Bad Chuck Roast

Lou_34544

So I got a chuck roast to try the chefsteps recipe and replicate the success of other people doing SV chuck.

I bagged, sealed, let it go at 135 for 24 hours. Cut it open and seared.

It was so incredibly tough - impossible to cut. Chewy. We couldn't eat it.

Any idea what happened?

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brian_martin2001

How thick was your cut? Do you know what cut it was specifically? There are different chuck cuts. Did you cook it fresh or frozen?

A side note: regardless as to how tough your cut is, it will cut if your knives are properly sharpened. You might consider sharpening your blades.

fisher23

Chuck is a tougher cut, then as Brian said there are a lot of different chuck cuts. If it was tough, it needed more time. A method I learned here, pull the bag a pinch the meat, if it's tender enough for you, it's done. If not put it back in and continue cooking. Temperature is doneness, time is tenderness.

tshewman

Lou, Thank you for sharing and this is helpful for all of us. A few questions in addition to John and Brian's feedback and questions (both of which are helpful). The chuck is tough as we know and as mentioned, but "why" is it tough? Did you take the chuck apart prior to cooking? I would be willing to wager there was a fair bit of sinew which does not break down as the collagen in it is much more limited. So, even if we cook it longer, the meat around the sinew will get more tender, but depending on the cut (as Brian mentioned) it can still remain tough over all unless that sinew is removed.