Jimmy Kerstein, author of The Butcher' Guide An Insider's View shows you how to home butcher a beef chuck roll into steaks, roasts, ground beef, and kalbi style short ribs.
Flash forward 10 years and the Chuck Roll is $5.98 at Sam's Club. Still a good bargain at today's inflated prices. This is my 2nd Chuck Roll to butcher. Thanks for taking the time to educate us!
I haven't cut meat in a long time and I have been refreshing my memory and you are the only one I have seen that does it almost like I learned in college and not breaking it down by each seperate muscle group to cut it in to steaks. What I would love to see is someone do it real old school on Bone making it in to 7-Bone Roasts... Let's go real old school
$60 for $80 worth of meat is a fantastic bargain!! Thanks for demonstrating how to break down a beef chuck roll which they never sell in the supermarkets where I live.
I watched numerous videos before cutting up our Chuck Roll, your's is the most informative for the 'home butcher'. Thank you. I also subscribed to your channel and I am looking forward to learning more from you.
Luis Rivera, The rib end of the chuck roll has more intramuscular fat and less connective tissue than the leaner neck end. The more tender and flavorful cuts are from the rib end. With slow moist heat all of the cuts from the chuck roll are tender when cooked.
Love watching! Can you give us a video on how to do a chuck roll - you know the pretty tied ones. You can get the butcher to do ...if you have one but I need to do it myself. I don’t know if a book cut it and roll or slice it almost to the end so it’s laid flat and then rolled. Want it to hold together for the 8-10 hours cooking and to be in the right direction for slicing the best for tenderness. Oh and that’s another thing I always have trouble with these days - didn’t use to so not sure what the issue is with grocery meat. It’s knowing how to carved off cut meat against the grain or with the grain so it chews the best. sometimes I swear I can’t figure out what direction it’s running - it seems like it runs all kinds of directions.
Thanks for the videos, has helped me save some money. I hunt and fish, so we vacuum seal our stuff and we KNOW what's in it as well. we do mainly stakes, we are NOT roast eaters, burgers, stakes stir fry cuts. I'll have to check your other videos as well. Have you done a clod heart video? Just wondering what kind of tasty morsels one can get from them. Keep up the good work and hands up to your videographer, maybe try a birds eye view sometime, or a behind over your shoulder shot. Have a good day. :)
I just bought a 20lb Angus chuck roll from cash & carry for the first time yesterday! just needed some cubes for pressure cooking Chile Colorado but figured for the price, I could get a bunch of meat and freeze what I don't use for the future. came online to see how to cut it. didn't know I could get all those cuts of meat from the roll!! wow! I wish I was more familiar but I tried to study your video to see how to identify all the cuts you took from yours. any idea how to get a better idea? was hoping to start processing it now, but no idea when you'll see this comment. first Q is which part to use for the Chile Colorado cubed meat. 2) how do I identify that first long chunk you took off, and was that for grinding? (got a kitchenaid grinding attachment I need to try out). thx for the helpful tip to slice and freeze 10 min first, btw. 3) can all this be safely vacuum sealed and for the thinner steaks n kalbi, frozen in marinade? 4) can you share or link your kalbi pineapple marinade recipe?
Hi Jimmy! You have the best instructional video on butchering primal cuts for the table. You have real talent in those hands. I just wish I could find a DVD as good as as the ones you have here that would provide a beginner instruction on all primal beef and pork cuts commonly found in the big stores. If you ever make one, I will be the first to buy it! One question : what is the brand of the large steak knife that you are using in the video?
Thank you for the nice comments. The steak knife is also a Forschner. It’s an 8 inch with a granton edge. Mostly I used a 10 inch version as a butcher, but the 8 inch is a nice knife.
Thank you for your video. Very informative. If I were to use the whole roast for thin steaks do I get the same quality/taste from the rib end to the neck end?
Thanks for the videos Jimmy, I like the way you walk through your break downs.This is a chuck roll n/o correct? Do the chuck steaks require marinating?
Thanks for your nice comments. Yes, it is a neck/off chuck roll. Chuck steaks do require marinating if you intend to grill them. I like them sliced about 1/2 inch thick for marinating and grilling. My favorite marinade is a Kalbi style marinade with pineapple juice added to act as a natural tenderizer. The two chuck-eye steaks are tender enough to grill just simply seasoned with salt and pepper. They are just an extension of the rib-eye muscle that goes into the chuck at the end where the rib is removed.
+Jimmy Kerstein Question: Are "Chuck Eye steaks" the same as "Chuck Steaks"? I asked my butcher for Chuck eye Steaks and he gave me Chuck steaks. I grilled them to medium and they were tough and chewy not tender at all. Did I make the mistake of buying chuck steaks from the tail end?
