CommonChuck
Chuck roast
Also 7-bone, blade roast, shoulder roast, pot roast
The everyday roast of a half-cow share. Collagen, flavor, and the cut behind poor-man’s brisket.
- Per animal
- 2 chucks · 6–8 roasts, or 16–20 blade steaks
- Per half-cow
- 3–4 roasts, or 8–10 steaks
- How to cook it
- Smoke to 203°F or braise 3 hours. Cube for burnt ends after the bark sets.
- Rarity
- In every case. The question is roast vs grind, not whether it exists.
- What to buy
- 3–5 lb, well marbled, not the lean ‘pot roast’ that was already trimmed to death.
- Money
- Best dollar on the steer for a party. This is what a half-cow is for.
- Trim
- Leave a fat cap. Cube later if you want burnt ends — not before the bark sets.
- Leftovers
- Birria, chili, sandwiches, hash.
~25% of hanging weight is chuck; much of it becomes grind if you do not ask for roasts.
How many
Buy 5.5 lb · ~3 lb to the table · 6 plates at 8 oz
How to cut
After a rest, follow the seams. Chuck is several muscles. Slice each across its own grain.
16 cooks in the library for chuck roast.
The whole animal
Every retail cut we track, how many you generally get, and how often it actually shows up in a case. Tap a line to pin it on the chart.
Cook through a half-cow — the order that keeps scarce cuts from becoming grind.
Chuck
26%
Rib
9%
Short loin
8%
Sirloin
9%
Round
22%
Brisket
5%
Plate
6%
Flank
3%
Shank
4%
half-cow counts are typical, not a promise from the plant.
