know some of you like it a lot.  I finally found a couple today and my plan is to make steak and egg burritos with them.  I thought that I'd sear the steaks in an iron skillet to very rare, then cool and cut into strips, add some kind of sauce (TBH, I was thinking A1 ) and reheat on steam or bake/steam in the CSO, top with a sunny side up egg and wrap in a warm flour tortilla.  What say you???

[paulraphael]

Chuck eye is the ideal cut if you're making steaks for a crowd, on a budget. And you have time. 

 

I wrote this article a few years ago exploring the possibilities.

 

The basic idea is that this cut has excellent flavor (much nicer than sirloin), and with prolonged sous-vide cooking will tenderize to the point where it could be mistaken for rib eye that costs three times as much.

 

You can go farther if you have a great butcher—buy a big chunk of the sub-primal and have it dry aged for you.

 

There are additional techniques for amplifying the flavors while cooking.

 

None of this is practical if you're just cooking for a couple of people, but if you have occasion to cook 5 lbs or more, and have plenty of notice, it works great. You can either wow your guests with the science, or keep quiet and let them think they're eating an expensive meal. 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

2 hours ago, paulraphael said:

Chuck eye is the ideal cut if you're making steaks for a crowd, on a budget. And you have time. 

 

I wrote this article a few years ago exploring the possibilities.

 

 

Thanks for this good read and enlightenment.     Our son recently brought the family over for dinner, along with the meat.    He had discovered the newly coined "Denver stead" which is also an underblade chuck cut.    It was, like yours, tender and delicious well beyond its price, altho lacking your sublime aging and technique.