Great video. Would you use a bigger knife than an 8"? Seems like a longer knife, like a carving knife, would make slicing those longer cuts a little easier.
+Tetsu Hoshi The knife you use is really a personal decision. The knife you choose should feel good in your hand, and of course, be sharp. If a longer carving knife feels better, go for it. When I cut meat for a living, I mostly used a 10 inch version of the knife in the video. Cuts produced for retail sale have to have a smooth cut surface. The "sawing" action used with longer carving knives sometimes leaves an irregular cut surface on the meat. For home butchering use, just use a knife that is sharp and long enough to do the job. Thanks for your comment, Jimmy
Jimmy, if you were to buy each one of those cuts individually including the ground beef, how much would you spend? Thanks for sharing your instructional video.
How much you save obviously depends on how much you pay for the chuck roll. Typically beef is marked up 25% to 35% of the retail price. The ground beef produced is by far a premium product compared to most ground beef sold at retail. It is a single source grind, pre-trimmed of any gristle or random bone fragments.
Hi Pete, The cost, $3 per pound reflected the beef cost six years ago. Based on whole primal beef cost vs retail prices, you would still save money using current beef costs.
Jimmy, I sell steak kabobs at festivals and fairs in Texas. I use rib lifter as my meat. Would you recommend using the beef chuck roll? Any other affordable suggestions would be appreciated!
chuck alb Hi Chuck, If the rib lifters are working for for your recipe, stay with them. Chuck has more fat and although parts of the chuck are more tender, rib lifters are lean and easy to work with. I sometimes buy lifters to grind for a nice lean ground beef.
Lissette, Thank you for the compliment. The knives I like to use are Forschner Brand. A 6 inch curved boning knife with a flexible blade and an 8 inch steak knife for slicing. I wore out several sets of these knives in my meat cutting years. Thanks, Jimmy
Rebecca Jones paper towels, place a wet towel under the cutting board to keep it stable. Wipe the moisture off of the meat and the cutting board surface. A sharp knife and smooth cutting strokes helps as well.
@@jimmykerstein2049 - thank you! I am a new meat cutter that took over the last one that left the dept. It's just me! My knives are dull. I am looking at the Victorinox 14" blade for the big chuck rolls and bottom flats, etc. I understand they do not make Forschner anymore as it was bought out by the Victorinox Co. What do you think about that knife? and can you point me to where to find that awesome sharpener you used in your video? I am a new groupee! You have helped me so much (I am a retired RN)
Rebecca Jones congratulations Rebecca, you might find that the 14 inch knife is more difficult to use than an 8 or 10 inch version. I never used a knife larger than a 10 inch for slicing larger cuts. The one used in my chuck roll video is an 8 inch model. It’s a for Forschner
Why do people cut the fat off when it's the best part? Serious question, like whats the real reason behind it. Because if you want taste than why waste time trimming it
Hi Kenneth, You can make steak cuts out of any of the roast cuts by simply cutting the meat thinner. Keep in mind that chuck steaks are among the tougher steak cuts. The leaner cuts toward the neck end of the chuck will be even tougher. Most cuts from the chuck benefit from a low and slow moist cooking process. I prefer to grind them if they are going on the grill. Marinades can be helpful for thinner cuts from the rib end of the chuck roll.
I buy either the clod or the roll and "steak" everything. . the tougher pieces I simp-ly cut into smaller pieces before eating. I trim nothing and eat it all. I simply cut appx one inch thick and package individually in 12 oz packages, freezing in zip lock bags.
I raise Wagyu beef, the butcher cuts chuck into steaks, there's a small 2-3" x 6" section in there that has literally 50 percent speckled marbling. it's unbelievable. looks like top grade Kobe, it takes some trimming to get it but it's worth it. does anyone know what section that would be? does it have a name?
Hi Rock, It looks like I lost two pounds on a twenty pound chuck. The cuts and the ground beef were all trimmed very lean. It is a good value and the variety of cuts available in a chuck roll make it worthwhile.
Seaming out selected tender muscles is certainly another way to process beef primals. However it is not a process that lends itself to larger volume retailers. Competitive pricing and higher labor costs make it prohibitive for larger retailers to compete. The good news is some beef producers are marketing selected cuts in wholesale quantities. My local cash and carry now sells 8 to 10 pound bags of Teres Major. Costco now sells bulk Top Sirloin Caps, (Picanha). Thanks for your comment.
