Meat Cuts

TOMAHAWK STEAK

Looks like a tomahawk. A larger version of the bone-in Frenched ribeye. Bone is left in to enhance flavor. Impressive presentation.

NATURAL BEEF

Means no growth hormones. Fed quality diets (usually vegetarian, corn-based diet for 300+ days). Take 45 extra days to reach market, so more expensive. There are many good natural ranchers, but no industry regulation for the term "natural." Anyone can call it that, so have to know the purveyor.

RUMP STEAK or CUBE STEAK

More chewy portion of the round. Run through a machine that partially dices the fibrous muscle to make it a little more tender.

SHORT RIBS

The cut-off ends of the prime rib. Very tough. Cooked in liquid until tender. The Jewish dish, flanken, is made by boiling or stewing short ribs (served with hoseradish).

PRIME RIB

The finest beef, with even marbling and a creamy layer of fat. It must be USDA Prime, not USDA Choice. Only about 3% of the beef in America is graded USDA prime. Carried only by the finest butchers and restaurants. Often, rib roasts masquerade as prime rib in supermarkets, which typically carry USDA Choice (and lower grades—see all the grades of beef), not USDA Prime, meats.

Eye of Round Roast

The leanest of all roasts and the most tender of roasts from the round. It also does well cooked in warm moist heat such as a crock pot.

Angus

Two breeds of hornless cattle from the original Scottish Aberdeen stock, Black Angus and Red Angus. Black Angus is the most popular breed for beef in the U.S.

Cowboy Steak

A bone-in rib steak with a frenched rib bone. This "raw bone" feature and the fact that this cut is generally around two pounds of meat.

LONDON BROIL

A cooking method, not a cut of meat. Made from tough cuts, like flank steak. It needs to be well-seasoned and cooked to medium rare; then sliced very thin against the grain.

VACUUM AGING (aka WET AGING)

Beef is packed in a bag for several weeks to allow the enzymes to break down and tenderize the muscle tissue. This technique is used by some of the finest steak houses, such as Morton's, Others prefer dry aging.

Hanger Steak (aka Butcher's Tenderloin, Bistro Steak)

A cut from near the center of the diaphragm. Really flavorful and tender on edges, tough in middle. Marinate and grill or broil. Serve medium-rare or rare to avoid toughness. Called hanger because it "hangs" between the rib and the loin—it is not connected to bone. A supportive muscle, not active one (so more tender). Only 1 per animal.The entire cut typically weighs just 1 to 1.5 pounds. Known as butcher's steak because butchers would keep it for themselves. In France it is called onglet, in Italian lombatello, and in Spanish solomillo de pulmon.

Cube steak or minute steak

A flavorful cut of beef, generally from the top or bottom round. It is tenderized (cubed) by pounding it with a mallet or running it through a tenderizing machine. It is the cut generally used for Salisbury steak and chicken fried steak. It is also a popular cut cut for steak sandwiches and cheese steaks.

Chuck roast

A full-flavored roast, rectangular in shape, popular for a classic pot roast. Best for slow-cooking in the crock pot, braising or in stews. It also can be stir-fried.

"Closed herd"

A herd 100% born and raised on the farm. No animals are ever brought in from the outside. This ensures the health of the herd; outside animals can bring in infections, viruses and diseases including "mad cow" and hoof and mouth disease. Maintaining a closed herd is especially important to an organic herd, since animals cannot be treated with antibiotics.

Bottom Round Roast

A large roast. 2-3 pounds. Ideal for the slow, moist crock pot style of cooking, or wrapped in foil and cooked in the oven at 250°F for four to six hours.

PORTERHOUSE

A larger T-bone, containing more of the tenderloin and the sirloin strip.

POT ROAST

A less-expensive cut of meat, cooked slowly in a covered pot with water, and often root vegetables and potatoes, until it is moist and tender. A beef brisket is often cooked as a "pot roast."

all-natural

A misleading term. USDA says it's been "miminally processed with no artificial ingredients." But still might contain antibiotics and growth hormones. To avoid those, get organic.

Himalayan Beef

A more acceptable name for yak. Tibetan cattle, native to Himalayan Mountains of Tibet. More envirnonmentally friendly than cattle. Easier to handle than bison. Named HImalayan beef because Americans are skittish about "yak." They need far less food (6 pounds of forage for one pound, compared to cattle's 8 and bison's 12). Leaner than steer (95-97% lean. Grass-fed without hormones or antibiotics, also low in palmitic acid (which causes LDL cholesterol). Sweet and delicate like bison, never gamey.

