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 characterize 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. "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 cuts [ edit ]

American cuts of beef

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 U.S, with the exception of the "round" which is called the "hip".[1]

Forequarter cuts [ edit ]

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.

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 cuts [ edit ]

Argentine cuts [ edit ]

The most important cuts of beef in the Argentine cuisine are:[2]

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 cuts [ edit ]

Brazilian beef cuts

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

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

British cuts [ edit ]

British cuts of beef

Dutch cuts [ edit ]

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 ('hip joint steak') considered to be the basic form of steak in Dutch and Belgian cuisine.

('hip joint steak') 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

Beef 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.

French cuts [ edit ]

Brighter colors show more expensive cuts

Basses côtes Côtes, entrecôtes Faux-filet Filet Rumsteck Rond de gîte Tende de tranche; poire, merlan Gîte à la noix Araignée Plat de tranche, rond de tranche, mouvant Bavette d'aloyau Hampe Onglet Aiguillette baronne Bavette de flanchet Plat de côtes Macreuse à bifteck Paleron Jumeau à bifteck Jumeau à pot-au-feu Macreuse à pot-au-feu Queue Gîte Flanchet Tendron, milieu de poitrine Gros bout de poitrine Collier Plat de joue Langue

German cuts [ edit ]

German cuts of beef

Croatian cuts [ edit ]

Croatian cuts of beef

Vratina Hrskavi zapećak Rebra Pržolica (ramstek) Hrbat (rozbif) Hrbat (rozbif) Pisana pečenka (biftek) Rebra, mekana (srednja) rebra, potrbušina Masna potrbušina, slabina Rame (ribica), plećka (lopatica) But Vrh kuka Zdjelica Stražnja goljenica

Italian cuts [ edit ]

Italian cuts of beef

Korean cuts [ edit ]

Polish cuts [ edit ]

Polish cuts of beef

karkówka żeberka i szponder mostek rozbratel antrykot rozbratel (rostbef) polędwica żeberka i łata łata łopatka udziec pachwina rumsztyk pręga ligawa ogon

Portuguese cuts [ edit ]

Portuguese cuts of beef

Cachaço Coberta do acém, acém comprido Pá, peito alto Maçã do peito Peito Chambão Mão Lombo Rosbife, acém redondo, vazia, entrecôte Prego do peito Aba grossa Alcatra Chã de fora Rabadilha Pojadouro

Russian cuts [ edit ]

Russian beef cuts

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

“

ГОВЯДО ср. церк. крупная рогатая скотина, бык, вол или корова. Говяжий, от быка, говяда взятый, из мяса его приспетый. Говядина ж. говяжье мясо. Части говядины, у мясников, называются: 1) голова, 2) шея, зарез, 3) оковалок, 4) челышко, 5) толстый край, 6) средина лопатки, 7) тонкая лопатка, рулька, 8) тонкий край, 9) от края покромка, 10) грудина, 11) тонкий филей, 12) подпашек, 13) завиток, 14) толстый филей, 15) бочок, 16) английский филей, 17) огузок, 18) средина бедра, 19) кострец, 20) ссек, подбедерок; окосток, часть ссека, с вертлюжной костью, 21) голяшка. Зачисток, от краев, от шеи, тонкие остатки, оборыши. Голяшки и морда, студень. Легкие, сердце и печень, гусак, ливер, осердье. Желудок с кишками, требуха, требушина. У мясников иностранных говядина делится иначе. Были бы быки, а говядина будет. По барыне говядина, по харчевне едок. Говядарь гуртовщик, прогонщик, нагульщик скота и скотопромышленик. ” — Vladimir Dal, Drawing from the Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language

Turkish cuts [ edit ]

Gerdan neck Turkish cuts of beef Antrikot rib steak (2) Kontrfile Steak (3) Bonfile fillet Steak (5) Sokum rump (4) Nuar round of beef (7) Kontrnuar the lower left side of nuar (8) Tranç the upper left side of nuar (6) Kürek shoulder (13) Kol, incik mutton leg Döş brisket (12) Pençata flank (11) Yumurta the section between kontrnuar and pençata (10)

UNECE standard for bovine meat carcasses and cuts [ edit ]

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[5]

See also [ edit ]