What to do with Chuck Steaks

So some of the cuts of beef I am unfamiliar with - especially the non-tender variety. My total beef buying before buying this beef in bulk consisted of mainly tenderloin or NY Strip/Porterhouse cuts (with the occasional package of stew beef in the winter).

Chuck is basically the term used for the shoulder/arm part of the cow. It is very flavorful meat, but is full of connective tissue which can make it tough and chewy. One of the reasons why I love my 1956 Woman's Home Companion cookbook is because it shows the different cuts of meats and tells you how they are best cooked. Most chuck is best braised. Braising is basically browning the cut of meat on all sides and then cooking it low and slow with a small amount of liquid.

Today I chose to make Swiss Steak with the chuck steaks I pulled from the freezer. First off, I cut out the bones and wrapped them in foil so I could make stock with them later this week.

I then rubbed the meat with seasoned flour. Basically I used approx. 1 c. flour for my two steaks (about 2lbs). I mixed the flour with a homemade seasoned salt and some pepper. I rubbed the flour into both sides of the meat and then I took my mallet and beat the crap out of the beef with the side that has "teeth".

I then took out my cast iron skillet, added EVOO and a pat of unsalted butter, heated the pan until just about smoking and browned all the beef placing it into a large casserole on top of a few carrots & celery stalks cut into chunks. I turned off the burner and de-glazed the pan with a can of diced tomatoes and then added those plus some onion and garlic over the top. At this point, I added about 1/4 c. of POM Wonderful pomegranate juice, covered it with foil and stuck it into a slow oven (300F) for about 3 hours.

Can I just say that this meat pretty much melted in my mouth? It had great flavor and had a nice thin gravy once it was cooked. I served it with creamed spinach & cheese, peas and mashed potatoes. For dessert, I made a Chocolate Pudding cake which came from the King Arthur cookbook that has become my go to book for anything to do with flour(s).

Here are the recipes for both the Swiss Steak & the cake:

2 lbs. beef (chuck, round or rump)
1/3 c. seasoned flour (I used more & you can season it however you'd like)
2 carrots, cut into pieces
1 med. yellow onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 c. diced tomatoes, undrained (I used a 14 oz. can of ready prepared, but fresh Romas would work well)
1 large stalk celery, cut into pieces
EVOO/unsalted butter for browning
1/8-1/4 c. Pomegranate juice or red wine

Grease casserole dish and add cut carrots and celery into bottom. Rub beef on all sides with seasoned flour. With mallet, beat beef both sides (it should flatten out some and become less firm). Brown on med. high heat in large skillet with EVOO/butter mixture. Remove to casserole. Pour tomatoes, onions & garlic over the top adding a bit of juice or wine over the meat. Cover with foil and cook at 300 for about 3 hours. (You can also do this on the stove top with a dutch oven - simmering gently for about 2 hours. Just add in the veggies, etc. after browning the meat.)

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1 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
6-8 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/3 c. sugar (I used half brown/half white)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. vegetable oil or unsalted butter, softened
2 c. water
1 c. total, choc. chips and/or coconut, pecans, walnuts....or none of these things

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 8" square cake pan. Mix together all dry ingredients. Pour oil and vanilla into dry ingredients. Pour water over all and mix well. Fold in chips/nuts. Pour batter into well greased pan and cook for 45 minutes. (The center will not be totally set when cake comes out.) Served warm, this cake will be like a molten cake. Served cooled, it will seem like there is pudding mixed in with the cake.

It is a very RICH cake. I added some milk into mine, but it would be great served with some vanilla ice cream or some freshly whipped cream.