| CHUCK | The
Chuck #113 (66# to 110#) extend from the neck to the fifth rib and inculds
the shoulder blade. These cuts are tasty and have a lot of connective
tissue which keeps the meat moist and thickens stews, but they are tougher
than cuts that get less exercise. |
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Roll
(Blade) |
Chuck Roll
Chuck Roll Roast |
Wholesale Cut: the Chuck Roll 116A (13# to 21#) includes the Chuck Eye
Roll 116D (8# to 14#), Chuck Tender 116B (1# to 3#) and Cuck Under Blade
116E (8# to 14#).
The Chuck Roll Roast is a thick cut across the whole
Chuck Roll with part of each of the three. |
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Chuck Eye Roast
(Boneless Chuck Fillet,
Boneless Chuck Roll)
Chuck Eye Steak
(Boneless Chuck Slices,
Boneless Chuck Fillet Steak) |
The Chuck Eye Roll 116B is the Rib Eye extended into the Chuck, but is
not as tender. The Chuck Eye Roast is a thick cut across it and the Chuck
Eye Steak is a thin slice. |
Chuck Tender Roast
(Mock Tender Roast,
Medallion Pot Roast,
Fish Muscle, Fillet Roast)
Chuck Tender Steak
(Mock Tender Steak,
Fish Steak, Chuck Fillet Steak) |
Not really very tender so best braised. The Chuck Tender #116B
(1# to 3#) is is a narrow muscle next to the Chuck Underblade. The roast
is a thick slice across and steak is a thin slice across. |
Under Blade Roast
(Bottom Chuck Roast,
California Roast
Under Blade Steak
(Bottom Chuck Steak,
California Steak) |
Cut from directly below the sholder blade. The steak is sliced from the
roast. |
Clod
(Blade) |
Shoulder Clod |
Wholesale cut: the Sholder Clod 114 (13# to 21#) Trimmed 114C (12# to 18#) may be
cut into Shoulder 114E, Top Blade 114D and Shoulder Tender which
may then be subcut. |
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Top Blade Roast
Flatiron Roast,
Top Chuck Roast,
Blade Roast, Lifter Roast,
Chuck Roast First Cut
Triangle Roast
Top Blade Steak
(Flatiron Steak,
Top Boneless Chuck Steak,
Petite Steak, Book Steak
Lifter Steak, Butler Steak) |
Cut from above the shoulder blade. The roast is a thick slice across.
The steak is produced by cutting the roast in half horizontally into
upper and lower halves to remove a membrane. This is the most tender of
the chuck cuts. |
| Shoulder |
This large section is generally cut into two major pieces and a few
minor ones. The majors are Shoulder Center and Shoulder Top. |
| Shoulder Top Steak |
Cut crosswise from the top half of the Shoulder cut. Not particularly
tender but not as tough as the Shoulder Center Steak. |
Shoulder Center Steak
Beef for Kabobs |
Cut across the lower half of the Shoulder cut, not praticularly
tender.
Beef for Kababs is the steaks cut into cubes to make it more
useful. |
Shoulder Tender Roast
Sholder Tender Medalions |
A narrow cut sold whole as a roast or sliced into Medallions. |
| Arm |
Arm Roast
(Arm Pot Roast, Arm Chuck Roast,
Round Bone Pot Roast
Arm Steak
(Swiss Steak) |
The upper portion of the front leg, easily recongnizable from its
round bone, this is a movement muscle so it'll be
tasty but far from tender. Roast is a thick slice across, steak is
a thin slice. |
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Boneless Shoulder Roast
(English Roast) |
Cut from right behind the arm roast |
| Other |
7 Bone Roast
(Center Cut Pot Roast,
Chuck Roast Center Cut)
7 Bone Steak |
Popular for pot roasting, the 7 Bone Roast is a cross cut of the
shoulder blade and gets its name from a bone shaped like a numeral "7".
It can also be sliced into steaks, tasty but definitely not tender. |
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| Neck Pot Roast |
A pot roast cut from the 7 neck vertebrae. Not common in California.
|
Cross-rib Roast
Boston Cut, English Cut,
Bread and Butter Cut |
The meat cut from over the spine end of ribs 3 through 5, bones not
included. |
Short Ribs
- Flanken
- English Style |
Short Ribs are also made from other parts of the cow, but they
are particularly meaty from this area (ribs 1 through 5). Cut across the
ribs (bone in) they are called "Flanken". Cut parallel to the ribs they're
"English style" and may be sold boneless. |
| RIB | The Rib primal cut includes
ribs 6 through 12 (the 13th is in the Short Loin). Cuts from this section are
reasonably tender and suitable for grilling, broiling and roasting. |
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|
Back Ribs | This is the upper portion of ribs 6
through 12 after the Rib Roast is removed from over them. How much meat
remains depends on the meat cutter. The bottom ends of these ribs will
likely have been cut off and sold as Short Ribs. |
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Rib-Eye Roast
Rib-Eye Steak
(Delmonico)
| The Rib-Eye is cut from over the Back Ribs and is boneless.
