For pot roasts and stews, we typically turn to a cut from the chuck, or shoulder, since meat from this region tends to be flavorful and fairly fatty and boasts plenty of collagen that breaks down to lubricate meat and add silkiness to braising liquids. Our favorite roast from the shoulder is the chuck eye.
Recipes
Understanding Beef Chuck-Eye Roast
The chuck-eye roast is one of our go-to cuts for beef stew and pot roast. Here's why.
By Published Jan. 30, 2019
Unlike other roasts from the shoulder, which may feature multiple small muscle groups separated by lots of hard fat and connective tissue, the chuck eye has a more limited number of large muscle groups that run along the center of the shoulder. With fewer muscle groups, this roast has less intramuscular fat and connective tissue to trim away, so it’s easier to prep; it also has a higher yield for the money.
In addition, the chuck eye has a compact, uniform shape that makes it easier to carve if cooked whole for dishes such as pot roast.
Shopping for Chuck-Eye Roast
Some readers have told us that chuck eye can be hard to find, but that may be because the roast goes by a number of aliases:
- chuck center roast
- chuck-eye roll
- inside chuck roll
- boneless chuck fillet
- America’s beef roast
If you can’t find chuck eye under one of these names, boneless short ribs (which aren’t ribs at all but thick swathes of meat cut from the chuck) make an excellent alternative.
Recipes Using Chuck-Eye Roast
Hearty Beef Stew
Choose chuck, use a combination of broth and wine, and thicken at the beginning for a simple but intensely flavored stew.Get the Recipe
Modern Beef Burgundy
Most recipes for this French classic require you to stand at the stove tediously batch-searing beef and sautéing vegetables. But what if the whole operation could move to the oven?Get the Recipe
Rigatoni with Beef and Onion Ragu
We knew that the meat in this Neapolitan gravy would add big savory flavor. What we learned in the making was that the other key player—the onions—would, too.Get the Recipe
Simple Pot-Au-Feu
The rich broth and tender meat and vegetables that define this French classic should be an easy way to feed a crowd. Why do so many recipes turn it into an ordeal?Get the Recipe
Cuban Shredded Beef
We were sold on vaca frita’s crispy crust and garlicky flavor—but not on its dry, stringy interior.Get the Recipe
