The upper part of the chuck and the shoulder clod (beneath) together comprise what is sometimes referred to as the two-way chuck.  This cut weighs in at about 70 pounds on each side.   The two-way chuck can be broken down into many different cuts.

One of the most popular cuts today comes from the shoulder clod and it's called the flatiron.  Discovered fairly recently, the flatiron is actually a muscle that is tucked away deep into the chuck in the top blade roast.  The top blade roast has some tough silver running through the center and is great for braising.  However, each roast will also yield two flatiron steaks.  When the whole flat iron is removed and cleaned of connective tissue it yields the second tenderest muscle on the animal.  One theory on the flatiron name is that the cleaned piece looks like an old flat iron: wide, then tapering slightly at one end. The second is that the French first discovered the muscle and that the connective tissue around it was like iron and the piece was flat. Anyhow, name origins aside, the flatiron is a fine tender, flavorful cut!

Also from the chuck comes the teres major muscle. The teres major is often called the bistro filet or mock tender.  Butchers of yore called it the 'Rat' because of its shape.  I like 'bistro filet' better don't you?  Approximately the size of a tenderloin of pork, the bistro filet is tender and flavorful.

In addition to these cuts, the chuck also yields the cross-rib roast directly from the shoulder, the market steak from the upper part of the chuck coming of the rib, the seven-blade roast, the mock tender, chuck arm roast, clod heart, and the list goes on and on. And the best hamburgers bar-none, are made from ground chuck, which upstages ground round and sirloin for flavor and fat content every time!

It is probably a misnomer to call some of these cuts roasts when in reality, roasting these cuts will yield a week's worth of chewing. The majority of these cuts, save the cleaned flat iron, market steaks, and the teres major, only yield good results with moist heat methods like braising and stewing, similar to a pot roast technique. In future issues we will spend a little more time on the chuck and discuss more specific cuts, but in the meantime, I hope this provides you with something to ruminate over. 

OK, you can steer out of bovine mode now.

Some raw meat images Courtesy of NAMP (National Association of Meat Processors)