Rib-Eye Steaks are cut from the roast. These are tender cuts and tend to
be expensive. |
Rib Roast
(Standing Rib Roast)Rib Steak |
This is the same meat as the Rib-Eye, except the bone is left on. The
Rib Roast is so large (16 pounds and up) it is often cut into two sections
called the First Cut or Small End Cut (ribs 9 or 10 through 12) and Second
Cut or Large End Cut includes ribs 6 through 8 or 9. |
| Short Ribs |
Short Ribs are also cut from other primal cuts. These are the bottom
ends of ribs 6 through 12 when cut from the Back Ribs. |
| SHORT LOIN | This cut includes
the 13th (last) rib and the small of the back. This is where the most
tender (and most expensive) cuts are to be found. They are also very lean
but don't have the flavor of the tougher cuts. From here are cut some of
the best known steaks because this section is tender enough for grilling,
but they should be cooked quite rare or they'll become more tough and
your money will be ill spent. |
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| Top Loin |
Top Loin Roast
Top Loin Steak | This is the
outer muscle of the Short Loin and lies over the Tenderloin muscle (which
extends into the Sirloin cut). Top Loin steaks may be boneless (Strip Loin
Steak, New York Strip Steak, Kansas City Steak, Ambassador Steak, Boneless
Club Steak, Hotel Style Steak, Veiny Steakor) or bone in (Club Steak,
Chip Club Steak, Country Club Steak, Delmonico Steak, Shell Steak, Strip
Loin Steak). |
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| Tenderloin |
Tenderloin Roast
(Whole Filet
Filet
Mignon Roast
Tenderloin Tip Roast)
Tenderloin Steaks
(Filet Mignon
Tournedos
Filet Steak
Chateaubriand
Bifteck) | The Tenderloin muscle runs under (inside) the Top
Loin muscle and extends into the Surloin cut. It is tapered from a tip
end (starting just behind the 13th rib) to a thick butt end within the
Sirloin cut. The Tenderloin Roast often has the tip end folded under to
make the roast a uniform thickness. |
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| Crosscuts |
Porterhouse Steak | This steak is a crosscut,
meaning it includes both the Top Loin muscle and the Tenderloin muscle in
a single steak. It differs from the T-bone steak in being thicker and
including a higher percentage of Tenderloin. |
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T-bone Steak | This steak is thinner than the
Porterhouse and contains a smaller percentage of Tenderloin as compared to
Top Loin. |
| SIRLOIN | Cuts from the this
section are tender, but less tender than from the Short Loin because they
are closer to major movement muscles in the Round. They may, however, be
more flavorful. |
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| Bottom But |
Bottom Sirloin But | Cuts from this muscle which
runs under (inside) the Top But are more economical than Short Loin cuts
and are tender if properly cooked. |
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| Top Butt |
Top Sirloin But
Roast
Top Sirloin SteakBoneless |
Cuts from the Top But are considered higher quality than those from
the Bottom But, but are still comparatively economical caompared to
Short Loin cuts. Top Boneless Sirloin Steaks are cut across the grain
of this cut. |
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| Tri-Tip |
Tri-Tip Roast
Tri-Tip Steak
(Triangle Steak
A triangular cut from the bottom of the Surloin adjacent to the Flank
and Round. The Tri-Tip steak is cut crosswise from this section. | |
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| Crosscuts |
Sirloin Steak
Bone-in
(Pin Bone Steak
Flat Bone Steak
Wedge Bone Steak) |
These steaks are all cut crosswise from the upper portion of the
Sirloin and include both the Top Butt and Bottom But muscles. They are
named by the shape of the peice of hip bone they include. As listed they
are from the front to the back of the Sirloin. They also run most tender
to least tender in that same order. |
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| ROUND | This primal cut includes
the rump and most of the rear leg. This is a major movement muscle area so
meat from this cut is lean and can be tough. Wet cooking methods such as
braising or simmering should be used. |
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| Round Roast |
Round Steak Crosscut | This steak is cut
across the whole round, with the bone removed. It includes the Bottom Round,
Top Round and Eye Round. A very lean but not very tender steak so it's
best for recipes that call for the meat to be cut into thin pieces or that
use a long moist cooking method. |
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| Bottom Round |
Bottom Round Roast
Bottom Round Steak
(Swiss Steak
Cubed Steak) | This is the outer
muscle of the upper rear leg. It is very lean but tough, best braised or
long simmered. The Bottom Round Steak is cut crosswise from
this roast. The Cubed Steak has been mechanically tenderized by many small
cuts. |
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Standing Rump Roast
Boneless Rump Roast |
These are cut from above the Bottom Round. The Boneless Rump Roast
may be sold flat or it may be rolled and tied. |
| Eye Round |
Eye Round Roast
Eye Round Steak |
The eye is a cylindrical muscle from within the leg. It is boneless
and very lean but can be pretty tough so braising or long simmering is
recommended. The Eye Round Steak is cut crosswise from this muscle. |
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| Top Round |
Top Round Roast
Top Round Steak
(London Broil)
This is the inside leg muscle opposite the Bottom Round. Top Round
Steaks are thick slices cut crosswise from the roast. Thiner slices are
called simply Round Steaks. The Top Round Steak is sometimes called a
London Broil, but more often the cut of that name is from the Flank.
This cut is very lean but not quite as tough as the Bottom Round. Still
it's best to braise or simmer it though a particularly tender piece can
be oven roasted. It can also be sliced thin and then into narrow strips
which are marinaded and then stir fried. | |
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| Round Tip |
Round Tip Roast
Round Tip Steak
(Trimmed Tip Steak
Ball Tip Steak)
Kabob Meat |
This cut is from the front side of the leg from the hip to the knee and
is somewhat more tender than the other Round cuts which come from the
back of the leg. Round Tip Steaks are cut crosswise from an untrimmed
roast. If the roast is trimmed the steaks are called Trimmed Tip Steak or
Ball Tip Steak. |
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| Other |
Ground Round
Ground Beef |
Offcuts and other miscellaneous peices can be ground up and called
either Ground Round or Ground Beef (must be 70% lean to be Ground Beef).
|
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Beef Cuts - Chart