Chuck Tender Roast / Steak

[#116B, Mock Tender roast / steak, Medallion pot roast, fish steak, Chuck fillet roast / steak]

The Chuck Tender #116B (1# to 3#) is a narrow muscle, just above the Chuck Underblade, that superficially resembles the Tenderloin at the other end of the beast, thus the name. The "tender" part is purely marketing talk, as it isn't significantly more tender than the rest of the chuck. While not nearly as tender as Tenderloin, it does have much better flavor than that bland cut. The photo specimen was 10 x 4-1/2 x 2-3/4 inches and weighed 3.03 pounds. On the shelf at this time were specimens weighing from 2-1/2 pounds to 4-1/4 pounds.

Buying:

This cut has not been real common in my local market (Altadena, California), but in 2012 I paid US 2.99 / pound. Now, during the COVID-19 plague, it became more common, and I purchased the photo specimen for 2020 US $4.99 / pound. Almost all other beef cuts were at $8.99 or higher due to shortages.

Prep:

The silverskin on the photo specimen practically peeled off with almost no flesh attached. There was some silverskin on the other side which gave a little more resistance. Fat was minimal. The 3 pound specimen, after trimming, was 2 pounds 11.8 ounces, for a yield of 90% clear meat - an excellent yield.

Cooking:

This cut can be braised or slow roasted just like any other part of the Chuck. I will almost always have cut it into small pieces for inclusion in soups, stews, stir fries, and the like.

Two Chuck Tender Steaks This photo shows two steaks cut from the Mock Tender. They were described as "Thin cut", and that's the way you want them. Marketeers may tell you thicker cuts are just like medallions from the Tenderloin, but they're not - they're as tough as any other part of the chuck. The photo specimens were about 3-1/2 inched in diameter and 3/8 inch thick, weighing about 1-1/4 ounces each. Stupidly priced at 2013 US $9.99 / pound, but buy one tray and you got another "free", so effectively $5.00 / pound.

Cooking: These pan fry just fine, have good flavor and are quite edible if thin and you don't overcook them. CAUTION: don't just toss them into the pan as is. You need to make a cut from the center all the way out through the edge, just like you would for slices of Bologna. If you don't, they will turn into domes almost instantly. Cut, they will instead open up into an elongated form. Fried, these would make excellent sandwich meat.