ROAST

A multi-pound piece of meat. Usually cooked with radiant heat in an oven and sliced. They're cut from almost every area along the top of the steer—chuck roast, rib roast, chateaubriand (from the short loin), sirloin tip roast, eye of round roast, rump roast (round). Internal temp at serving should be 150-155. Always take it out of the oven when it's at LEAST 10 degrees below serving temp, let sit for 10-15 minutes before carving.

Flatiron steak

A relatively new cut from the shoulder, a major barrier to prior enjoyment was the large band of connective tissue running down the center of the steak. Removing the connective tissue leads to a steak that is often described as having both the tenderness of a rib eye or strip steak while still having the earthy flavor of a sirloin or skirt steak. Most people marinate the cut.

Culotte Steak or Top Sirloin Cap Steak

A small, boneless steak cut from the sirloin. Culotte steaks are flavorful but leaner, with less marbling than a New York strip steak or a Porterhouse. Thus, they are a bit tougher than other sirloin steaks.

Breakfast steak

A smaller sirloin steak, generally five ounces in weight. See also sirloin steak.

Baby back ribs or back ribs

Also called loin ribs. Come from the top back of the rib cage, where the bones are short ("baby") but meaty. Spare ribs, which come from the front, or belly side, have more fat, but the meat is "spare."

BONELESS ROUND TIP

Also called sirloin tip and top sirloin (although it is not part of the sirloin and has a flavor and chewiness similar to bottom round). AKA triangle and loin tip.

NEW YORK CUT

Also known as the Philadelphia cut, the New York system of cutting beef is the major system used in the U.S. The other is the Boston cut. All ribs are left on the fore-quarter when quartering the animal.

Chuck steak

An extremely well marbled, full-bodied and robust steak. The typical chuck steak is a rectangular cut, cut about one-inch thick, with parts of the shoulder bones, and is known as a "7-bone steak." This is a reference to the shape of the bone, which resembles the numeral 7.

SHORT LOIN

Another name for tenderloin

Calf fries

Another term for fried bull testicles or prairie oysters. In particular, calf fries are taken from very young animals.

SHELL STEAK

Another term for strip steak.

Kobe

BRAND NAME of Wagyu. Named for Kobe prefecture in Japan. From black-haired Wagyu cattle. Intense flavor and extreme tenderness. NOT PAMPERED. Marketing led people to think they were massaged and brushed with sake and fed beer-and-sake mash. Maybe true in original small herd, but not with mass production. Still, this is quality stock, treated well. Because of import restrictions, BRANDED KOBE NOT AVAILABLE IN US. But other Wagyu now imported to US. Also, ranchers applying the same breeding practices and producing a domestic Wagyu.

PRIMAL or WHOLESALE CUTS

Basic major cuts that result from cutting carcasses and sides into smaller portions. The wholesale or primal cuts are chuck, rib, brisket/fore shank, short plate, short loin, sirloin, flank and round.

USDA PRIME/CHOICE/SELECT

Beef quality depends on stock, the animal's environment, type of feed, slaughter technique, aging, butchering, packaging, and other factors. There are EIGHT USDA grades: PRIME, CHOICE, SELECT, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter and Canner. Prime is only at the best restaurants and specialty butchers. The best quality sold at supermarkets is generally USDA Choice, although many markets sell only Select. Prime is at ist best when aged 18-24 months. About 58% of all beef produced is graded USDA Choice. The grading is based on three factors: the proportion of meat to bone (conformation), the proportion of fat to lean (finish) and overall quality.

RIB ROAST

Beef roast from the rib section between the Chuck and the Short Loin. The three most popular styles are Standing Rib Roast, Rolled Rib Roast and Rib-Eye Roast. The standing rib roast is usually at least three ribs. Roasted standing upright, resting on its rack of ribs, letting the top layer of fat to melt and self-baste the meat. Rolled rib roast has had the bones removed and tied into a cylinder. The boneless ribeye roast is the center—the most desirable and tender portion. A prime rib roast is the finest quality rib roast, USDA Prime, available only from top butchers.

Chuck or Shoulder Cuts

Between the neck and the shoulder blade. Cuts include including arm steak, blade steak, chuck steak, chuck eye steak, mock tender steak, seven bone steak, shoulder steak and under bone steak. All of them have excellent flavor, but they are usually tougher and less expensive. Ground chuck has the best percentage of meat to fat for hamburger. The blade steak is one of the most tender of all steaks after a line of tough connective tissue down the middle is removed. The rest of the steaks from the chuck all have good flavor and texture, but they can be quite fibrous. However, the best way to cook chuck steaks is to braise them by searing on both sides, adding a small amount of liquid (seasoned broth or wine), covering tightly and simmer until tender.

