Duringbutchering,beef is first divided intoprimal cuts, pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass. These are basic sections from whichsteaks 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.
Different countries and cuisines have varying definitions for cuts of meat and their names, and sometimes the same name is used for different cuts. For instance, the cut described as "brisket" in the United States comes from a different part of the carcass than the "brisket" referred to in the United Kingdom. Cuts typically refer narrowly to skeletal muscle (sometimes attached to bone), but they can also include other edible parts such as offal (organ meats) or bones that are not attached to significant muscle.
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.
The chuck is the source of bone-inchuck steaks and roasts (arm or blade), and bonelessclod steaks and roasts, most commonly. The trimmings and some whole boneless chucks are ground for ground beef.
The front leg or shank is used primarily in stews and soups; since it is the toughest cut, it is not usually eaten in other ways.
Theplate is 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.
thetenderloin, which is the most tender, can be removed as a separate subprimal, and cut intofilet mignons,tournedos or tenderloin steaks, and roasts (such as forbeef Wellington). They can also be cut bone-in to make parts of theT-bone andporterhouse loin 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.[citation needed]
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), anddiaolong (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.
Tenderloin – considered to be the premium cut, highly prized. It is calledossenhaas in Dutch. It tends to be cut slightly smaller than its American counterpart.
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TheUNECE standard formalizes internationally agreed upon specifications written in a consistent, detailed and accurate manner using anatomical names to identify cutting lines.[6]
