Shoulder Tender Beef, one of the Latest Marketing Ploys, Coming out of the United States of the Americas.

"Chef's secret - Shoulder tender is tasty as tenderloin and half the price.”

The tender part, yes; not as tender as the tenderlion; or as a quality top loin (Strip-ped loin)-but tender, relatively speaking, that is. Canadian Farm Wives knew that years ago; and, they didn't need expensive research grants to prove it; just a thrashing crew. As shown in the above illustration, the dorsi muscles run from hip to ear of all warm bloded animals, including humans. North Americans are very fond of Dorsi Musle Meat Cuts; taken from any of the animals, we use for food.

But, problem Number One: The fillet or tenderloin is, arguably, the Least Flavourful, and Least Nutritious, of ALL meat cuts-including beef .

Problem Number 2:  Marketing: Will, probably require a reversal in marketing strategy—the de-throneing of Standing/prime Rib(an, extremely, uneconomical cut, to begin with) as King in the mind of the US consumer.

Problem Number 3: As it requires skill to extract; sometimes, it has silver skin (connective tissue) that needs to be cut away, it is not suited to large scale, mass production; (skill level, wage cost). And, it is not really suited for SUPERMARKET meat counters for the same reasons.

Problem Number 4 : Mechanical tenderization, and the injection of “Pink Slime” has already given SUPER MARKET BEEF (including ground) the same, FLAVOUR,CHRONIC HEALTH RISKS,  and nutritive value.

Introduced a couple years ago by MAD MEN of the United States of the Americas and already a favourite of self-proclaimed chefs/restaurant owners (huge profit), shoulder tender is not, yet, well known by home cooks. It will be, soon as the Mad Men come up with a marketing ploy that consumers will accept.

A shoulder tender also called beef shoulder petite tender, beef shoulder tender petite roast, bistro filet, rat or teres major steak is a fabricated US cut of beef of the teres major muscle from the blade of the shoulder (chuck).

 As a further marketing ploy the Mad Men might call it a butcher’s cut, The butcher takes it home because he knows it’s good to eat. The meat cutters will undoubtedly call it a MARKETERS CUT

Because, a whole shoulder tender weighs  8 to 12 ounces, a range for two to four people(marketers from the United States of The Americas will  probably be suggesting it as a substitute for beef tenderloin filet in the Chateaubriand recipe.

©Al (Alex-Alexander) D Girvan. All rights reserved.