• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Sweet T Makes Three logo
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Main Dishes

    Chuck Eye Steak Recipe: The Poor Man’s Ribeye

    Published: Mar 1, 2019 · Modified: Nov 20, 2024 by Jenn · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Chuck eye steak, also known as poor man’s ribeye, has a great flavor that’s just as good or better as its more expensive cousin. This chuck eye steak recipe has stood the test of time and remains one of my family’s favorite meals. 

    prepared chuck eye steak resting on a white plate and topped with herbed butter
    Chuck Eye Steak

    I’d never heard of beef chuck eye steak but since the manufacturer’s suggested retail price is so enticing (especially compared to ribeye steak) I bought it anyway.

    I learned how to cook chuck eye steaks by paying close attention to the advice given in my favorite foodie forums, Poor man’s rib eyes have been a staple at our house ever since.

    Cheapskate that I am, we eat pretty much whatever goes on manager markdown at our local grocer. In addition to saving money, this has allowed me to explore different cuts of meat that wouldn’t normally make it onto my grocery list. Exploring different beef cuts and cooking methods is how I discovered how much we love this beef chuck eye recipe.

    Bull Shit Steak Seasoning, Net Wt 12ozBull Shit Steak Seasoning, Net Wt 12ozSteak: One Man's Search for the World's Tastiest Piece of BeefSteak: One Man’s Search for the World’s Tastiest Piece of Beef

    What is Chuck Eye Steak?

    Chuck eye is a steak that is derived from the Chuck Roll. The “eye” is an anatomical name meaning the “Eye” of the Chuck. It comes from the shoulder area of a cow and is known for its rich beefy flavor. If you’ve enjoyed flat iron steak in the past then you’ve sampled chuck meat before and I’m confident you’ll be a fan of chuck eye steak too.

    chalkboard beef chart chuck

    Make sure your chuck steak is boneless. If there are bones present and it’s a little thicker than a steak, you might have yourself a chuck roast which is best prepared in a slow cooker rather than an iron skillet.

    *Note that just because a cut of beef is no longer bright red, that doesn’t necessarily make it spoiled. Your grocer uses dioxide among other things to give beef that appetizing, unnatural, candy apple red color.

    This may look pretty but it’s not natural nor is it an indicator of freshness. It’s purely psychological.

    raw chuck eye steak meat

    Use the sell-by date as a guide as well as your nose to determine whether or not a piece of meat is safe for consumption rather than going by color. 

    Knowing this fact and realizing it’s a marketing technique will help you find all sorts of steak cuts on markdown that others are passing over. Go forth and save money, my friends.

    Chuck Eye Steak vs. Ribeye

    Foodie forums let me in on the secret about how to cook chuck eye steak that is just as tasty as ribeye and a whole lot cheaper. Thus its nickname “The Poor Man’s Ribeye.”

    Since it isn’t a cut that requires the slow cooker I decided to try a restaurant-style steak recipe using the oven. Preparing your chuck eye steak with a hot cast iron pan and an oven makes this budget meat cut taste like a cut above the rest! 

    Chuck Eye Steak Recipe Ingredients

    Keto eaters, scroll down to the recipe card to check out the macros on these bad boys. I think you’ll be happy! 

    Ingredients

    • 2 Chuck-eye steaks (Regular chuck steaks are great but if you can Delmonico steak cuts even better!)
    • ¼ cup butter
    • 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
    • Salt
    • Pepper
    Chuck eye steak recipe

    How to Cook Chuck Eye Steaks

    Remove the boneless chuck eye steaks from the refrigerator and bring them up to room temperature for best results.

    raw chuck eye steaks on a plate

    Season the surface of the meat on both sides with salt and pepper. I used coarse Celtic sea salt. Kosher salt work as well.

    seasoned chuck eye steaks

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil and half the butter in a cast iron pan on the stovetop as hot as you can get it!

    You want it boiling lava hot. Make sure your kitchen exhaust is on high. Since I’m not lucky enough to have a kitchen exhaust that actually vents outside, I even open a kitchen window for this part.