@jimmykerstein2049 really? Thats sad. It truly says alot about our current labor market!! I can break down a whole chuck in about an hour or so....and I don't do it everyday & I also have MS(I often take a break in the middle). So I can imagine that a butcher who is doing it everyday would be MUCH faster....so if they cannot make a profit on that, its sad. Or maybe it's just that they cannot see the forest for the trees?? 🤷🏻♀️ Even from a customer service prospective, I would think it would be a value added service and create a bit of loyalty to that store-ya know, as the only place that they can get sierra or denver or whatever??? Maybe I'm just wrong & don't know what I'm talking about....I have a family of 7, so I will always chose to do it myself and save money, I've also found that I can usually get better quality meat(partially because I can wet age for a week or 2 or 3). Anyway, thanks for the reply!! Yours was one of the first videos I watched when I started my butchering journey!!
@jimmykerstein2049 really? Thats sad. It truly says alot about our current labor market!! I can break down a whole chuck in about an hour or so....and I don't do it everyday & I also have MS(I often take a break in the middle). So I can imagine that a butcher who is doing it everyday would be MUCH faster....so if they cannot make a profit on that, its sad. Or maybe it's just that they cannot see the forest for the trees?? 🤷🏻♀️ Even from a customer service prospective, I would think it would be a value added service and create a bit of loyalty to that store-ya know, as the only place that they can get sierra or denver or whatever??? Maybe I'm just wrong & don't know what I'm talking about....I have a family of 7, so I will always chose to do it myself and save money, I've also found that I can usually get better quality meat(partially because I can wet age for a week or 2 or 3). Anyway, thanks for the reply!! Yours was one of the first videos I watched when I started my butchering journey!!
Absolutely, grinding boneless chuck is one of my favorite ways to use it. Leave the fat on for flavor and don’t forget to remove any gristle or bone bits.
I realize this is 10 years old. Why would you buy a chunk of beef with the idea that you are making a lot of ground beef when the ground beef from the store is cheaper? In 2024 I can buy chuck roll for $4.99 and 85% ground beef for $2.99
@@johnsonpaul1914 Thanks for your comment, The spread between chuck roast and ground beef was closer when I made this video, however I still prefer to grind my own. Ground beef production in today’s supermarkets is closely monitored for food safety concerns. Consumers should feel good about purchasing ground beef. Stores don’t generate enough store trimmings to meet the demand for ground beef. They buy tubes of coarse ground beef that are ground in store. These tubes contain meat from several animals. Older beef including dairy cattle are primarily used. Chuck meat has a rich flavor and naturally has a good fat content. I don’t include any gristle or “gnarly” bites in my home ground. I also have control over the texture of the grind by choosing the plate size and the number of times it’s ground. Compared to the upscale choices in the ground beef set it is a good value still. The meat grinder is very efficient at blending a variety of cuts to make a consistent burger. I like knowing what I’m eating.
Oy. Ground beef is nice but this method is wasting a lot of amazing cuts. Such as Sierra steak, french roast or Denver steaks. You can still get two big pot roasts out of the chuck eye part of the roll while taking off the whole bottom flap.
Seaming out the Chuck Roll is certainly another way to process it. The method demonstrated is more representative of the mainstream cuts available. I appreciate that you enjoy maximizing the added value cuts. I miss the time when Flat Iron steak was under appreciated and cheap.
@@jimmykerstein2049 I hear ya. I just feel like if you want the cuts you can buy in the store, get em in the store. If you're going to get a great deal on a primal do it the cool way! 😃 All the best!
Virtually all chuck rolls packaged in USDA inspected plants are cryovac sealed and shipped in boxes. Any waste in trimming is fat that I don’t care to eat.
Trimming fat, gristle, silver skin, and bone membrane is a normal part of processing sub primals. This loss is factored into cutting tests to set retail prices. Every production shop saves this waste in “bone barrels” that are hauled away by recyclers. Ironically they used to pay for the fat and waste in the barrel. Now producers pay the recyclers to haul it away.
@@jimmykerstein2049 I am aware. It's the keto/carnivore eater in me that cringes when I hear "throw away" rather than "set aside", too many inexperienced cooks out there who don't know they can use the scraps for their dogs, to make broths/bone broths, or rendered tallow etc. Every bit of the animal is priceless and useable in some way.
Good meat . Just to mention that's very cheap beef by comparison to UK .plus .the ground beef in England is very Greasley. It's unadable. Shame on the butchers. They never cut it like this clean ,it add weight that is not worth buying . Crooks in most .
I raise Wagyu beef, the butcher cuts chuck into steaks, there's a small 2-3" x 6" section in there that has literally 50 percent speckled marbling. it's unbelievable. looks like top grade Kobe, it takes some trimming to get it but it's worth it. does anyone know what section that would be? does it have a name?
From the underblade....it's Denver steaks/roast. Some use them for mock short ribs, some use them for thin-ish steaks. For me, I use them like short ribs & give them a quick braise, great meal!!
