Things You'll Need
Cutting Board
Knife
Chuck is a less-tender cut of beef comprising about 30 percent of the total weight of a beef carcass. Chuck includes blade roasts as well as arm and cross rib pot roasts. The meat is from the upper shoulder of the beef which gets a lot of exercise. That exercise toughens the muscle. Cut the chuck roast into smaller portions for stews. Cut larger cooked roasts so the slices are more tender.
Before Cooking
Step 1
Lay the roast on the cutting board. Slice off excess fat with a sharp knife by placing it between the inner edge of the fat next to the meat. Press down on the knife through the fat.
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Step 2
Cut around the bones and remove them if you're making a stew. Leave them in if you're grilling the roast. A chuck roast usually has two flat bones and a bone shaped like the number 7. The flat bones may appear narrower on one side of the roast than the other. Follow along the bones with your knife as you cut.
Step 3
Cut the remaining pieces of meat into equal size cubes. Same size chunks of meat will cook at the same time.
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After Roasting
Step 1
Remove the chuck roast from the oven and let rest 15 minutes before cutting. The meat will still be hot when you serve it but you won't burn your hands while cutting it. Place on a cutting board after the 15 minutes.
Step 2
Determine the grain of the meat. Muscle fibers in the meat run in one direction. Look at the roast and determine which way the muscle fibers are running.
Step 3
Slice the meat against the grain. Turn the roast so you are slicing against the fibers. In other words, you're cutting the long muscle fibers short. The slices will be tender if you do this.
Tip
Feel your way around the bones with the knife.
Chuck roasts have quite a bit of fat going through the meat itself so you won't lose any flavor by removing the fat that's around the perimeter of the roast.
Warning
Hot fat from the roasting pan burns, so be careful.