You might be wondering, “What does beef have to do with Socrates?”  No, it doesn’t come with a side of hemlock poison, but….

Have you ever been to the grocery store and wondered how one cut of beef varies from another?  There’s so many – beef chuck roast, beef shoulder, flank steak, sirloin steak, beef tenderloin, ribs, to name ONLY a few….

One cut sells for $12.99 / lb (or much more) and another for $6.99 / lb.  But, which is better?  I suppose “better” is hard to define when it comes to meat because I think the answer is always: “It depends.” 

If that’s the answer, then a follow up to the question to, “Which meat is better?” then becomes “What do you want to cook?”  I’m really not trying to flaunt my Socratic method here (yes I am)….

Don’t get me wrong, A filet mignon is a pretty damn good cut of meat  – considered “the best of the best” among some –  but not if you’re trying to smoke it low-and-slow like a Brisket.  And Brisket, expensive as it is (Why does a cut that requires hours of cooking cost so much?) is going to taste like a Goodyear tire if you try to cook it over a high heat like a filet (nothing against Goodyear, or tires).  

This example of filet and brisket is an obvious one using drastically different cuts of meat.  To me the question is not that of the better meat, but “What is the best method for cooking each cut of meat?”

As I pondered these deep questions, usually while thinking about dinner or lunch or breakfast, I decided to reply to these rhetorical calls of Socrates with what is now the slogan for this website: “Any cut of meat.  Any type of heat.”

Now, Back to the Meats…

Tonight I wanted to answer the question of Beef Shoulder Roast.  Although I have cooked a shoulder roast in the past, it was only my second attempt at recording a recipe of my own creation.  My first attempt was this Easy Crockpot Rump Roast. 

Since using a crockpot is an insanely easy way to cook anything, I thought I would try a variation with this tasty beef shoulder roast.  I just prepare and season it the night before, turn it on in the morning and voila! – a delicious meal is waiting for me when I return home from work. 

I should say this was also just my second attempt at photographing food too – which proved a bit more difficult than actually preparing an awesome tasting dish.  However, this crockpot recipe tastes great and is a big hit. Check out this Crockpot Pulled Pork for another crockpot recipe!

– Joey Meatballs

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