    There will be some smoke, but I promise it’s worth it for that nice sear that you just can’t get any other way. 

    butter in a hot skillet for chuck eye steak recipe

    Since I learned how to cook chuck eye steak, this iron skillet has been on my wishlist just for the silicone holder. It’s cheaper to buy the skillet with the holder than without (go fig) and it’s a nice option to have since you’ll be handling the skillet quite a bit from stovetop to oven.

    Update: I feel a little ignorant for not know this but you can order the silicone hot pan covers by themselves from an online merchant without having to buy a new pan. 

    Silicone Iron Skillet Handle CoverSilicone Iron Skillet Handle CoverSilicone Iron Skillet Handle Cover

    This is good news for your wallet and for those of us who have an heirloom cast iron skillet that we love to use. I just ordered one!

    chuck eye steaks cooking in an iron skillet
    chuck eye steaks searing in a skillet

    Once both sides are seared, place the skillet in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes. I misunderstood the original directions and transferred the steaks before placing them in the oven. They turned out delicious either way. It’s easier just to place the skillet in there though.

    seared chuck eye steaks ready to place in the oven

    Bake 6-8 minutes depending on steak thickness and desired level of doneness. I’ve been eating juicy steak since Kindergarten and personally think it’s a crime to eat any steak cooked more than medium-rare, but especially with a chuckeye steak. The best way to cook a chuck eye steak is cooking it a little less done than you normally prefer due to the cut. Trust me on this! Overcooked chuck eye no longer tastes like a prime cut.

    Hubs is a medium-well kind of guy but he eats his chuck eye medium-rare. If you need a guide to determine steak doneness, check out the video below:

    Steak Temperature Guide

    If you want to be precise and use a meat thermometer, here is the internal temperature guide for steak doneness. Once you’ve make chuck steaks a few times though, you’ll probably be able to tell when they are just right from the “springiness” alone without cutting into your chuck steaks or checking the final temperature with a thermometer.

    • Rare – 130 to 135°
    • Medium Rare – 140°F to 145°F
    • Medium – 155°F to 160°F
    • Well Done – 165°F to 170°F

    And that is how to cook chuck eye steak to perfection. Great job! I served my chuck roast steak recipe with a tablespoon of herb butter. This chuck eye steak recipe tasted as good as a steak from our favorite local steak restaurant for an economical price. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

    Chuck Eye Steak cooked and plated

     

    📖 Recipe

    Enjoy ribeye for half the price with this chuck eye steak recipe!

    Chuck Eye Steak Recipe

    Jenn@Sweet T Makes Three
    Simple yet gourmet, this chuck eye steak recipe will have you staying in instead of going out!
    4.63 from 99 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Additional Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Recipes
    Cuisine Keto
    Servings 2
    Calories 502 kcal

    Equipment

    • Amazon Basics Silicone Hot Skillet Handle Cover Holder, Black
    • Dapper&Doll Cast Iron Cleaner - Chainmail Scrubber for Cast Iron Pans - Skillet Pan Pot Scraper

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 Chuck eye steaks
    • ¼ cup Butter
    • 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
    • Salt
    • Pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Remove the boneless chuck eye steaks from the refrigerator and bring up to room temperature.
    • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
    • Season both sides of steaks with salt and pepper. I used coarse Celtic sea salt
    • Heat ½ stick of butter and 1Tbsp coconut oil in an iron skillet on the stovetop as hot as you can get it!
    • Sear steaks for 1-3 minutes on each side until brown crust forms.
    • Once both sides are seared, place the skillet in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes.
    Keyword chuck eye steak
    Nutrition Facts
    Chuck Eye Steak Recipe
    Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
    Calories 502 Calories from Fat 414
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 46g71%
    Saturated Fat 28g175%
    Trans Fat 2g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 16g
    Cholesterol 135mg45%
    Sodium 534mg23%
    Carbohydrates 1g0%
    Protein 22g44%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or share on Pinterest

    Where to find Chuck Eye Steak

    This continues to be one of our favorite dinners. I’ve yet to find a great chuck eye steak price anywhere locally but Kroger, so if you’re struggling to make your “poor man’s ribeye” poor enough, check there or your local butcher.

