Beef, chuck for stew, separable lean and fat, choice, raw

Chuck cut for stew comes from the well-worked shoulder area of the cow, which makes it tougher than tender cuts like sirloin but rich in connective tissue that melts down beautifully during long, slow cooking. It is the classic choice for beef stew, pot roast, and braises, where hours of simmering in broth or wine break the collagen down into a tender, richly flavored result that quicker cooking methods cannot replicate. It pairs naturally with root vegetables like carrots and potatoes, red wine, and bay leaf in a slow-cooked stew or Dutch oven braise.

Raw chuck stew meat should be refrigerated and used within a couple of days, or frozen for longer storage, and it is often sold already cut into cubes for convenience. A 4-ounce (113 g) raw serving has 130 calories with 21.6 g of protein, 43 percent of the Daily Value, and 12 percent of the Daily Value for iron, making it a solid protein base to build a stew around. Its fat content of 4.81 g per 100 g is fairly lean for a stewing cut, and its 79 mg of sodium leaves room to season the braising liquid generously.