Braised Chuck Steak 

The so-called “Seven Bone” chuck steak is a great cut of steak for a family meal.  It is very economical compared to the prime cuts and when braised slowly the meat becomes fork tender and the fat and bone in the cut add tremendous flavor to the resulting sauce. 

One 2-3 lb chuck steak with bone in

2 medium onions

2 cloves garlic

2 medium green peppers

3 medium tomatoes chopped or one 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes

1 tsp of dried thyme

½ tsp of marjoram

¼ tsp of black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 tbl of olive oil

Thaw the steak in the refrigerator or microwave.  Rub black pepper into the steak on both sides and brown the steak on high heat in a skillet or baking pan that is large enough for the steak to lay flat.  After browning for a few minutes on both sides remove the steak and set aside.

To the baking pan, add a little more oil if necessary and sauté the garlic and onion until the onion is beginning to brown around the edges.  Add the peppers and sauté until the peppers are just beginning to soften.  Then add the tomatoes, thyme, marjoram and bay leaf and bring to a simmer.  Remove the mixture from the baking pan and put the chuck steak back in.  Pour the vegetable mixture over the top of the steak and seal with a lid or foil.  Place the covered baking pan into a 300F preheated oven and bake for a minimum of three hours up to six hours or until beef is fork tender.  Check to make sure that the pan does not dry out and add water if needed.

When baking is completed, remove the pan from the oven and using tongs carefully remove the steak from the pan to a cutting board.  Separate the beef from the bone and fat and move the beef pieces to a serving platter.  Add salt or other seasonings to taste to the vegetable mixture and spoon it over the beef on the platter to serve.

Serves 4-6

Variation:  The vegetable mixture can be put in a blender or food processor and blended into gravy for pouring over the beef.  We save any extra gravy for putting over meatloaf.