Cut of beef

Statue of cow with cuts of beef, Hungary

Duringbutchering,beefis first divided intoprimal cuts,pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass. These are basic sections from whichsteaksand 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.

Different countries and cuisines have different cuts and names, and sometimes use the same name for a different cut; e.g., the cut described asbrisketin the US is from a significantly different part of the carcass than Britishbrisket.Cutoften refers narrowly toskeletal muscle(sometimes attached tobones), but can also include other edible flesh, such asoffal(organ meat) or bones without significant muscles attached.

American and Canadian

American cuts of beef (clickable)

The following is a list of the American primal cuts, and cuts derived from them.Beefcarcasses 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".The British designation 'rump' is also common in Canada.

Forequarter

• The chuck is the source of bone-inchuck steaksand roasts (arm or blade), and bonelessclodsteaks and roasts, most commonly. The trimmings and some whole boneless chucks are ground for ground beef.
• The rib contains part of theshort ribs,theprime ribandrib eyesteaks.
• Brisket,primarily used for barbecue,corned beeforpastrami.
• Theforeshank or shankis used primarily for stews and soups; it is not usually served any other way because it is the toughest of the cuts.
• Theplateis the other source of short ribs, used for pot roasting, and the outsideskirt steak,which is used forfajitas.The navel is the ventral part of the plate and is commonly used to makepastrami.The remainder is usually ground, as it is typically a tough and fatty meat.

Hindquarter

• The loin has two subprimals
  • theshort loin,from which theT-boneandporterhouse steaksare cut if bone-in, orstrip steak.
  • thesirloin,which is less tender than short loin, but more flavorful, can be further divided intotop sirloinandbottom sirloin(includingtri-tip), and
  • thetenderloin,which is the most tender, can be removed as a separate subprimal, and cut intofilet mignons,tournedosor tenderloin steaks, and roasts (such as forbeef Wellington). They can also be cut bone-in to make parts of theT-boneandporterhouseloin steaks.
• The round contains lean, moderately tough, lower fat (lessmarbling) cuts, which require moist or rare cooking. Some representative cuts areround steak,eye of round, top round, and bottom round steaks and roasts.
• The flank is used mostly for grinding, except for the long and flatflank steak,best known for use inLondon 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 andrib 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

The most important cuts of beef inArgentinecuisine 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 (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

Braziliancuts of beef (clickable)

The most important cuts of beef inBraziliancuisine are:

Acém2

neck

Alcatra9

top/bottom sirloin

Contrafilé7

tenderloin

Coxão duro

round (upper)

Coxão mole

round (lower)

Filé Mignon6

part of the tenderloin

Lagarto10

round (outer)

Maminha15

bottom sirloin/flank

Patinho16

confluence of flank, bottom sirloin and rear shank

Picanha8

rump cover or rump cap

Cupim

hump (zebucattle only)

Fraldinha14

confluence of short loin, flank and bottom sirloin

Paleta3

chuck/brisket

Irish, British, Australian, South African and New Zealand

British cuts of beef (clickable)

• Tongue
• Necks andclod
• Chuck steak& blades
• Sirloin
• Rump
• Silverside
• Topside
• Top rump
• Fore rib
• Rib eye steak
• T-bone steak
• Thick rib
• Thin rib
• Brisket(Skirt steak)
• Shin and leg
• Flank
• Thick flank
• Feather blade
• Fillet
• Oxtail

Colombian

• Posta(top round)
• Muchacho(heel)
• Bola de pierna(bottom round)
• Entretabla
• Tabla(bottom round)
• Solomoorlomo
• 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 "chestlao"(the fat on the front of the cow's chest)," fat callus "(a piece of meat on the belly of the cow), andĐiểu long(a long piece of meat on the back of the beef back), "neckren"(a small piece of meat protruding from the shoulder blade of a beef) and so on.

Dutch

Dutchcuts of beef (clickable)

• Neck
• Rib steak
• Sirloin
• Tenderloin– considered to be the premium cut, highly prized. It is calledossenhaasin Dutch. It tends to be cut slightly smaller than its American counterpart.
• Top sirloin
• Round– mainly used forkogelbiefstuk('hip jointsteak') considered to be the basic form of steak in Dutch and Belgian cuisine.
• Flank
• Chuck– the best cuts are used forstoofvlees;lesser bits are used inhachee.
• Brisket
• Shankle
• Beef tongueis considered the cheapest piece of beef; it is used in certain styles of sausages such as thefrikandel,though not as the mainingredient.
• Oxtail,though not on the image shown, is used extensively instews.

Finnish

The cuts of beef inFinlandare:

• 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,KammorNacken(chuck steak)
2. Querrippe(short ribs)
3. Rinderbrust(brisket)
4. HochrippeorFehlrippe(standing rib roast)
5. Vorderrippeorhohes Roastbeef
6. Rostbratenorflaches Roastbeef
   5 and 6 together are theRoastbeeforZwischenrippenstück
7. Filet(fillet)
8. SpannrippeorKnochendünnung
9. DünnungorBauchlappen(flank steak)
10. Falsches Filet,Schulter,BugorSchaufel(shoulder)
11. Oberschale,UnterschaleandNuss
12. Flanke,SchliemorRindfleisch
13. Hüfte mit HüftsteakandSchwanzstückorTafelspitz(top sirloin))
14. HesseorWade(beef shank)
15. Fricandeau
16. SchwanzorOchsenschwanz(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

Codone

Scanello,noceorfesa(bottom sirloinorthick flank)

Sottofesaorfetta di mezzoorcodinoorcontrofesaorcontronoce

Fianchetto(flank)

Rosa, fesa interna, punta d'anca(eye of thesilverside)

Magatelloorgirello

Spinacinoortasca

Sirloin (lombata) subcuts

Filetto(beef tenderloin)

Controfilettoorroast beef(sirloin)

VealCarré(spare ribs)

Costolette

Nodini

Loin (schiena)

Costata(T-bone steak)

Coste della croce(short ribs)

Neck

Collo(chuck steak)

Realeortenerone

Head subcuts

Lingua(beef tongue)

Testina(flesh from the head of a calf)

Shoulder subcuts

Fesone di spalla

Fuselloorgirello di spalla

Brione

Cappello del preteorspalla

Hocks subcuts

anterior and posteriorOssibuchi

Pesce, piccione, campanello, muscolo, gamba

Petto(chest) subcuts

Punta di petto(brisket)

Pancia di vitello, pancettaorfianchetto

Lower ribs subcuts

Biancostato di realeorspuntatura

Taglio reale, polpa reale(Pony 6 ribs, square cut, chuck, middle rib, steak meat)

Pancia(belly) subcuts

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)

10Satae(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 ofnuar,inside round, top round (6)

Nuar

round of beef, eye of round (7)

Kontrnuar

the lower left side ofnuar,flat, gooseneck (with eye of round) (8)

incik

front and rear leg (9, 14)

Yumurta

sirloin tip, the section betweenkontrnuarandpençata(10)

Pençata

flank (11)

Döş

brisket, plate, short ribs (12)

Kürek, kol

shoulder, shank (13)

UNECE standard for bovine meat carcasses and cuts

TheUNECEstandard formalizes internationally agreed upon specifications written in a consistent, detailed and accurate manner using anatomical names to identify cutting lines.

See also

• List of steak dishes
• Meat on the bone
• Steak
• Beef alternative merchandising

External links

• Agence canadienne d'inspection des aliments - Boeuf - Manuel de coupes de viande
• French-German butcher glossary