Look at the package: beef tips are usually larger, longer strips with a deep red color and minimal fat. Stew meat is cut into smaller, more uniform cubes, often with more white specks of fat and silver skin hanging around like unwanted guests.
If you press a beef tip, it bounces back like a firm mattress. Stew meat feels more like a squishy stress ball soaked in regret. Trust your touch, but also trust the label—because your local grocery store isn’t running a blindfold test.
The Secret Third Option (The Plot Twist)
Nobody talks about “stew tips”—but that’s exactly what you should buy if you want both tender chunks and rich gravy. Ask your butcher to cut a chuck roast into 1-inch cubes, and you get beef tips’ tenderness potential for stew meat’s price.
15 Easy Stew Meat Recipes (That Aren't Stew!)
It’s the cheat code of the meat world. You’ll cook them low and slow like stew meat, but they’ll taste like you spent twice as much. Your dinner guests will whisper, “How did they get this so beefy?” and you’ll just smirk like a culinary wizard.