Cut of beef

Sections of cattle

During butchering, beef is first divided into primal cuts, pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass. These are basic sections from which steaks and other subdivisions are cut. 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.

Statue of cow with cuts of beef in a Budapest restaurant

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. Cut often refers narrowly to skeletal muscle (sometimes attached to bones), but can also include other edible flesh, such as offal (organ meat) or bones without significant muscles attached.

American and Canadian

<imagemap> File:US_Beef_cuts.svg|thumb|right|400px|American cuts of beef (clickable)

poly 308 179 308 145 416 164 Flank steak poly 430 171 476 171 474 206 Shank poly 204 44 301 47 302 139 208 140 Rib poly 207 189 210 145 302 144 302 180 Plate poly 133 145 204 144 202 187 156 188 Brisket poly 170 196 201 193 189 225 Shank poly 120 23 133 142 204 141 204 36 Chuck poly 443 168 430 32 476 31 476 168 Round poly 370 63 421 54 416 33 366 39 Sirloin poly 376 80 426 75 428 92 379 93 Top sirloin poly 321 77 421 53 428 72 Tenderloin poly 305 48 308 138 368 145 371 81 Short loin

desc none </imagemap> 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" (forequarters and hindquarters). Canada uses identical cut names (and numbering) as the US, with the exception of the "round" which is called the "hip".[1] The British designation 'rump' is also common in Canada.

Forequarter

  • The chuck is the source of bone-in chuck steaks and roasts (arm or blade), and boneless clod steaks and roasts, most commonly. The trimmings and some whole boneless chucks are ground for ground beef.
  • The rib contains part of the short ribs, the prime rib and rib eye steaks.[2]
  • 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 is the ventral part of the plate and is commonly used to make pastrami. The remainder is usually ground, as it is typically a tough and fatty meat.

Hindquarter

  • The loin has two subprimals
  • The round contains lean, moderately tough, lower fat (less marbling) 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.[citation needed]

Argentine

The most important cuts of beef in Argentine cuisine are:[3]

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 (cross-cut).
Bife de costilla
T-bone or porterhouse steaks
Bife de chorizo
strip steak, called NY strip in US
Ojo de bife
ribeye steak
Bola de lomo
eye of the round
Chinchulín
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 (thymus gland)
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

<imagemap> File:Beef_cuts_Brazil.svg|thumb|right|400px|Brazilian cuts of beef (clickable)

poly 232 303 279 309 327 196 312 110 248 113 220 169 Paleta poly 241 311 275 315 258 379 250 377 Músculo poly 653 292 682 336 707 329 694 283 Músculo poly 394 190 397 271 512 258 506 188 Short ribs poly 382 140 485 132 603 135 583 198 475 174 392 181 Aba de filé poly 344 65 381 131 435 122 419 74 Capa de filé poly 170 143 193 154 214 180 224 136 247 100 220 59 205 41 187 47 Neck poly 430 71 449 120 490 121 464 89 459 74 Filé de costela poly 517 191 526 253 601 247 599 233 Fraldinha poly 386 275 389 242 386 199 376 150 357 110 331 65 276 48 217 37 247 85 263 95 295 96 322 108 334 129 340 157 339 192 327 224 317 254 305 280 Acém poly 473 84 480 103 515 106 586 103 612 88 605 76 502 78 Filé mignon poly 499 114 503 120 567 120 607 124 600 108 Contrafilé poly 480 70 595 63 598 69 480 72 Contrafilé poly 91 166 150 180 185 196 201 219 209 256 220 281 225 297 219 250 214 205 198 178 178 156 149 147 113 153 Peito bovino poly 613 154 627 163 606 225 591 208 Maminha poly 606 62 678 62 684 68 674 106 655 98 623 81 Alcatra poly 679 117 622 252 650 284 696 269 714 221 711 178 707 146 681 117 Patinho poly 683 109 694 80 722 147 720 170 Lagarto

desc none </imagemap> The most important cuts of beef in Brazilian cuisine are:[4]

Acém 2 
neck
Alcatra 9 
top/bottom sirloin
Contrafilé 7 
tenderloin
Coxão duro
round (upper)
Coxão mole
round (lower)
Filé Mignon 6 
part of the tenderloin
Lagarto 10 
round (outer)
Maminha 15 
bottom sirloin/flank
Patinho 16 
confluence of flank, bottom sirloin and rear shank
Picanha 8 
rump cover or rump cap
Cupim
hump (zebu cattle only)
Fraldinha 14 
confluence of short loin, flank and bottom sirloin
Paleta 3 
chuck/brisket

