TYPES OF BEEF
There are 8 prime cuts on a beef, with subprimal cuts for individual cuts of steak, roasts, etc. Learn about each type of cut!
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CHUCK
Chuck is the meat that comes from the shoulder. Sometimes considered tough, it's nevertheless super flavorful!
TYPES OF CUTS YOU'LL SEE FROM THE CHUCK REGION:
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Ground chuck (hamburger)
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Flat-iron steak
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Chuck short ribs
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Shoulder tender medallions
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Pot roast
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Boneless chuck short ribs
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​Stew meat
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Shoulder pot roast
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Flanken-style ribs
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Rib roast
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Country style ribs
Just because all those cuts come from the same area doesn't mean that you’re going to get every one of them - some cuts take specific areas of the beef to get one type of cut, using the same meat that could be needed for another type of cut. The processor will make his cuts depending on your order.
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Pot roast cuts are the tenderest, with the best flavor. They cook with consistently melt-in-your-mouth flavor and texture, while the chuck area meat is great for stews or barbecued beef.
BRISKET
This cut has a lot of fat in it and usually requires tenderizing. This cut has to be cooked low and slow. Barbecued brisket, corned beef, and pastrami are all examples of the uses for this cut of meat.
SHANK
The shank is where we get our soup bones. If you love soup, you will not want to waste the soup bones. More than a bone, the shank comes with meat attached, which when boiled into a broth makes delicious soup with deep rich flavors.
RIBS
Of the beef’s 13 pairs of ribs, it’s the last section – sets 6 through 12 – that make up the prime section. The others are considered chuck meat.
TYPES OF CUTS AVAILABLE FROM THE RIBS SECTION:
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Delmonico steak
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Boneless ribeye roast
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Cowboy steak
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Ribeye steaks
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Beef short ribs
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Rib roast
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Back ribs
This source of short ribs is found near the abdomen and carries a little more fat.
THIS MEAT IS USUALLY USED FOR:
PLATE
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Fajitas
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Skirt steak (cut into carne asada cut)
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Short ribs
LOIN
The most sought-after – and the most delicious – cuts of meat come from the loin. Located at the top, directly behind the ribs, the loin muscles are rarely used and are therefore very tender. There are two sections here: the short loin and the sirloin.
POPULAR CUTS FROM THE SHORT LOIN ARE:
THE SIRLOIN AREA IS THOUGHT TO BE A LITTLE LESS TENDER THAN THE SHORT LOIN, BUT IT HAS MORE FLAVOR. SOME COMMON CUTS ARE:
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Filet mignon
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Tenderloin steak
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T-bone steak
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Porterhouse steak
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Strip steak
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New York strip steak
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Top loin steak
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Sirloin steak
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Center cut sirloin steak
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Top sirloin
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Bottom sirloin
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Tri-tip steak
ROUND
SOME OF THE CUTS THAT YOU GET FROM THIS AREA:
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Round steak
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Eye of round
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Tip steak
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Tip roast
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Top round
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Bottom round roast
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Boneless rump roast
FLANK
THE TWO MAIN CUTS FROM THE FLANK AREA ARE:
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Flank steak
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London broil