Forget Chuck Roast, Use This Affordable Steak Cut For Tender, Decadent Pot Roast

Once you've mastered all the tips for the perfect pot roast, it's a great opportunity to branch out from the chuck you're probably used to. And the lesser-seen Sierra steak can be terrific in this classic one-pot dish thanks to its rich, concentrated beef flavor and lower price than a lot of other options.

The Sierra steak is a little harder to come by than chuck because there is less of it per cow, but it's still terrific for the classic pot roast preparation. It comes from a thin muscle from the same shoulder area as the chuck, but it's much leaner, and there is still more chuck overall. The typical Sierra steak weighs about 1 ½ pounds while chuck roast weighs closer to 2 or 3 pounds. Especially if you're only feeding two adults or a family of four with small kids, a chuck roast is an almost cartoonishly big hunk of protein compared to Sierra steak's longer, slimmer profile.

Because it comes from such a hardworking section of the animal, Sierra steak starts out tough and needs the low-and-slow treatment to reach a desirable tenderness, despite being leaner than chuck. That toughness is also why it tends to be less expensive less expensive than a comparatively tender chateaubriand or filet mignon. Sierra steak is no exception, so it will likely be among the more affordable beef options available — assuming you can find it. Fortunately, you can usually ask your local butcher for underrated or less common cuts like this one.

If you can get your hands on both, you can certainly toss two slimmer Sierras into the pot, but they will still cook faster than a single, larger mass of chuck, which has more density through which to distribute the heat. So adjust your Sierra steak pot roast cooking time accordingly — because overcooking this leaner cut can lead to dryness since there's less fat to keep it moist.

It's always a good idea to sear your seasoned pot roast meat, including Sierra steaks, before braising to achieve some flavorful brown color. You can then bathe the steaks in stock, broth, or the cooking liquid of your choice and let it simmer along with your preferred alliums, veggies, and spices for about an hour before you first check for doneness. A lot of pot roast preparations call for you to cook until it's fork tender, which might still take another hour or so in this case. But a meat thermometer is your most accurate tool for gauging when the Sierra steak reaches the United States Department of Agriculture's safe temp of 145 degrees Fahrenheit (with a three-minute rest).