Irish, British, Australian, South African and New Zealand

<imagemap> File:British_Beef_Cuts.svg|thumb|right|400px|British cuts of beef (clickable)

poly 269 116 269 182 314 203 415 159 395 108 Flank steak poly 267 38 268 108 388 101 374 36 Sirloin poly 262 144 259 104 200 101 197 156 Thin rib poly 204 37 200 95 263 97 263 40 Fore rib poly 469 233 480 202 475 169 437 171 Leg poly 444 111 489 105 476 164 429 164 420 149 Thick flank poly 381 32 430 24 440 100 416 144 Rump poly 263 153 263 182 210 186 195 170 167 170 152 185 132 170 Brisket poly 172 232 190 224 201 188 165 194 Shin poly 105 120 147 26 98 15 86 78 Neck & Clod poly 199 36 194 96 172 98 179 34 Blade steak poly 155 26 174 34 169 97 148 95 Chuck steak poly 192 104 193 153 127 164 108 129 Thick rib poly 456 22 462 102 447 104 443 26 Silverside poly 463 24 480 20 493 44 491 96 472 100 Topside poly 434 24 379 29 416 145 Rump

desc none </imagemap>

Colombian

  • Posta (top round)
  • Muchacho (heel)
  • Bola de pierna (bottom round)
  • Entretabla
  • Tabla (bottom round)
  • Solomo or lomo
  • Solomito extranjero
  • Solomito Redondo (sirloin)
  • Solomito Largo (tri-tip)
  • Punta de Anca (sirloin tip center)

Chinese

Beef is classified according to different parts of the cow, specifically "chest lao" (the fat on the front of the cow's chest), "fat callus" (a piece of meat on the belly of the cow), and diaolong (a long piece of meat on the back of the beef back), "neck ren" (a small piece of meat protruding from the shoulder blade of a beef) and so on.

Dutch

<imagemap> File:Dutch Beef cuts.png|thumb|right|400px|Dutch cuts of beef (clickable)

poly 28 39 32 75 93 90 119 41 Tongue poly 94 94 178 66 177 35 134 23 Neck poly 104 116 120 152 146 181 156 183 138 96 Brisket poly 62 140 62 152 111 152 111 140 Brisket poly 141 94 159 182 213 162 227 135 227 112 223 86 179 69 Chuck poly 151 186 163 224 196 224 211 180 208 167 Shankle poly 181 32 181 67 223 82 230 75 300 73 292 41 221 43 Rib poly 231 78 225 85 230 132 221 156 213 166 213 181 390 167 404 95 376 92 372 74 Flank poly 295 41 302 70 325 55 414 52 418 28 Sirloin poly 328 57 305 72 409 70 411 54 Tenderloin poly 375 74 379 90 405 91 409 73 Top sirloin poly 422 27 393 167 428 166 480 150 491 117 488 49 471 20 Round poly 422 170 443 200 475 195 479 155 Shankle

desc none </imagemap>

Finnish

The cuts of beef in Finland are:

  • Entrecôte (rib eye)
  • Etuselkä (chuck and blade)
  • Kulmapaisti (topside)
  • Kylki (flank/rib)
  • Lapa (shoulder)
  • Niska (chuck)
  • Paahtopaisti (bottom sirloin)
  • Poski (cheek)
  • Potka (shank)
  • Rinta (brisket)
  • Sisäfilee (filet/tenderloin)
  • Sisäpaisti (silverside/bottom round)
  • Ulkofilee (sirloin)
  • Ulkopaisti (rump)

French

 
Brighter colors show more expensive cuts
+ More expensive
  In between
- Less expensive
  1. + Basses côtes
  2. + Côtes, entrecôtes
  3. + Faux-filet
  4. + Filet
  5. + Rumsteck
  6. + Rond de gîte
  7. + Tende de tranche; poire, merlan
  8. + Gîte à la noix
  9. + Araignée
  10. + Plat de tranche, rond de tranche, mouvant
  11. + Bavette d'aloyau
  12. + Hampe
  13. + Onglet
  14. + Aiguillette baronne
  15.   Bavette de flanchet
  16.   Plat de côtes
  17.   Macreuse à bifteck
  18.   Paleron
  19.   Jumeau à bifteck
  20.   Jumeau à pot-au-feu
  21.   Macreuse à pot-au-feu
  22. - Queue
  23. - Gîte
  24. - Flanchet
  25. - Tendron, milieu de poitrine
  26. - Gros bout de poitrine
  27. - Collier
  28. - Joue
  29. - Langue

