Why Some Cuts Are Tough and Others Aren't

When I look at a piece of meat, I don’t consider how I want to cook it. I consider how it should be cooked.

Every muscle had a job. And that job matters more than any recipe ever will. Because, let's face it. Some cuts are tough and others aren't.

Load-Bearing Cuts Are Tough

Here’s a simple illustration. Go ahead and try it.

Hold your right arm straight out in front of you. Now reach across with your left hand and feel your right shoulder.

It’s firm, right?

You’re activating those shoulder muscles just to keep your arm extended. And you’re not a 1,500-pound quadruped walking around all day.

Now imagine a 1,500-pound cow standing on all four legs. Those same shoulder muscles are “activated” constantly. Every single day. They’re stabilizing and carrying load all the time.

We could say the shoulder and hip muscles have a big job to do.

And generally speaking, the bigger the job, the tougher the muscle.

The Middle Cuts

The converse of that would be what we call the “middle cuts.” That’s where we find most of the steaks.

These muscles didn’t have the same responsibility as the load-bearing muscles located anterior and posterior on the animal. They weren’t stabilizing 1,500 pounds. They weren’t absorbing force the same way.

They simply didn’t work as hard.

And that difference shows up in texture.

Let Purpose Dictate the Approach

These concepts dictate cooking approach.

Simply keeping them in mind will help you choose which cut of meat to use for a specific application.

You can start with the method.

If you’re thinking, “I want to slow cook,” that naturally leads you toward something like chuck or round. From there, the difference becomes practical. Round is leaner. It will require more liquid in whatever vehicle you’re cooking it in. Chuck has more internal fat and will carry itself a bit better.

Or you can start with the piece of meat you already have.

If you know where it came from and what its job was, that will tell you which cooking technique makes sense. A load-bearing muscle is going to need time to break down. A middle cut can tolerate heat and speed.

A Simple Framework

To summarize:

Shoulders and hips = low and slow.

Middle cuts = hot and fast.

Those are generalities. There’s nuance from one steak or roast to another. But as a working baseline, that structure will serve you well.

If you understand what the muscle was responsible for, you’re far less likely to use the wrong cut for the job.