Reverse Seared Beef Teres Major Steaks

Last Updated on July 24, 2024 by Carne Diem

Protein:

Origin: Nose to Tail Cooking

Method: Grill/Smoker, Stove top, and Sous vide

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The secret is out for steak lovers.  Teres major, or petite tender steak has been called the poor man's filet mignon, as you get the tenderness of a filet steak at a fraction of the price. This reverse seared beef teres major steak recipe is the absolute best way to cook petite tender.  Full of rich beefy flavor, these grilled mock tender steaks are perfect for an elegant meal or special occasion, but easy enough to make for a nice weeknight meal as well.

What is a Teres Major Steak?

Also referred to as petite tender, teres major is not a cut you are likely to find at your local grocery, or even at most butcher shops.  It is a seldom used muscle of the chuck section of the beef shoulder and, as such, is very tender yet remains sadly unknown in the U.S.  Also called shoulder tender, this tender cut of beef originates from the front leg of the cow or beef clod near the shoulder blade.  The cut is roughly the size of a pork tenderloin and is full of rich flavor. Some have compared it to a poor man's beef tenderloin, we just call it delicious.  

Sourcing Your Teres Major

Gourmet butchers, especially those specializing in Wagyu cattle, have started to see the value in this cut.  I am fortunate enough to live in close proximity to Kansas City Cattle Company (though they do ship nationwide).  It is a great company with a great product.  The owner is an Army Ranger Veteran and part of the Homegrown by Heroes Initiative.  After 2 tours in Afghanistan, he returned to Kansas City where he and his all-veteran staff now run an American-Wagyu ranch producing some of the best beef in America.

One of our other favorite sources for American Wagyu teres major, is Snake River Farms, who produce some of the best American Wagyu in the nation and provide beef to many of the best restaurants and BBQ teams in the country. They also ship nationally.  The cut is becoming a little more popular so check with your local butcher shop to see if they carry the cut of steak.

I recently jumped on the opportunity to cook up this prized cut for my family, and the results were superb.  The technique I have found to work best involved a reverse sear method starting in the smoker, then being brought to final temp in the sous vide, before being sliced to desired thickness and finishing off the steak in a sizzling cast iron pan.  We then served them up with his and hers sauces, consisting of a Stout Sauce for me and a Malbec Reduction Sauce for the lady of the house.

Cooking the Teres Major

This method does require a smoker or grill, sous vide, and a hot skillet. If you do not have a sous vide, you can cook the petite tender entirely on the smoker or grill, there is just less margin for error, it may not be as tender, and your timeline has a lot less flexibility if you are cooking on a deadline. You can learn about why sous vide may be the next toy you need in your kitchen here or in our Equipment/Tools of the Trade page.

Prepping the meat

So now that you have made a quick trip to the local butcher and picked up roughly 2-pound teres major roast and your favorite BBQ rub for beef (steak or brisket) you are just about set to go. Other than that, all you need is some Kosher salt and butter to finish the dish with.

Pat the teres major dry and trim any remaining excess fat or silver skin, though typically there is not much trimming that needs to be done. 

Liberally coat with the beef rub on all sides. Use your favorite rub. For this we used Oakridge BBQ Black OPS Brisket Rub. Our Ancho Espresso Steak Rub or Chicago Style Steak Rub also work great. Next, cover with Saran wrap or plastic wrap and let sit at room temp for about an hour, while you set up the grill/smoker.

Cooking the petite tender

Heat your grill or smoker to 250 degrees.  We like to cook this over oak but pick out your favorite.  Cook over indirect heat.

We highly recommend monitoring the internal temperature of the meat with a meat thermometer. You can read more about this useful tool here:

Smoke the teres major until it reaches an internal temp of 100-110 degrees (about an hour) then remove from the grill.  Let cool for about 5 minutes, then place in a sous vide bag. If you do not have a sous vide bag, vacuum seal bags work well, too. Use zip locks as a last resort, but they can be a pain to get all of the air out, and you should double bag them because they are prone to leakage in the warm water.

If you are not using a sous vide continue to cook the roast you can cook the petite tender using a reverse sear method.  Cook the teres major to about 10 degrees below your desired finishing temp, then pull and rest for 5 minutes before proceeding to the searing step.

Use a sous vide to assure meaty perfection

Sous vide for about 2 hours to your desired temp.  We like medium-rare so we cooked it to 131 degrees, though with the beauty of sous vide you can get it cooked exactly to your liking, so just adjust to preference. The other great thing about sous vide is that you can use it to hold to temp until you are ready to eat. Company running late, no big deal, just keep it at exact temp without over cooking it or having it dry out.

When you are ready to eat, heat a cast iron or sauté pan over high heat. The steaks can also be finished on a gas grill or other grill over direct heat, if desired.

Remove the meat from the sous vide bag to a cutting board.  Slice the meat to desired thickness cuts. Again, with the beauty of sous vide you can do really thick cuts because it is all evenly cooked already, you are just searing to add some flavor and texture to the meat.

Finishing the Teres Major

On your stove top, heat a cast iron skillet or pan over high heat then melt a tablespoon of butter in the pan. Give the steaks a quick sear both sides until nicely browned (about 30 seconds-1 minute per side depending on your pan's temp).  Add additional butter as needed to cook the remaining steaks.  If searing on a grill, grill the steaks for about 1-2 minutes per side.

What to serve with grilled teres major

Season the steaks with a little coarse salt and black pepper as desired. Serve up with your favorite sides and sauce.  We cooked ours with his and hers sauces (Stout Steak Sauce and Malbec Reduction Sauce) and sautéed asparagus. Other great sides for petite tender include jalapeno twice baked potatoes, cheesy corn, and au gratin potatoes.

Leftover steak should be refrigerated in an airtight container and eaten within 3 days.

For more great steak recipes, be sure to try some of the best steak recipes from around the world:

• Reverse Seared Argentinian Ribeye With Chimichurri Sauce
• Iowa's Steak de Burgo: Filet with Herb Cream Sauce
• Quattro Formaggi Crusted Steak
• Deconstructed Beef Wellington
• Belgian Steak Frites With Sous Vide Bavette Steak
• Sous Vide Florentine Style Porterhouse Steak
• A5 Japanese Wagyu With Yakiniku Sauce

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