Beef chuck is a large primal cut that used to be a jumble of tough connective tissue, bones, and meat, some of which were used for roasts, and the rest went into the grinder. Today, however, this primal hodgepodge is yielding some sub-primal pieces that are gaining an appreciative following among avid carnivores and chefs alike. If you like meat, perhaps you will enjoy discovering these pieces too.
Beef chuck used to come from the meat purveyor as a big primal cut known as a square-cut beef chuck, encompassing the upper part of the ribs, the shoulder, and the neck. Typically, about half of the beef chuck would be made into roasts, and the rest was ground for hamburgers or sold as stew meat. Nowadays, butchers and chefs have many more options for ordering and fabricating beef chuck. And many home cooks are also starting to scout out these sub-primal cuts.
How to best cook beef chuck has a great deal to do with how the primal cut is fabricated and exactly which sub-primal you are using. In meat cutting, the word "fabricate" means to cut a large primal cut into smaller sub-primal cuts or to cut sub-primals into individual steaks, roasts, chops, stir-fry slices, ground beef, and so on. Generally speaking, however, beef chuck usually requires a long, slow cooking method—braising, stewing, or crock pot—to soften it up and release its flavor.