This is the shoulder section of the cow, including some of the front legs, blade, rib and back. As a shoulder, this area gets a lot of use by the cow and has a lot of connecting tissue in it. The downside is that this will obviously yield tougher cuts of meat that need stewing, pot-roasting or braising, or meat that is good for ground beef. The upside is that connecting tissue, of which there is lots in a shoulder, contains “collagen”, which melts as meat is cooked and spreads its flavour throughout.The legs (shank) are removed, and then often boned and used for ground beef. Next, the short ribs are removed from the bottom of the Chuck. The neck part is either sold as stewing meat or made into Ground Beef. The arm portion of the Chuck (from which the connecting shank below was removed) is used for arm roasts and steaks. Other cuts, including blade cuts, are then made.
Cooking Tips
In general, most Chuck cuts should be braised or cooked long or slow with moist heat. You will be rewarded with very flavourful meat. On the other hand, in general, if you attempt to barbeque, pan fry, grill or dry roast chuck meats, you will be disappointed with the results.