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

Chuck destined for stew comes from the shoulder area, a well-worked muscle that is tougher raw but turns fork-tender with long, moist cooking. It is the classic cut for beef stew, pot roast, and braised dishes like beef bourguignon, cut into cubes and browned first for a deep crust before simmering for hours in liquid with onions, carrots, and root vegetables until the connective tissue breaks down into gelatin and the meat pulls apart easily with a fork. The same cubes work equally well in a slow cooker or pressure cooker, where the extended, moist heat does the same job of tenderizing in less hands-on time.

Look for cubes with visible marbling and a bright red color, and keep raw chuck refrigerated for only a day or two or freeze it for longer storage, since ground and cubed beef both spoil at a similar rate. At 124 calories per 100 grams for this raw select cut (about 113 grams per serving), with 21.9 grams of protein and 3.99 grams of fat, it is a lean way to build a hearty, slow-cooked meal without the extra fat of a well-marbled prime cut. Protein sits at 44% DV, making a bowl of stew built around this cut a substantial main course rather than a side dish, especially once paired with potatoes or a crusty bread for the meal's carbohydrate side.