    I just loaded my freezer with 5 twin packs of boneless chuck steaks that were marked down for clearance. Best of luck!

    Update: I’ve since found chuck eye steaks at our local Walmart, though not as often as I find them at Kroger. I’m guessing the secret is out about this cut, and with good reason. “The first rule of chuck steak is you don’t tell people about chuck steak.” OOPS!

    The good news is that your new favorite cut of beef will be more readily available at more grocery stores. The bad news is you may have trouble finding them on clearance anymore since they’ve increased in popularity. We may have to change the “poor man’s ribeye” moniker to “budget ribeye” if we can’t find them for such low prices anymore. It doesn’t have quite the same ring to it though, does it?

    Tips for Making This Low Carb Dish

    If you’re eating keto, you’ll be happy with the amount of fat and protein in this beef cut. (If you’re not eating keto, then look away!) With 46 grams of fat, 22 grams of protein, and zero sugar or net carbs, this steak is made for low-carb, high-fat diets like keto.

    Slathering your chuck steak in butter is another way to add even more fat to your protein just in case this steak cut didn’t deliver enough for you. Gotta get those macros in!

    Serve this Southern Style Cabbage recipe with your chuck eye steak for a complete keto meal.

    In case, you are searching for a way to reference your sources while savoring this Chuck Eye Steak recipe? You can try to use the APA generator to allow you to have the citations correctly generated without effort on your side while you can continue with your cooking.

    More Main Dishes

    • A black bowl full of pork lo mein topped with sesame seeds with chopsticks in the bowl.
      Pork Lo Mein (Instant Pot Recipe)
    • A bowl of slow cooker Mongolian beef served over rice.
      Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef
    • Cheesy beef and rice topped with diced tomatoes in a skillet.
      Ground Beef and Rice Skillet
    • Platter of corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots.
      Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.63 from 99 votes (97 ratings without comment)

      What's on your mind? Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Diane says

      December 07, 2021 at 5:35 pm

      5 stars
      Love this! I bought chuck eye because ribeyes are so expensive – now I can save money, and have great steak!

      Reply
      • Jenn says

        December 08, 2021 at 8:02 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed your steak!

        Reply
    2. Justin says

      March 02, 2022 at 5:04 pm

      Hey! I was at the store and trying to avoid spending $15/lbs on good steaks. I knew that Chuck Eye steaks were a lower quality cut and I knew it would taste fine, but I hate going through an entire roll of floss trying to get the bits out of my teeth.

      I was really interested in the cooking methodology to avoid a tough piece of meat. I used salt and pepper, for cooking fat I used only one tablespoon of tallow. But I have to say, this came out amazing, the steaks were like butter! Super tender and juicy, the best steak I have ever cooked actually, and it’s all thanks to this.

      Reply
    3. Josiah says

      March 11, 2022 at 1:49 pm

      5 stars
      5 stars for the cut. I’m sure the recipe is good too. I’ve been buying chuck eye for over 12 years now. Not every butcher or grocer had it back then. Now it is everywhere. When I cook it as a ribeye replacement, I even tie buther’s twine around its waist from resting-cooking. Then cut it just before serving.
      What I really wanna say is this. Try using chuck eye in a ragout, or a pot roast even. The cook time of the meat is closer to half an hour! And it’s just as fall apart tender as a chuck roast that’s been cooking for 6 hours. Just picked up 2 nice CE, I can’t wait for dinner tomorrow.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    picture of Jennifer sitting in a green chair.

    Hi, I'm Jenn, a Southern food blogger and mother living in Alabama. After having my wonderful daughter, I decided to embark on a journey of sharing my Southern cooking recipes with the world.

    More about me →

    Recent Recipes...

    • How a Well-Designed Kitchen Boosts Cooking Inspiration
    • An iron skillet full of fried cabbage with a wooden spoon.
      Southern Fried Cabbage Recipe
    • cornflake cookies cooling on wax paper.
      Cornflake Candy
    • Layered Mexican Cornbread Salad Recipe

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2024 Sweet T Makes Three

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.