The Chuck

The chuck section of the steer—the shoulder—includes the least expensive cuts that, paradoxically, are also the most flavorful. They are inexpensive because they are tough, so they must be braised in pot roasts or stews. The chuck can also be ground into the best hamburger meat. The whole chuck, as it is sold to the butcher, weighs between 75 and 100 pounds, but you will be buying something much smaller and more manageable.

When shopping for chuck roasts for cooking a pot roast or for cubing for stew, look for fat, preferably fat marbled within the muscle. This fat is what keeps braised dishes moist. The best cuts for pot roasts and stews come from the top blade roast—the piece lifted off the shoulder blade—also known as the chuck arm roast, chuck eye roast, or sometimes just chuck roast. Bone-in cuts of the chuck are good for pot roasting, such as the section of the foremost ribs. The brisket, which is a large flap of muscle and fat that hangs down off the ribs, is usually cut into two sections, each weighing about 5 pounds, but there is nothing wrong with braising a whole brisket, since the weight of the meat decreases almost by half when you braise it. Of the two halves, the thick cut or front cut is the best for braising. Because it is the less regular of the two cuts and contains more fat, it is usually less expensive than the so-called flat half, thin cut, or first cut, which is prettier but less juicy and flavorful. Since brisket is rather flat, you need to tie it for braising.