How Do You Like Your Beef: The Chuck

Today’s primal cut in question is the chuck, or chingolo as it is called here in Argentina. The easiest way to think about this large primal cut that sits above the rib and includes the animal’s shoulder. This cut is where the shoulder, a very large muscle, and multiple other muscles that do a large amount of work over the animal’s life time intersect.

We know what this means! The more work a muscle does, the less tender it becomes. That means the chuck, or chingolo, is a much tougher cut, with the grain of the cut switching multiple times in a single cut. So we admit that the chuck is not a tender part of the animal, but does that mean that we cast it off as not being a relevant cut? Not at all!

While the chuck does have a lot of connective tissue, it is also known for being a very flavorful part of beef. The subprimal cuts of this primal cut include, cross rib pot roast,  chuck short ribs, stew meat, ground chuck and flat-iron steak.

 

All of these subprimal cuts as well as primal cuts tend to be less expensive cuts than cuts from the loin, for example. And despite being less expensive, they are delicious.The most important thing with this cut of beef is that you know how to cook it correctly.

Up north this means low moist heat, stewing, braising, proper grilling or frying. With a parrilla here in Argentina, it is much different. As the wood or coals used for asados tend to be dry, this cut of meat is regularly reserved, like brisket, for stews such as locro.

It’s clear that cooking methods over the years have had a big impact on how a culture cooks their meat. With Argentina primarily focusing on grilling with the parrilla, certain cuts of meat that are used regularly in the United States for barbecue or pot roast are overlooked here.

Instead, Argentina focuses on the cuts of meat and sweet breads of the cow that can be plopped down on a hot grill.

 

How Do You Like Your Beef: The Brisket

The brisket, or pecho, as it is called here in Argentina, is located where the breast of the cow is,  directly below the head.

This cut of meat is known to be especially tough, with a lot of connective tissue, however with a little bit of tender loving and slow cooking expertise, this cut can be especially delicious.

There is a reason why this cut of the beef tends to have tougher characteristics.  Let’s remember that the more work that  a muscle does for a cow, the less tender the meat will be due to build up of connective tissue. The chest of the cow supports 60% of the cows weight while standing or walking.

With so much connective tissue, you have to know how to cook this type of cut of meat. An inexperienced asador (grill master) will be left with an extremely tough piece of meat if this cut is cooked to quickly. This is because all of the connective tissue is made up of collagen fibers that  need time to change into gelatin within the meat. If the meat is cooked to quickly, this process doesn’t happen. But if the meat has a longer time to cook, on lower heat, the gelatanized collagen fibers distribute through the cut and create a more tender brisket. This gelatin is helped by a layer of fat that sits atop the meat, which helps the meat from drying during this process.

The pecho of the cow, or brisket, is not commonly used in many dishes here in Argentina. As a tougher cut of beef, it tends to be reserved for common stews, such as locro. This national dish of Argentina is extremely common outside of Buenos Aires.

So why don’t  Argentinians do what people do up north in the United States and slow cook this cut of meat until it is juicy soft, add some barbecue sauce and dive in? Simply put, it is because this isn’t what Argentina does when it comes to meat. Argentinians believe meat doesn’t need barbecue sauce or fancy marinades. When it comes to most foods here in this country, simple is better. Prior to putting meat on the grill, the asador will usually only sprinkle salt on the meat for flavor. For the asador, this is all that is needed to give the meat that flavor that has been uniting Argentines together for centuries. Go meat, keep it up!

 

 

How Do You Like Your Beef? The Loin

Continuing with our series on different primal cuts of beef. We are going to start with the loin. This primal cut,  is a favorite for Portenos and can be found on top of the cow behind the ribs.

The loin is a very tender cut of beef and has little marbling of fat. This is due to the fact that this muscle does little work and has little connective tissue, making it a savory choice for meat lovers. With so much tenderness, sub primal cuts of the loin tend to be more expensive than other cuts of beef.

Let’s get into these different and delicious cuts of beef. If you were to have an entire loin in front of you, you could take a large butcher knife and cut it into three parts. When you do this, you end up with the short loin, the half closer to the ribs, and the sirloin, the half closer to the cows rear. The short loin usually has more tender cuts than the sirloin. In between these two cuts following the spine runs approximately 6 pounds of tenderloin. This muscle is used only to tilt the pelvis of the cow. The muscle is not regularly exercised. This means this meat, surrounded by fat, has some of the most prized cuts.

The short loin gives you a couple different common cuts that will sound familiar to all of you. The t-bone steak or porter house , strip steak, and filet are all different cuts that come from this tasty section of 100% cow.

The sirloin area also has some common cuts, including the sirloin steak, ball tip steak and tri-tip steak. Many of these names can be confusing as different regions use different names for different cuts.

Sirloin Steak

Finally we have the tenderloin. Sub primal cuts of this part of the cow include filet mignon and roast tenderloin.

Filet Mignon

Next week we’ll be tackling the round and ribs!