Teres Major Roast

A teres major roast is one of the quickest roasts in beef. The teres major, also sold as the shoulder tender, is a small muscle shaped like a short, tapered tenderloin, so it cooks in minutes rather than hours. Season it, sear it hard on every side in a hot skillet, finish it in a 400 degree oven for 8 to 15 minutes, baste it with butter, rest it, and slice it into medallions.

It is a lean, fine-grained, very tender cut with more beef flavor than you might expect from something so tender. Because it is small and fairly even in thickness, it is also forgiving, and a thermometer tells you everything you need to know.

At a glance: serves 4. Prep 10 minutes, rest seasoned 30 minutes, cook about 25 minutes, rest 10 minutes.

Gray Shipley, who runs the farm, was talking about people who stock a freezer with a beef share and come across cuts they have never cooked before. He put it from the cook's side:

“I get to go learn and experiment in the kitchen some and figure out how to cook something.”

Gray Shipley

He did not name the teres major, but it is exactly that kind of cut. Most home cooks have never seen one, it cooks in under half an hour, and the first time you make it is a small experiment with very little that can go wrong.

Ingredients

• 2 teres majors (shoulder tenders), 1/2 to 1 1/4 pounds each
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or avocado
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 sprig rosemary
• Flaky salt, to serve (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the middle. Trim off the thin, shiny silver skin on the surface of each teres major by sliding a thin knife just under it and angling the blade up. Pat the meat dry with paper towels.
2. Season all over with the salt and pepper and let the meat sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. If you have more time, season it up to a day ahead and leave it uncovered on a rack in the fridge.
3. Heat the oil in a 10- or 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Sear the teres majors, turning them every minute or two, until well browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes in all.
4. Slide the skillet into the oven. Roast for 8 to 15 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part reads your target. Smaller pieces get there first, so start checking a small one after 5 minutes and take each out as it is ready. USDA FSIS sets 145 degrees F with a 3-minute rest as the safe minimum for beef roasts.
5. Using an oven mitt, set the skillet back on the stove over medium heat. Add the butter, garlic and thyme, tilt the pan, and spoon the foaming butter over the meat for about 1 minute.
6. Move the meat to a cutting board and rest it for 10 minutes.
7. Slice across the grain into medallions 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Spoon the butter from the pan over the slices and finish with a little flaky salt.

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What is a teres major?

The teres major is a small muscle from the shoulder, tucked against the shoulder blade. It does little heavy work, which is why it is so much more tender than the chuck roasts that come from around it. A whole one usually weighs somewhere between half a pound and a little over a pound, and it looks like a short, fat tenderloin, round at one end and tapering to the other. It goes by several names: teres major, shoulder tender, and sometimes petite tender.

It is not a common sight in grocery stores because it takes time to cut out cleanly, and each animal has only two. It is often compared with tenderloin for tenderness, and many cooks find it the beefier of the two. The guide to the most tender cuts of beef below shows where it sits among them.

Teres major steak

The same cut makes good steaks. Slice the raw teres major across into medallions about 1 1/2 inches thick, season them, and sear them in a hot skillet for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the center reads your target. For a single larger steak, butterfly the whole teres major by cutting it almost in half lengthwise and opening it like a book, then sear it 3 to 4 minutes per side. On the grill, cook it whole over high heat, turning every few minutes, for 12 to 16 minutes in all, then rest and slice it.

Doneness and the thermometer

Teres major is lean, so it goes from juicy to dry quickly once it passes medium. Many cooks take it out of the oven at 125 to 130 degrees F, and it climbs a few degrees as it rests, for medium rare. That is below the FSIS figure, and the choice is yours. Push the thermometer into the thickest part from the end, not the top, so the tip sits in the center.

Can you reverse-sear a teres major?

Yes, and it is a good choice if you are cooking several at once. Roast the seasoned teres majors on a rack set in a sheet pan at 250 degrees until they reach about 115 to 120 degrees F inside, usually 25 to 40 minutes, then sear them in a very hot skillet for a minute or two per side. The center stays evenly pink from edge to edge. The reverse-sear guide below walks through the method in detail.

What to serve with it

Mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes and a green salad are enough. A spoonful of chimichurri or salsa verde cuts through the butter nicely, and the pan juices are good over plain rice.

Food safety

USDA FSIS lists 145 degrees F, followed by a rest of at least 3 minutes, as the safe minimum internal temperature for beef roasts and steaks. Check it with an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat them to 165 degrees F, the FSIS figure for leftovers. See the FSIS Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart.