The clod roast is taken from the chuck primal cut of the cow, which is the largest of the eight primal cuts. It is taken from the shoulder area and includes the primary five ribs. The chuck section contains lots of connective tissue, however it can be broken down by slow-cooking.
Top Blade
The top blade (or infraspinatus) muscle is quite a tender piece of meat. The only problem is that it has a long seam of tough connective tissue running all the way through it. Sometimes youll see a cut labeled blade steaks, which are made by simply slicing sections straight across the top blade muscle. This makes blade steaks fine for braising but not ideal for grilling.
Another way of fabricating (butcher language for breaking down the animal into cuts of meat) the top blade is to make it into flat iron steaks. To do this, a butcher needs to slice lengthwise along the entire length of the top blade, removing the meat above that center strip, then flip it over and do the same for the bottom side. These sections are then sliced into individual flat iron steaks. Theyre actually pretty tender, and because theyve had that tough seam of gristle removed, you can cook them on the grill.
The middle part, which has that tough connective strip through it, is usually used for making ground chuck.
Shoulder Center
The shoulder center (or triceps brachii) is also called the shoulder heart or shoulder arm. Its a very large muscle, separated by a thick piece of connective sinew. To remove that, the shoulder center needs to be divided into two sections.
The larger of these two sections, called the long head, can more or less be squared off and sliced across the grain into steaks or roasts. These days you might see them described as ranch steaks, which is the beef industrys way of making them sound appealing, but in the old days, they were called shoulder steaks, shoulder center steaks, or arm steaks.
Shoulder steaks are often run through a mechanical tenderizer called a meat cuber (sometimes called a swissing machine) to make cube steak or swiss steak. (This can also be accomplished manually using a tenderizing mallet.) The swissing machine is designed to tenderize very tough cuts of meat, so this should give you an idea that ranch steaks are not naturally tender (although they do have nice beef flavor). If you do grill them, do it quickly so that they dont overcook. The shoulder center is also used for making a stir-fry or fajita meat, or something called “breakfast steaks,” which is the kind of dish you might expect to be served at restaurants such as Dennys.
The smaller, more pointy piece of the shoulder center is called the lateral head (or shoulder top). Its sometimes sold as a “shoulder center roast,” or cubed and used for kabobs or stew meat. As always, beware of cooking any “roast” which can also be sold as stew meat.
What is Beef Clod and How Do You Cook It?
FAQ
What is the difference between a chuck roast and a clod roast?
What is another name for beef clod?
What is beef clod good for?
What is another name for a chuck roast?
What is the difference between Chuck Roast and Clod roast?
Chuck roast. Also: pot roast, chuck roll. A budget cut from the shoulder, it has marbling throughout, making it ideal for one-pot cooking. Clod roast. Also: arm roast, pot roast. The clod or arm is leaner and a little less expensive than chuck. It is best braised.
Is a shoulder roast better than a chuck roast?
Even though the shoulder roast comes from the same general area, the meat is leaner and more tender than chuck roast. In fact, steaks cut from the shoulder roast can often go straight from the refrigerator to the grill, with no marinade or special preparation required.
What is a clod roast?
The clod roast can be tough but through proper cooking method, great flavor can be brought out. This is a boneless cut, found behind the shoulder area. The best part of this cut of beef is that it is economical. You can braise it in different sorts of liquids such as wine, beef stock or even water to bring different flavors in the meat.
Is beef chuck shoulder the same as beef shoulder roast?
Beef chuck shoulder is not the same as beef shoulder roast, although it is a cut that comes from the same general area. Beef chuck shoulder, also known as chuck roast or pot roast, comes from the lower part of the shoulder, while beef shoulder roast comes from the upper part of the shoulder.