What To Do With a Cheap Cut of Meat

Chuck roast costs about $6 a pound, but ribeye costs $22. This has always baffled me, because they come from the…same cow. I know that they’re totally different cuts of meat, but I also think that if chuck roast took ribeye’s PR team for a spin, it’s reputation would look a lot different.

I’m not going to lie and say that they’re equal in value and never to treat yourself to a dry-aged, well-marbled steak ever again, but I do think that for a certain kind of cooking, chuck roast is the better choice.

TLDR explanation of the difference:

The cuts of meat that butchers charge the most for are expensive because they're tender already. They’re the muscles that didn't work hard during the animal's life. This would be your ribeye, tenderloin, strip, etc. You can cook them fast, hot, and they're done.

The "cheap" cuts (shoulder, shank, and cheek) worked constantly. They're dense with collagen and connective tissue, so they’re tough enough that a quick sear would make them genuinely miserable to eat.

That collagen is what makes them perfect for slow cooking, because at around 160°F to 180°F it all breaks down into gelatin and that’s how you get that “fall off the bone” juiciness. The fat renders slowly through the meat instead of cooking off, and the whole thing becomes unctuous and deeply savory in a way that a $22 ribeye, no matter how beautifully seared, simply cannot match.

Quick note!

If you’re like me and have too many tabs open at all times (a lot of them food and news related), check out our new newsletter called Foody News!

It's five short notes on what actually happens in the food world every week. New releases, weird recalls, the fast food chain doing something unhinged, the ingredient everyone suddenly cares about. It literally takes max 3min to read, and exists purely so you can be the person at the barbecue who knows things.

Subscribe here.

Four Cuts Worth Knowing

Chuck Roast

This is the one to start with. It comes from the shoulder, which means it's worked hard, which means it's full of collagen, which means it rewards low and slow cooking more than almost any other cut. It shreds easily, absorbs whatever you cook it in, and has enough fat to stay moist for days in the fridge.

The thing most people make with chuck is pot roast, which is fine, but not my favorite because I find it kind of boring. That said! Last week I had a taco night and made a chuck roast barbacoa and it was…transcendental. You're braising it in chipotles, cumin, lime, beef broth, and a few cloves of garlic until it falls apart, then shredding it and running it under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp the edges. It was so easy and SO good.

Recipe here!

Bone-In Chicken Thighs

This feels so basic, but I think bone-in chicken thighs are so underrated. The bone conducts heat differently so the thigh cooks more evenly, and it adds flavor to whatever liquid is in the pan in the same way a stock bone does. Chicken thighs have enough fat that they essentially baste themselves. You can braise them, roast them at high heat until the skin is lacquer-crisp, or simmer them in tomato sauce for an hour.

Recipe here!

Pork Shoulder

If you've already cooked from the slow cooker newsletter a few months ago, you know this one, but it deserves another mention because it might be the most versatile cheap cut there is. Pulled pork is the obvious move, but pork shoulder is also the base for Filipino adobo, pernil, and any number of dishes that require fat-marbled meat to carry spice and acid and cook time.

Recipe here!

Beef Short Ribs

Ok, these are the least cheap of the “cheap” cuts, but a 2lbs rack of short ribs costs less than one restaurant entrée and feeds two to three people, so the math maths to me. They have more collagen than chuck roast, more fat, more connective tissue, and they produce a braising liquid so rich that when it cools it becomes solid. That liquid, reduced, is a sauce worth drizzling over literally anything.

Recipe here!