Go for the chuck The most common beef used for stew is chuck steak, also known as gravy beef or braising steak. Beef chuck comes from the forequarter of the animal consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade and upper arm. It is easy to find and it's affordable, making it a great choice for your stew.
Brisket: Brisket cuts are taken from the breast or chest of the cow and are typically inexpensive. You can use a whole brisket for a stew, or you can choose between flat and point cuts.
Looking for great-tasting steaks and roasts that are affordable too? These overlooked budget-friendly faves – like Chuck Eye Roast, Sirloin Tip Steak and Brisket – are sure to delight your table.
The best meat to use for Stew:
Because the meat is cooked on low heat over a longer period of time, pretty much any cut will work here. However, for best results and tender beef, I would go with chuck roast, rump roasts, chuck steak, or bottom rounds.
Cheaper cuts of meat, like chuck steak and gravy beef, tend to be rich in tissues like sinew and muscle. These tissues, while not ideal for pan-frying or grilling (as they seize up and become chewy), break down nicely during the slow cooking process, leaving you with flavoursome, tender meat that melts in your mouth.
Chuck Eye Steak - AKA the Poor Mans Ribeye
Chuck-eye steaks are also known as “The Poor Man's Ribeye” because of their lower price. Chuck-eyes are a continuation of the Rib-eye muscle as it extends into the shoulder. Extra beefy flavor and lower price make this cut an amazing every day eating experience.
Chuck Roast Substitutes:Sometimes, chuck roast is labeled as blade roast, 7-bone roast or arm roast. If you can't find any of options, try another uniformly-shaped, lean cut of beef like tri-tip roast, top round roast or bottom round roast (sometimes called rump roast).
What Cut of Beef Is Stew Meat? Stew meat is made from cuts of beef with lots of tough connective tissue, namely chuck and/or round. When you simmer it in a liquid, the connective tissue breaks down and becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Go for the chuck
The most common beef used for stew is chuck steak, also known as gravy beef or braising steak. Beef chuck comes from the forequarter of the animal consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade and upper arm.
Let the stew cook slowly
Don't be tempted to rush the process, let the low heat do its thing. For the beef to get tender and the flavours to meld, it needs about 3 hours on the stove and at least 4 in a slow cooker.
Round roasts, rump roasts, and pot roasts are also all good choices for stews.
Corned beef and corned silverside are very similar, the only difference being what part of the animal they come from, resulting in silverside being less fatty. They're also both very cheap, as their salt-curing extends their shelf life.
Chuck steak comes from a cut of beef used to make hamburgers. This cut has a tough, chewy texture that, like stew meat, requires a longer cooking time to make it palatable. Cut the meat from the bone of the chuck steak and use it as you would beef stew meat in your recipe.
Make your own stew meat and save $$$
Wait until chuck roast, chuck eye roast, or another great pot roast goes on sale (I watch for less than $2.00 per pound). Buy a bunch and cut into one inch cubes. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze. This makes it so they don't all stick together in a big clump.
Instead, it's leaner, which makes it a bit tougher than other cuts. That's the main reason why a chuck roast is more affordable, on average, than other meat cuts for a pot roast or an oven roast, like a beef tenderloin or a prime rib roast.
A lot of people use these terms interchangeably. While both cuts of meat come from parts of a cow, their similarities end there. Rump roast, not to confuse with bottom round, comes from the hindquarters. Chuck roast comes from a cow's shoulder portion.
Although you will find a difference between rump roast and chuck roast, these cheaper cuts can both produce tasty and tender meat when properly cooked.
Under blade steak maintains its shape even when slow-cooked
But unlike most steak cuts, the under blade takes just as well to slow-cooking — this cut will maintain its integrity through the low and slow cooking process, per The Spruce Eats. Also known as a chuck flat, according to Beef.
Meat tends to get tougher as you radiate out from the tenderloin, with the rib and loin containing the most tender cuts, and the shank, round, flank, plate, chuck, and brisket—areas that work hard to walk, graze, and support the cow's weight—generally housing the toughest cuts.
Also known as the “butcher's steak”, the hanger is prized for its flavour and is from the upper belly.
Your meat will be juicier and more tender
The longer cooking time and the low heat complement each other perfectly. As a result, even though the meat is cooked for far longer, it doesn't dry out because the temperature is low. As a result, this is the best way to retain all the natural juices of the meat.
It wasn't cooked long and slow enough. That's simple, as stewing beef, like any beef cooked low and slow take hours to get it done right. Depending on the meat, I try to stick to the cooking time in a recipe as the meat cubes are MUCH smaller than say, a roast.
Chicken is very easy to overcook — whether on the grill, on the stovetop or in the oven. On the grill, you can usually remove the burnt edges, and the inside will still be moist. The stovetop and oven are a little trickier, though, since typically the meat is dried-out on the inside too.