PORTERHOUSE (aka T-BONE)

Bone-in strip steak with tenderoin (filet mignon). Just larger.

SKIRT STEAK

Boneless cut from the lower part of the brisket. Diaphragm muscle. Long, flat cut with big flavor. But tougher. The butcher used to keep it for himself. On cattle drives, the trail bosses had first priority on skirts. This is the cut of choice for fajitas and London broil. Usually marinated and grilled over high heat. As with tougher cuts, should be sliced against the grain.

Beef cheeks

Braised beef cheeks (and veal cheeks) are popular French bistro fare. Inexpensive, rich flavor. In Italy, pork cheeks (guancia) are used in dishes and sausagemaking.

BEEF PRICES (affected by what?)

CORN PRICES. The degree of marbling is a major indicator of whether a piece of beef will be graded Prime or Choice. Ethanol uses up to 26% of the U.S. corn crop. As ethanol demand increases, the price of corn rises. As the price of corn rises, ranchers cut the number of days in which they feed cattle grain. There is less marbled meat, and thus a smaller supply of Prime and Choice meat.

Chicago-style steak

Cooked to the desired level and then quickly charred. The diner orders it by asking for the style followed by the level of doneness, e.g. "Chicago-style rare." In some areas it is also referred to as Pittsburgh-style steak.

STEW MEAT

Cubes cut from tougher cuts that need long, slow cooking in order to be tender.

Corned beef

Curing or pickling the meat in a seasoned brine. The word refers to the "corns" or grains of kosher (or other coarse) salt. Typically, brisket is used to make corned beef. Irish immigrants adapted corned beef from their Jewish neighbors on New York's Lower East Side as a cheaper alternative to Irish bacon, precipitating the now-traditional Irish-American dish, corned beef and cabbage. Smoking a corned beef, and adding extra spices, produces pastrami.

MIDDLE MEATS

Cuts from the rib and loin section.

NEW YORK STRIP aka New York Steak, Boneless Strip Steak, Kansas City Strip Steak, Shell Steak or Top Loin

Firm, well-marbled, tender, juicy and flavorful. The second-most popular steak. Comes from the short loin, the most tender part of the animal. it's boneless top-loin muscle. Basically a porterhouse minus the tenderloin and the bone. Also known as the strip loin, Delmonico, boneless loin, boneless club steak or sirloin strip (which is reall confusing because it's not realy part of the sirloin). Connossieurs believe leaving the bone in adds flavor.

Brisket

Flavorful cut of meat from the breast or lower chest, directly behind the fore shank. Best long-cooked like barbecue, braising, smoking, slow roasting, casseroles and stews.

RIBEYE aka Delmonico, Spencer and Beauty Steak

Flavorful, boneless cut of prime rib. Rich marbling of fat. One of the most flavorful and juicy of steaks. Just a TOUCH less tender than the tenderloin. In its uncut form, ribeye known as rib roast (prime rib).

RUMP ROAST

Flavorful, triangular cut of meat taken from the upper part of the round. It is generally cut, boned and rolled into two or three rump roasts.

Blade steak

From the chuck. A line of tough connective tissue down its center, resulting in a tough steak best suited to braising. However, if the tissue is removed, it produces flatiron steaks, a most tasty, tender and value-priced cut.

Center cut

Generally refers to steaks cut from the heart of the rib-eye. A very flavorful, juicy, tender cut.

RIB CUTS

Great combo of flavor and tenderness. Great for grilling and broiling. Rib Steak and Rib Eye (see below). Other cuts from the rib include Baby Back Ribs, Rib Roasts and Short Ribs.

SALISBURY STEAK

Ground beef shaped to look like a steak. Typically served with gravy and grilled onions. Invented by American physician JH Salisbury in the 1890s—a carnivore who championed the shredding of all foods to improve digestibility.

STEAK TARTARE

Ground raw beef mixed with onions, capers Worcestershire sauce and a raw egg, generally served with toast points. LEGEND: The Tartars did not have time to cook their meat, and thus ate it raw on horseback. In Belgium, where the dish is popular and served with frites (what we call French fries), it is known as filet américain.

ROUND

Hind section. Toughened by exercise. But many steak lovers feel it's got the best combo of texture and flavor.

