‘Piece’ of Beef Braised with a Rich Glaze (and More!)

The ‘piece’ is a cut of beef taken from the chuck steak, which you can get from the butcher. Chuck is normally sold diced and used for stews and pies. The texture is reasonably soft and open. This means that, while braising or stewing, the meat is absorbing all of the sauce it is being cooked in. Consequently, you end up with very tender meat, which can be carved with a spoon. Closer and firmer cuts, such as topside or sirloin, stay firm and all the pores close during cooking, so although t