 Drunk Chuck
This may be the first recipe I ever created. I was an undergrad at the University of Florida in the 1970s. On a limited budget I often bought cheap chuck steaks and marinated them overnight in spiced cheap red wine, which was plentiful because I worked at ABC Liquors on Newberry Road.
I have since learned from an article by one of my heroes, Mark Bittman of the New York Times, that a similar recipe was common in ancient Venice for another cut of cheap meat, horse. So I have combined his recipe with mine, fiddled with it, and ended up with something better. These steaks will not be brown and crisp on the surface because the surface will be wet when cooked, but they will have a rich flavor. Keep in mind that marinating adds flavor but does not tenderize.
Just in front of the rib primal, the best and most expesive section of steer, is the chuck primal, which includes the shoulder meat. Chuck steaks can be a little tough because these muscles work harder than the meat a little further back, and they have more hunks of fat and gristle, but they can also have great flavor and be relatively cheap. When you shop for chuck, look for cuts that are at least 1/2" thick (as in the photo), and try to find those that have a big round hunk of meat in the center. That will be the piece that is attached to the loin and it is the same muscle as the ribeye. At half the price. You can even ask you butcher to cut you steaks from the back of the shoulder. Ask for chuck eye steak. Another good chuck is the flatiron, but it has become popular lately so it might be more pricey.
Here are the cuts of chuck in order of quality.
 Chuck Eye Steak. This is the steak just in front of the rib section and contains meat very much like ribeye (at right). It is the best part of the chuck primal, can taste a lot like a ribeye, but it is a lot less expensive.
Shoulder Top Blade or Flat Iron Steak. Nicely marbled for flavor and not too tough.
Shoulder Center Cut or Ranch Steak. Not as well-marbled and a bit tougher, so it is usually cut thinner.
Shoulder Petite Tender. Flavorful, but it can be tough.
Chuck Steak. Can be gristley.
Shoulder Steak. Best cut into cubes.
Recipe
Makes. 3 cups, enough for about 8 servings
Preparation time. 45 minutes to make the marinade, 1 hour for it to cool, 2 to 12 hours to marinate, and 20 minutes or less to cook.
Ingredients
1 (750 ml) bottle cheap dry red wine
1/2 cup inexpensive balsamic vinegar di Modena
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon table salt
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 chuckeye or flatiron steaks, about 8 ounces each, cut at least 1/2" thick
Leftover marinade. If you marinate in zipper bags, you can get away with using less than if you use a bowl.
Do this
1) Combine all the ingredients except the steaks in a 2 quart or largerr pot and whisk them together. Boil hard for about 10 minutes to reduce by about 1/3. This will get rid of most of the alcohol, extract flavor from the herbs and spices, and concentrate the wine a bit. Alcohol, contrary to popular belief, is not great in marinades because it can dry out the meat. Cool to room temp, about an hour.
2) Trim excess fat from the exterior of the steaks. With a sharp knife, score the surface of the steak about 1/8" deep by dragging the knife across it. Make these slits about 3/4" apart on both sides. They will help the marinade penetrate and will hold the flavor when it is cooking. Don't worry, juices won't escape. Put the steaks in zipper bags, add the marinade, and zip. Put the bags in a bowl or pan to catch any leaks, and marinate in the fridge at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours, turning them occasionally to help the liquid contact all surfaces.
3) Preheat the grill for 2-zone cooking. Take the steaks out of the marinade, drain off most of the liquid but do not pat dry. This is contrarian. Normally we pat meat dry to make sure it crisps. But when using a flavorful marinade, don't pat them dry because much of the flavor is captured in the microscopic cracks on the surface and the slits we made. Grill over the hot section of the grill until rare to medium rare. They'll take longer than normal because the surfaces are wet. Let the steaks rest about 5 minutes, before cutting. To make them a bit more tender, serve them sliced. Be sure to cut across the grain into 1/4" slices.
This page was revised 8/25/2009
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