Beef Teres Major

Teres Major is also known as mock tenderloin or petite tender. It's not a well known cut...except perhaps to butchers who may have taken this special cut home for their own consumption. It's that good.

We've asked our skilled butchers to seam out this special, petite muscle rather than letting it fall into the ground beef trim bin.

Teres Major is the 2nd most tender cut on the animal; second only to beef tenderloin. Weighing in at about 3/4 of a pound, teres major may not be very big but - oh boy - it's delicious.

This cut is from an area of the animal that sees a lot of movement, the chuck primal or lower shoulder. Teres major is nicely marbled with fat and lacks connective tissue which makes it quite tender.

The shoulder or chuck gets a lot of movement and that means more blood flow. This blood flow is what creates great beef flavor.

You won't find this cut in the store - you'll have to seek out this special cut from your neighborhood butcher or find a grass fed beef producer like Red House Ranch to snag this exceptional piece of beef.

If you're a steak aficionado you'll want to try this one. Grab it when you see it - there are only two teres major muscles per animal.

We think the best way to prepare teres major is simply with salt and pepper and grill or pan sear to medium or medium rare.