Cooking a Chuck Roast: A Tough Cut of Beef Made Tender
First, A Bit Of Science To Get Us Started, Because The More You Know The Easier It Becomes.
Called a Chuck or Chuck roast or even Chuck steak, but regardless of the name, it is a cut from the shoulder, a part that gets a workout. Expert butchers call this the sub-primal cut and are considered the most economical cut of beef. However, less expensive means the cuts tend to be tougher.
Tough Does Not Translate to Flavorless However
The shoulder muscles are the most heavily used group of muscles, and thus, the toughest cut. Muscle is heavier and spread throughout with collagen and fat (connective tissue).
Fat or what many call marbling is not a bad thing when it comes to the flavor though,
…show more content…
The long twisted strands bind and braid together almost like twine to create a strong bond, a bond that can, however, be broken when cooked the proper way.
Cows are typically slaughtered at an older age, with the exception those slaughtered for veal cutlets at a younger age, than say hogs, and thus the muscles are more developed, meaning there is more collagen.
Cooking Methods to Break the Bonds At one point, the Chuck roast you are getting ready to slow cook was connected to bone via tendons. Tendons, which are composed of collagen, connect muscle to bone, and they will be present in your Chuck steak.
The good news is that collagen is water soluble, which means it dissolves in water and turns into gelatin when heat is applied for a long period, and we all know gelatin is rarely tough to chew. However, it does take time for this process to occur. Therefore, your cooking method is critical to making a tough cut tender.
Slow, moist heat is the key to tenderization of muscle meat, so how do you ensure slow and moist heat for hours. Yes, it takes hours at low heat along with ample liquids to break the collagen down and to distribute the fat and subsequent flavors as it