Blade Steak

Blade steak, sometimes called top blade, is a steak cut from a muscle in the beef chuck primal cut, specifically the top blade (or infraspinatus) muscle. The chuck primal cut can be divided into two sections: the chuck roll and the chuck shoulder clod. Butchers used to simply slice across the chuck shoulder clod to make chuck steaks, but these days it's much more common to take the clod apart and divide it into its individual muscles, each of which can be marketed as a new kind of steak. Thus, the blade steak is now appearing in supermarket meat departments.

What Is Blade Steak?

Blade steaks are made by cutting directly across the top blade muscle, which is actually pretty tender. The one negative is there's a seam of connective tissue running through the center of it, which means that every section of steak has a piece of this tough strip of gristle right in the middle. On the bright side, there's a lot of beefy flavor in a blade steak and it's relatively inexpensive. If it's cooked properly, it can be a delicious and tender piece of meat.