German

 
German cuts of beef
  1. Rinderhals, Kamm or Nacken (chuck steak)
  2. Querrippe (short ribs)
  3. Rinderbrust (brisket)
  4. Hochrippe or Fehlrippe (standing rib roast)
  5. Vorderrippe or hohes Roastbeef
  6. Rostbraten or flaches Roastbeef
    5 and 6 together are the Roastbeef or Zwischenrippenstück
  7. Filet (fillet)
  8. Spannrippe or Knochendünnung
  9. Dünnung or Bauchlappen (flank steak)
  10. Falsches Filet, Schulter, Bug or Schaufel (shoulder)
  11. Oberschale, Unterschale and Nuss
  12. Flanke, Schliem or Rindfleisch
  13. Hüfte mit Hüftsteak and Schwanzstück or Tafelspitz (top sirloin))
  14. Hesse or Wade (beef shank)
  15. Fricandeau
  16. Schwanz or Ochsenschwanz (oxtail)

Croatian

 
Croatian cuts of beef
  1. Vratina
  2. Hrskavi zapećak
  3. Rebra
  4. Pržolica (ramstek)
  5. Hrbat (rozbif)
  6. Hrbat (rozbif)
  7. Pisana pečenka (biftek)
  8. Rebra, mekana (srednja) rebra, potrbušina
  9. Masna potrbušina, slabina
  10. Rame (ribica), plećka (lopatica)
  11. But
  12. Vrh kuka
  13. Zdjelica
  14. Stražnja goljenica

Italian

Italian cuts of beef
Leg subcuts[5]
Codone
Scanello, noce or fesa (bottom sirloin or thick flank)
Sottofesa or fetta di mezzo or codino or controfesa or contronoce
Fianchetto (flank)
Rosa, fesa interna, punta d'anca (eye of the silverside)
Magatello or girello
Spinacino or tasca
Sirloin (lombata) subcuts[5]
Filetto (beef tenderloin)
Controfiletto or roast beef (sirloin)
Veal Carré (spare ribs)
Costolette
Nodini
Loin (schiena)[5]
Costata (T-bone steak)
Coste della croce (short ribs)
Neck[5]
Collo (chuck steak)
Reale or tenerone
Head subcuts[5]
Lingua (beef tongue)
Testina (flesh from the head of a calf)
Shoulder subcuts[5]
Fesone di spalla
Fusello or girello di spalla
Brione
Cappello del prete or spalla
Hocks subcuts[5]
anterior and posterior Ossibuchi
Pesce, piccione, campanello, muscolo, gamba
Petto (chest) subcuts[5]
Punta di petto (brisket)
Pancia di vitello, pancetta or fianchetto
Lower ribs subcuts[5]
Biancostato di reale or spuntatura
Taglio reale, polpa reale (Pony 6 ribs, square cut, chuck, middle rib, steak meat)
Pancia (belly) subcuts[5]
Biancostato di pancia
Fiocco
Scalfo (armhole)

Korean

 
Korean cuts of beef
1. Moksim (목심)
Moksim-sal (목심살)
2. Deungsim (등심)
Arae-deungsim-sal (아랫등심살)
Kkot-deungsim-sal (꽃등심살)
Salchi-sal (살치살)
Wi-deungsim-sal (윗등심살)
3. Chaekkeut (채끝)
Chaekkeut-sal (채끝살)
4. Udun (우둔)
Hongdukkae-sal (홍두깨살)
Udun-sal (우둔살)
5. Ansim (안심)
Ansim-sal (안심살)
6. Ap-dari (앞다리)
Ap-dari-sal (앞다리살)
Buchae-deopgae-sal (부채덮개살)
Buchae-sal (부채살)
Galbi-deot-sal (갈비덧살)
Kkuri-sal (꾸리살)
7. Galbi (갈비)
Anchang-sal (안창살)
Bon-galbi (본갈비)
Cham-galbi (참갈비)
Galbi-sal (갈비살)
Jebichuri (제비추리)
Kkot-galbi (꽃갈비)
Maguri (마구리)
Tosi-sal (토시살)
8. Yangji (양지)
Ap-chima-sal (앞치마살)
Chadolbagi (차돌박이)
Chima-sal (치마살)
Chima-yangji (치마양지)
Eopjin-an-sal (업진안살)
Eopjin-sal (업진살)
Yangji-meori (양지머리)
9. Seoldo (설도)
Boseop-sal (보섭살)
Dogani-sal (도가니살)
Samgak-sal (삼각살)
Seolgi-meori-sal (설기머리살)
Seolgi-sal (설기살)
10 Satae (사태)
Ap-satae (앞사태)
Arong-satae (아롱사태)
Dwi-satae (뒷사태)
Mungchi-satae (뭉치사태)
Sangbak-sal (상박살)