Dry-aged

Hung to dry (or set on wooden racks) in an aging room for several weeks under controlled temperatures, humidity and air flow to reduce spoilage and enhance flavor and tenderness. Flavors have deepened and mellowed. Only the more expensive cuts of meat can be dry-aged, as the process requires meat with a large, evenly distributed fat content. Meat may lose up to 25% of its weight in liquid, which is part of concentrating the flavor. Dry aging also makes the meat a darker color, with an aged aroma. Natural enzymes in the meat break down the fibers, enhancing the taste with a delicious nutty flavor and tender texture.

ROUND STEAK

Includes all four of these muscles. Cut from the top of the leg, the hind shank and the rump, it is a lean cut and is moderately tough. No marbling, so needs slow, moist cooking to tenderize.

TOP ROUND

Inside of the thigh. The most tender because the muscles are used least. Very flavorful.

Loin cuts

Most tender and expensive, but not necessarily the most flavorful. Tenderloin is the most tender of all--boneless cut from the long muscle running down both sides of the backbone. Lies beneath the strip loin (strip steak). Usually cut into small medalions of filet mignons. Since filet mignons have very little fat, usually cooked with bacon or other fat. CHATEAUBRIAND is the thickest part of the tenderloin—meant to serve two people.

TOP SIRLOIN aka Sirloin Steak or Top Butt

Multi-muscled steak cut from the sirloin section. Sirloin cuts are naturally lean and full of bold, beefy flavor. Chewier. Most popular method is marinating and then grilling. Several different cuts in the top of the sirloin, all of which, confusingly, called "sirloin steak." Cuts include SIRLOIN (or TOP BUTT), TOP SIRLOIN CAP STEAK (or CULOTTE STEAK) and, from the bottom sirloin... THE SIRLOIN TRI-TIP. The best cuts? The top (known as top sirloin, top butt steak, hip steak, and center-cut sirloin). ALWAYS CHOOSE sirloin steaks with a FLAT bone, not a round one. BONELESS TOP SIRLOIN (or BUTT STEAK) is chewier, but best flavor. TOP SIRLOIN CAP STEAK is smaller, for grilling or pan-frying. TRI-TIP comes from bottom sirloin, with less marbling, but good flavor.

PASTURE-RAISED BEEF

NOT THE SAME as GRASS-FED, but often confused. Can be supplemented with grain (corn feed or a mix of cheaper grains).

HEEL OF THE ROUND

Near the bottom of the round, is the toughest cut and is generally used for ground meat, i.e., ground round.

Carpetbag Steak

Not a cut of meat but a preparation, first popularized in Sydney, Australia around 1950. An end cut of rib-eye steak, served standing up like an old-fashioned carpetbag (or a miniature mountain). Small cuts make pockets in the meat, into Sydney rock oysters are stuffed and secured with toothpicks. The whole may be wrapped in a strip of bacon, and it is often served with roasted new potatoes.

Chateabriand or Tournedos or Filet de Boeuf

Not a cut of meat but a recipe using the tenderloin. It was created by the personal chef, Montmireil, of Vicomte François-René de Chateaubriand (1768-1848). The steak was cut from the chewy but tasty sirloin and served with a white wine and shallot sauce that included demi-glace, butter, tarragon and lemon juice. Montmireil instead chose the very tender (although less flavorful) tenderloin. The meat was cut from the thickest part of the tenderloin which provides just two portions (all of the tenderloin can be cut into filet mignon). It was grilled "larded," with a strip of bacon or lard around it to keep it moist, and served medium rare (never well done) with a similar sauce (today béarnaise sauce is served) and château potatoes, which were cut into the shape of large olives, parboiled and cooked in butter.

SWISS STEAK

Not a cut, but a method. Rolled, pounded and then braised. Doesn't refer to Switzerland. Refers to the process of "swissing" fabric through rollers in order to soften it. Usually made from tough cuts of meat (round), pounded with a tenderizing hammer or run through a set of bladed rollers to produce a cube steak (minute steak). Usually coate in flour and other seasonings, served with thick gravy with onions, carrots and toms. Called smothered steak in England.

OXTAIL

Originally from an ox. Today usually beef or veal tail. Bony and gelatinous, SUPER FLAVORFUL. Big in British and Caribbean cooking, in stews and soups. Requires long, slow braising.

Boston Cut

Originally referred to a flavorful roast cut from the center of the sirloin. Today, the term is being applied to steaks cut from the center of the sirloin—a very tender cut.

SILAGE

Pastured cattle graze on grass, clover and other field greens. In cold weather months, organic-raised or premium animals are fed silage, a mixture of cut and fermented legumes, to supplement the lack of pasture grass.

