The beef clod or shoulder clod is one of the least expensive cuts of
beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus'').
In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantity ...
and is taken from the shoulder (chuck) region of the
animal
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...
. Beef clod is a large
muscle
Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of muscl ...
system, with some
fat
In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food.
The term often refers spec ...
that covers the muscles. The clod's composition is mainly three muscles: the shoulder tender, the top blade and the clod heart and is one of two chuck subprimal cuts. It is often divided into its three separate muscle cuts for retail sale.
Beef clod, along with beef brisket, is historically the foundation of Central Texas-style
barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke t ...
, as epitomized by Kreuz Market in
Lockhart, Texas
Lockhart is a city and the county seat of Caldwell County, Texas, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 14,379.
History
The city of Lockhart is named after Byrd Lockhart, an assistant surveyo ...
, where the clod has been prepared since 1900 by long, slow smoking. Beef clod may also be prepared with moist heat or
braising
Braising (from the French word ''braiser'') is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, the food is first browned at a high temperature, then simmered in a covered pot in cooking liquid (such as wine, broth, coc ...
.
Shoulder tender
A shoulder tender
also called beef shoulder petite tender,
beef shoulder tender petite roast,
bistro filet, rat or teres major steak
is a US cut of beef of the
teres major muscle
The teres major muscle is a muscle of the upper limb. It attaches to the scapula and the humerus and is one of the seven scapulohumeral muscles. It is a thick but somewhat flattened muscle.
The teres major muscle (from Latin ''teres'', meani ...
from the blade of the shoulder (chuck). It is one of the tenderest beef muscles and is said to be "white-tablecloth quality",
being a similar quality to
filet mignon
Filet mignon (; ; ) is a cut of meat taken from the smaller end of the tenderloin, or psoas major of a cow. In French, it mostly refers to cuts of pork tenderloin.
The tenderloin runs along both sides of the spine, and is usually butchered as ...
, but less expensive.
It is seldom used, as it requires skill to extract.
It is known as petite tender medallion, petite tender
or tender medallions if sliced into medallions (after being roasted or grilled whole).
It is shaped like a
pork tenderloin
Pork tenderloin, also called pork fillet, pork steak or Gentleman's Cut, is a long, thin cut of pork.
As with all quadrupeds, the tenderloin refers to the psoas major muscle along the central spine portion, ventral to the lumbar vertebrae, th ...
,
and weighs .
The
flat iron steak
Flat iron steak (US), butlers' steak (UK), feather blade steak (UK) or oyster blade steak (Australia and New Zealand) is a cut of steak cut with the grain from the Chuck steak, chuck, or shoulder of the animal.
The cut
This cut of steak is fro ...
lies above it, and is distinct from this steak, as it is formed from different muscles:
teres minor
The teres minor (Latin ''teres'' meaning 'rounded') is a narrow, elongated muscle of the rotator cuff. The muscle originates from the lateral border and adjacent posterior surface of the corresponding right or left scapula and inserts at both the ...
and
infraspinatus
In human anatomy, the infraspinatus muscle is a thick triangular muscle, which occupies the chief part of the infraspinatous fossa.''Gray's Anatomy'', see infobox. As one of the four muscles of the rotator cuff, the main function of the infraspina ...
.
See also
*
Blade steak
A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Historica ...
*
Chuck steak
Chuck steak is a cut of beef and is part of the sub-prime cut known as the chuck.
The typical chuck steak is a rectangular cut, about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick and containing parts of the shoulder bones, and is often known as a " 7-bone steak," ...
*
Cuts of Beef
During butchering, beef is first divided into primal cuts, pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass. These are basic sections from which steaks and other subdivisions are cut. Since the animal's legs and neck muscles do the most work, ...
References
External links
Contains information, recipes, cooking instructions and nutritional information
Cuts of beef
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