The 7-bone chuck steak is a lean, naturally tough cut with a strong beefy flavor. It’s possible to transform it into a flavorful, moderately tender steak with the right techniques, but it requires much time and effort. In this article, I’ll show you where 7-bone chuck steak comes from on the cow, its other names, flavor profile, and the best ways to cook it.
What is 7-Bone Chuck Steak?
The 7-bone chuck steak is a beef cut from the chuck primal, named for its specific bone that resembles the number 7. It’s a tough but flavorful cut with multiple muscles separated by fat. While it’s an inexpensive cut of steak with a strong beefy taste, its connective tissues make it naturally tough and chewy. Because of its many connective tissues, 7-bone chuck steak needs slow cooking to break down the fibers and tenderize the meat (braising and sous vide work best). Don’t cook it like a premium steak. Cooking it quickly over high heat without tenderizing it first will make it extremely tough and chewy.
What Are the Other Names for 7-Bone Chuck Steak?
Here are the most popular other names for the 7-bone chuck steak in the United States::
- 7-Bone Steak, Bone-In,
- Bone-In Chuck Steak.
Where Does a 7-Bone Chuck Steak Come From on a Cow?
The 7-bone chuck steak comes from the chuck primal of the cow. It always contains a 7-shaped bone on one side, with other bones scattered throughout. 7-bone chuck steak includes about 7-10 different muscles depending on how butchers cut it.
What Does 7-Bone Chuck Steak Taste Like?
7-bone chuck steak has an intense, beefy flavor but a tough, chewy texture with many connective tissues. Since it comes from a hardworking part of the animal, it’s naturally lean and not very tender. Generally, 7-bone chuck steak has great flavor but needs the right cooking method to shine. Slow cooking at low temperatures is the way to go – it helps break down the toughness of dense muscle fibers and makes the meat more tender and flavorful.
What Are the Best Methods for Cooking 7-Bone Chuck Steak?
7-bone chuck steak is a tough cut with a lot of connective tissue, so it needs slow cooking to turn tender and flavorful. The best way to cook it is low and slow. Braising works great because the long cooking breaks down the fibers, making the meat juicy, tender, and flavorful. Another great option is sous vide, which slowly cooks the 7-bone chuck steak to the perfect temperature.
Whatever you do, don’t try to cook 7-bone chuck steak like a ribeye or strip steak. Cooking it fast over high heat will only make it tougher to chew. If you don’t have a few hours to slow-cook or marinate it, this isn’t the steak for you. If you’re looking for a quick and easy steak to pan-sear or grill, go for something naturally tender instead.
