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“ Beef Cuts” or “Beef” is the common term that is used to refer to Cuts of cow’s meat or Cow’s meat. But, each cut of beef has contrasting names and every single part of it is unique and tastes different.
Hence, it is necessary to know different types of beef cuts in order to pick the right cut that suits your dish. Keep reading this guide if you’re curious to know about every part of the beef!
What are the primal cuts of beef?
The primal cuts of beef are distinguished as forequarter cuts and hindquarter cuts. The forequarter cuts include the chuck, ribs, brisket, plate, and shank.
The rib is further classified into short ribs, prime ribs, and rib eye. The hindquarter cuts consist of the short loin, tenderloin, sirloin, flank, and round.
The sirloin is again grouped as bottom sirloin and top sirloin. Apart from these, the beef cheeks, tail, tongue, eye, knee bone, liver, etc are also purchased by many people.
List of different beef cuts:
The following types of Beef Cuts are:-
Chuck
Brisket
Rib
Plate
Shank
Short loin
Sirloin
Tenderloin
Flank
Round
1. Chuck
Chuck is a rectangular cut of beef that is associated with the cow’s neck and shoulder. It has a high amount of fat which makes this part more flavorful.
As the neck muscle does more work, the chuck meat is said to be the toughest cut. It is usually sold as chuck steak and it is one of the most affordable cuts of beef.
2. Brisket
The Brisket is a slice of long meat that covers the lower chest part of the beef. As it is rich in collagen and corresponds to high muscle movement, it is said to be one of the least tender cuts of beef.
3. Rib
A cow consists of 6 through 12 ribs in total. The three major steaks that contribute to the rib are the short ribs, the prime rib, and the ribeye.
a. Short Ribs
Short ribs, often referred to as short plates, contain the chuck, lower ends of the rib near the breastbone, brisket, and plate. They come with a great flavour and are more tender.
b. Prime Ribs
Prime rib is most commonly known as standing rib roast. It comes from the same region as the rib eye. It might contain anywhere between 7 – 12 ribs.
c. Rib Eye
The rib eye comes from the rib region of the beef. It has more fat content compared to the other cuts. So, it is said to be the tastiest cut of beef when cooked as the fat present in it makes it juicy and delicious.
4. Plate
The plate, also known as the short plate, is a cut below the rib, right at the cattle’s belly. Short ribs, skirt steak, and ground beef come from the plate.
Since it is fattier, it has more flavor. It is less tender and has more connective tissues (cartilages).
5. Shank
Shank refers to the leg region of the beef. It is categorized as foreshank (front legs) and hindshank (back legs). Beef shank is also one of the toughest cuts of beef. Hence, it is widely used in soups and broth.
6. Short loin
Short loin starts from the 13th rib until the hip bone. It comprises porterhouse steak and a T-bone of a loin. While the porterhouse steak is taken from the rear end, the T-bone is taken from the front end and also includes a part of the tenderloin.
As the short loin muscle does not involve much movement, they are juicy and tender. These steaks are easier to cook and are more flavorful.
7. Tenderloin
The tenderloin, often known as fillet, is the tenderest cut of beef. It comes below the ribs and next to the backbone. It is a relatively small cut of beef with no bones. Tenderloin is quite expensive compared with other beef cuts due to its tenderness. Though it does not contain any fat, it still serves as juicy lean meat.
8. Sirloin Steak
Sirloin steak is taken from the rear back region of the beef. Though it is not as tender as short loin, it tastes more delicious compared to the short loin. Sirloin is majorly classified into top sirloin and bottom sirloin.
a. Top Sirloin
The top sirloin steak is lean meat that comes as a thick cut with a great flavour of beef. It is one of the most economical cuts of beef that is widely used for grilling.
b. Bottom Sirloin
The bottom sirloin contains a tri-tip cut(triangle cut) and a flap steak. It is comparatively less tender to top loin. It is most commonly used for grilling and roasting.
9. Flank Steak
The flank steak covers the lower chest portion of the beef. It is a long flat cut with no bones and is excessively tender. Concurrently, it is less expensive and more flavorful. It is suitable for grilling, broiling, and roasting. To enhance its tenderness, the flank steak can be cut into thin slices or grained well.
10. Round Steak
Round steak is associated with the back leg of the cattle. It is a lean meat with a very minimal fat content. As the leg movement is continuous, it is also one of the toughest cuts of meat. Some of the widely used cuts in round steak are top round, bottom round, and eye of round.
In a nutshell,
The essence of beef-meat cutting varies from butcher to butcher. On top of that, the above listed are the prime beef cuts that are widely available from any butcher.
With the knowledge about various cuts of beef, you can explore a variety of dishes with beef. Enjoy different cuisines with different beef cuts!