Club Steak

Really a strip steak, the term "club steak" refers specifically to the last steak from the rib end of the loin. It has the flavor and texture of a strip steak. It is cut from the short loin, next to the rib end; it is smaller than a Porterhouse steak but with the same large "eye" section.

Bloom

Refers to the process of beef changing from a dark purple (as seen in vacuum-packaged meat) to bright cherry-red color when exposed to oxygen.

Kansas City Strip Steak

Same as New York strip.

T-BONE

Some call it the "king of steaks," because it's the best cuts of two steaks: An oval tenderloin (TENDERNESS) on one side, top loin (strip steak, FLAVOR) on the other, separated by a T-shaped bone.

Flank Steak or London Broil

The long, triangular-shaped muscle from the fibrous underside of a flank of beef. Marinated, broiled rare and sliced thin against the grain of the beef (London Broil is a misnomer, as the dish did not originate in London). Flank steaks, along with sirloin steaks, have a robust, beefy flavor, but they are substantially tougher. Thus, they are generally marinated or cooked using a moist method such as braising.

Filet Mignon

The most expensive cut of beef comes from the small end of the tenderloin. Because this area of the animal is not weight-bearing, the connective tissue is not toughened by exercise. Extremely tender meat, the most tender of all beef cuts. French derivative, the literal meaning is small (mignon) boneless meat (filet). On restaurant menus it is called Filet Mignon, Tournedos, Medallions, Filet de Boeuf and Tenderloin Steak. Chateaubriand is the center, thickest cut from the tenderloin, and a specific preparation.

BOTTOM ROUND

The outside thigh. Usually cut into cube steaks or bottom round roast.

TOP ROUND

The round is the most tender of the four round cuts.

TENDERLOIN aka Short Loin or Filet Mignon

The two main muscles in the short loin are the tenderloin and the top loin. Most tender and mild flavor is tenderloin (middle of the back between the sirloin and the rib). Tenderloin can be cooked whole, or cut into smaller sections like Chateabriand or individiual filets mignon. The top loin can get cut into a club steak with the bone attached, a New York (or Kansas City) strip steak or Delmonico steak without the bone.

MINUTE STEAK OR CUBE STEAK

Thin cut that can be cooked "in a minute," (five is more accurate). Popular for people in a rush. Can be cut from the round, sirloin, or any boneless cut. For tenderness, meat is run through a tenderizing machine by butcher or pounded with a kitchen mallet (called cube steak b/c of the cube-shaped score marks from teh mallet). Excellent cut for steak sandwiches. For top-of-the-line minute steak, ask your butcher to cut slices from the shell roast, the cut used for strip steaks.

EYE OF ROUND

Very flavorful. LEAST tender cut. People mistakenly purchase it as a tender meat because it looks like the tenderloin.

ORGANIC BEEF

Very similar to natural beef, except STRICT USDA criteria. Ranch is inspected and certified. Criteria include: no antibiotics (a sick animal is removed from the herd, usually to a natural herd). No pesticides on any food eaten by the animal, or on any hay it sleeps on. Many ranchers do this, but can't afford to get certified.

WAGYU

Wagyu refers to several beef breeds of cattle (Japanese Black, Japanese Brown, Japanese Polled, and Japanese Shorthorn), which are genetically predisposed to intense marbling. The translation of Wagyu is "Japanese cattle": wa means "Japanese," and gyu means cattle." Also known as KOBE-STYLE, but only beef raised in Kobe is REAL Kobe. In Japan, calves stay with natural mother for 10 months, then is fed hay, rice, straw, barley and corn for 24 months. Wagyu cattle are raised in Japan, the U.S. and elsewhere. In Japan, each calf stays with its natural mother for about 10 months, then is fed hay, rice, straw, barley and corn for 24 months. Because of both the cattle's genetic predisposition and this special diet, the beef contains a higher percentage of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids; the increased marbling provides a higher ratio of monounsaturated fats to saturated fats. Wagyu have about 70% monounsaturated fatty acids, specifically oleic and stearic acid, which make the beef "melt in your mouth." As you can see in the photo above, the high percentage of fat to meat means a very mouth-watering experience. As with USDA grading, Wagyu is also graded; A5 is the highest grade, with the most marbling, snow-white fat and red-orange lean (the muscle, or meat). See also Kobe beef.

Chipped Beef

dried smoked beef similar to Italian bresaola, which is more flavorful because it is aged. Creamed chipped beef on toast was standard diner fare in the first half of the century. The recipe sauce rehydrates the dried beef and mixes them in a white sauce flavored with parsley and pepper. toasted bread.