Cuts of beef are first divided into primal cuts, pieces of meat initially separated from
the carcass during butchering.
These are basic sections from which steaks and other subdivisions are cut.
The term "primal cut" is quite different from "prime cut", used to characterise cuts considered
to be of higher quality.
Since the animal's legs and neck muscles do the most work, they are the toughest; the
meat becomes more tender as distance from hoof and horn increases.
Different countries and cuisines have different cuts and names, and sometimes use the same
name for a different cut; e.g., the cut described as "brisket" in the US is from a significantly
different part of the carcass than British brisket.
The American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead wrote in the American Anthropological
Journal of the American Anthropological Association, "cultures that divide and cut beef specifically
to consume are the Koreans and the Bodi tribe in East Africa.
The French and English make 35 differentiations to the beef cuts, 51 cuts for the Bodi tribe,
while the Koreans differentiate beef cuts into a staggering 120 different parts."
American cuts
The following is a list of the American primal cuts, and cuts derived from them.
Beef carcasses are split along the axis of symmetry into "halves", then across into front
and back "quarters".
Canada uses identical cut names as the U.S. Forequarter cuts
The chuck is the source of bone-in chuck steaks and roasts, and boneless clod steaks and roasts,
most commonly.
The trimmings and some whole boneless chucks are ground for hamburgers.
The rib contains part of the short ribs, the prime rib and rib eye steaks.
Brisket, primarily used for barbecue, corned beef or pastrami.
The foreshank or shank is used primarily for stews and soups; it is not usually served
any other way because it is the toughest of the cuts.
The plate is the other source of short ribs, used for pot roasting, and the outside skirt
steak, which is used for fajitas.
The navel section is also commonly used to make pastrami.
The remainder is usually ground, as it is typically a cheap, tough, and fatty meat.
Hindquarter cuts The loin has two subprimals, or three if boneless:
the short loin, from which the T-bone and Porterhouse steaks are cut if bone-in, or
strip steak.
the sirloin, which is less tender than short loin, but more flavorful, can be further divided
into top sirloin and bottom sirloin, and the tenderloin, which is the most tender,
can be removed as a separate subprimal, and cut into filet mignons, tournedos or tenderloin
steaks, and roasts.
They can also be cut bone-in to make parts of the T-bone and Porterhouse loin steaks.
The round contains lean, moderately tough, lower fat cuts, which require moist or rare
cooking.
Some representative cuts are round steak, eye of round, top round, and bottom round
steaks and roasts.
The flank is used mostly for grinding, except for the long and flat flank steak, best known
for use in London broil, and the inside skirt steak, also used for fajitas.
Flank steaks were once one of the most affordable steaks, because they are substantially tougher
than the more desirable loin and rib steaks.
Many modern recipes for flank steak use marinades or moist cooking methods, such as braising,
to improve the tenderness and flavor.
This, combined with a new interest in these cuts' natural leanness, has increased the
price of the flank steak.
Argentine cuts The most important cuts of beef in the Argentine
cuisine are: Asado: the large section of the rib cage including
short ribs and spare ribs Asado de tira: often translated as short ribs,
but also sold as long, thin strips of ribs.
Chuck ribs, flanken style.
Bife de costilla: T-bone or porterhouse steaks Bife de chorizo: strip steak, called NY strip
in US Bife de ojo: ribeye steak
Bola de lomo: tenderloin Chinchulin: upper portion of small intestines
Colita de cuadril: tri-tip, or the tail of the rump roast
Cuadril: rump Entraña: skirt steak
Falda: navel Lomo: tenderloin
Matambre: a long thin cut that lies just under the skin and runs from the lower part of the
ribs to belly–or flank area Mollejas: sweetbreads
Pecho: brisket Riñones – kidneys
Tapa de asado – rib cap Tapa de nalga – top of round roast
Vacío – flank, though it may contain the muscles of other near cuts
Brazilian cuts
The most important cuts of beef in the Brazilian cuisine are:
Acém: neck Alcatra: top/bottom sirloin
Contrafilé: tenderloin Coxão duro: round
Coxão mole: round Filé Mignon: part of the tenderloin
Lagarto: round Maminha: botton sirloin/flank
Patinho: confluence of flank, botton sirloin and rear shank
Picanha: rump cover or rump cap Cupim: hump
Fraldinha: confluence of short loin, flank and botton sirloin
Paleta: chuck/brisket Turkish cuts
Gerdan: neck
Antrikot: rib steak Kontrfile: Steak
Bonfile: fillet Steak Sokum: rump
Nuar: round of beef Kontrnuar: the lower left side of nuar
Tranç: the upper left side of nuar Kürek: shoulder
Kol, incik: mutton leg Döş: brisket
Pençata: flank Yumurta: the section between kontrnuar and
pençata
UK cuts
Tongue Necks & clod
Chuck & blades Sirloin
Rump Silverside
Topside Thick rib
Thin rib Brisket
Shin and leg Flank
Thick flank Feather blade
Fillet
Dutch cuts
Neck Rib
Sirloin Tenderloin – Considered to be the premium
cut, highly prized.
It is called 'ossenhaas' in Dutch.
It tends to be cut slightly smaller than its American counterpart.
Top sirloin Round – Mainly used for kogelbiefstuk considered
to be the basic form of steak in Dutch and Belgian cuisine.
Flank Chuck – Best cuts are used for stoofvlees,
lesser bits are used in hachee.
Brisket Shankle
Tongue is considered the cheapest piece of beef; it is used in certain styles of sausages
such as the frikandel, though not as the main ingredient.
Tail, though not on the image shown, is used extensively in stews.
UNECE standard - Bovine meat carcases and cuts
The UNECE standard offer for the first time internationally agreed specifications written
in a consistent, detailed and accurate manner using anatomical names to identify cutting
lines See also
Meat on the bone References