Polish

 
Polish cuts of beef
  1. karkówka
  2. szponder
  3. mostek
  4. rozbratel
  5. antrykot
  6. rostbef
  7. polędwica
  8. szponder i mostek
  9. łata
  10. łopatka
  11. udziec (zrazowa górna i zrazowa dolna)
  12. skrzydło
  13. krzyżowa
  14. pręga
  15. ligawa
  16. ogon

Portuguese

 
Portuguese cuts of beef
  1. Cachaço
  2. Coberta do acém, acém comprido
  3. Pá, peito alto
  4. Maçã do peito
  5. Peito
  6. Chambão
  7. Mão
  8. Lombo
  9. Rosbife, acém redondo, vazia, entrecôte
  10. Prego do peito
  11. Aba grossa
  12. Alcatra
  13. Chã de fora
  14. Rabadilha
  15. Pojadouro

Russian

 
Russian beef cuts
  1. Шея/Sheya (neck)
  2. Рёбра/rjobra (ribs)
  3. Челышко/Chelyshko, грудинка/grudinka (brisket)
  4. Толстый край/Tolstyy kray (thick edge), рибай/ribay (rib eye), корейка на кости/koreyka na kosti (loin on the bone)
  5. Тонкий край/Tonkiy kray (thin edge), короткое филе/korotkoye file (short filet)
  6. Оковалок/Okovalok (sirloin)
  7. Вырезка/Vyrezka (tenderloin)
  8. Покромка/Pokromka (shortloin)
  9. Брюшина/Bryushina (peritoneum), фланк/flank
  10. Лопатка/Lopatka (shoulder)
  11. Oguzok (rump), bedro (hip)
  12. Пашина/Pashina (flank)
  13. Кострец/Kostrets (leg)
  14. Голяшка/Golyashka (shank)

Turkish

 
Turkish cuts of beef
Gerdan
neck, chuck (1)
Antrikot
rib steak, ribeye (2)
Kontrfile
Steak, striploin (3)
Sokum
rump (4)
Bonfile
fillet steak, tenderloin (5)
Tranç
the upper left side of nuar, inside round, top round (6)
Nuar
round of beef, eye of round (7)
Kontrnuar
the lower left side of nuar, flat, gooseneck (with eye of round) (8)
incik
front and rear leg (9, 14)
Yumurta
sirloin tip, the section between kontrnuar and pençata (10)
Pençata
flank (11)
Döş
brisket, plate, short ribs (12)
Kürek, kol
shoulder, shank (13)

UNECE standard for bovine meat carcasses and cuts

The UNECE standard formalizes internationally agreed upon specifications written in a consistent, detailed and accurate manner using anatomical names to identify cutting lines.[6]

See also

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References

  1. ^ "Beef Cuts by Chart". Clovegarden.com. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  2. ^ "What's the Difference Between Beef Back Ribs and Short Ribs?". LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  3. ^ Instituto de Promoción de la Carne Vacuna Argentina. "Principales Cortes Vacunos". Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  4. ^ "Cuts of Beef Served in Brazilian Steakhouses « « RodizioDirectory.Com RodizioDirectory.Com". Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  5. ^ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 Scheda sui tagli di carne bovina Archived 23 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine di Alimentipedia.it
  6. ^ United Nations. Economic Commission for Europe (2004). Bovine meat : carcases and cuts : UNECE standard (PDF). United Nations. Economic Commission for Europe. Working Party on Agricultural Quality Standards (Ed. 2004 ed.). New York: United Nations. ISBN 92-1-116885-6. OCLC 56597200.

External links