Beef is one of the most popular meats around the world. From burgers to steaks, it can be prepared in endless delicious ways. But with so many different cuts of beef to choose from, it can get confusing trying to understand where on the cow they all come from.
In this detailed guide, we’ll break down exactly where the major cuts of beef are sourced on the animal. Understanding the anatomy of a cow and how its muscles are divided into the primals and subprimals we see at the butcher shop or grocery store will help you become a more informed beef buyer.
An Overview of Beef Cuts
Cattle are amazing animals that provide us with a powerhouse protein source – beef. A 1200 pound steer can yield over 400 pounds of retail cuts of beef from just one side of its body!
To get these cuts, the side of beef is first divided into sections called primal cuts. The main primals are the chuck, rib, loin, sirloin, round, brisket, shank, flank, and plate. These primals are then further divided into subprimals from which steaks, roasts, and other retail cuts are fabricated.
In general, the tenderest cuts of beef come from the lightly worked muscles along the back of the animal. Tougher cuts that require longer cooking come from the heavily exercised muscles in the shoulder and leg areas. The level of marbling (intramuscular fat) also affects tenderness and flavor.
Now let’s look at where each primal and some of the most popular retail cuts originate on the cow.
Chuck – Where Brisket and Ground Beef Comes From
The chuck primal cut comes from the forequarter or front shoulder area of the cow. This area contains a lot of connective tissue so chuck cuts are ideal for slow cooking as pot roasts or stews The chuck also contains significant marbling which helps add beefy flavor and juiciness when used for ground beef
Some well-known cuts from the chuck primal include:
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Chuck roast – A flavorful roast that benefits from braising into fork-tender perfection.
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Brisket – The breast section that’s famous for barbecue when cooked low and slow.
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Ground beef – Chuck is often used for hamburger thanks to its fat content.
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Flat iron steak – A top blade steak with connective tissue removed.
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Chuck short ribs – Loaded with flavor these ribs excel when braised or smoked low and slow.
Rib – TheHome of Prime Rib and Ribeye
The rib primal runs from the 6th to 12th rib and produces some of the most desirable beef cuts. These cuts are naturally tender thanks to the lightly used rib muscles and considerable marbling.
Famous cuts from the rib primal include:
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Ribeye roast/prime rib – The standing rib roast is a celebratory showstopper.
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Ribeye steak – Renowned for its rich flavor and generous marbling. Can be bone-in or boneless.
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Back ribs – These meaty ribs are a barbecue favorite and popular cut.
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Ribeye cap – The incredibly marbled spinalis muscle on top of the ribs. Highly prized.
Short Loin – Where the NY Strip and Tenderloin Are Located
This small but mighty primal lies between the rib and the sirloin. It’s the source of top loin cuts like strip steaks/NY strips, as well as the tenderest cut of all – the tenderloin.
Famous short loin cuts:
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T-bone and porterhouse steaks – The best of both worlds with tenderloin and strip steak connected by the T-shaped bone.
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Strip loin (NY strip) – A premium cut known for tenderness and beefy flavor.
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Tenderloin – The tenderest cut of beef. Yields filet mignon and Chateaubriand.
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Top loin – Where New York strips and other boneless loin cuts are sourced.
Sirloin – Home of the Tri-Tip
The sirloin runs from the hip back through the mid-section of the cow. It’s less tender than short loin cuts but offers good value and flavor. The tri-tip, a versatile cut for grilling and roasting, comes from the bottom sirloin.
Other sirloin cuts include:
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Top sirloin – A steak option that’s lean and moderately tender.
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Top sirloin cap/coulotte – A small roast or steak fairly tender and flavorful for a sirloin cut.
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Ball tip steak – A budget-friendly cut good for marinating and grilling.
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Tri-tip roast/steak – Moderately tender with beefy flavor perfect for roasting or grilling.
Round – The Lean Leg Cut
The round primal comprises the back leg which is lean and moderately tough. It’s not as widely prized as loin or rib cuts but offers good value. Main round cuts are:
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Top round roast/steak – A lean roast or steak, usually best cooked rare or medium-rare.
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Bottom round roast/rump roast – Very lean so benefits from slow roasting and slicing thin.
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Eye of round roast/steak – Tender for a round cut. Roasts and cooks well when sliced against the grain.
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Sirloin tip roast – A small roast that’s fairly tender but needs proper cooking.
Brisket – The Flavorful Breast Cut
Brisket comes from the chest or pectoral muscle area. It contains a lot of connective tissue so requires braising or smoking to break down and become tender. Whole packer briskets are popular for Texas-style barbecue. The two main brisket cuts are:
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Brisket flat – The leaner flat half of a whole brisket. Tends to be less moist than the point.
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Brisket point – Fattier and more moist. Excellent flavor. The point half of a packer brisket.
Flank and Plate – Great Fajita and Skirt Steaks
The belly area of the cow produces the flank and plate primals. These lean cuts come from heavily exercised areas so can be tough if not properly cooked. Famous cuts from the flank and plate include:
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Flank steak – A flavorful cut best cooked hot and fast. Slices beautifully against the grain.
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Skirt steak – Thin steak with intense beefy flavor perfect for carne asada. Must be sliced against the grain.
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Short plate ribs – Flavorful ribs ideal for grilling and braising. Also called beef short ribs.
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Inside skirt steak – Very flavorful thin steak from the plate primal.
The Basics of Beef Cuts
Beef is divided into large sections called primal cuts, which you can see in our beef cuts chart. These primal beef cuts, or “primals,” are then broken down further into subprimals, or “food-service cuts.” These are then sliced and chopped into individual steaks, roasts, and other retail cuts.
A side of beef is literally one side of the beef carcass that is split through the backbone. Each side is then halved between the 12th and 13th ribs. These sections are called the forequarter (front of the cow) and the hindquarter (back of the cow).
The most tender cuts of beef, like the rib and tenderloin, are the ones farthest from the horn and hoof. The toughest areas of the animal are the shoulder and leg muscles because they are worked the most.
Forequarter Cuts: Beef Brisket
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Beef brisket is one of the most flavorful cuts of meat, although it is tough and needs to be cooked in just the right way. Its also a moderately fatty cut of beef, but this can work to your advantage because it tenderizes into succulent, meaty perfection.
Taken from the area around the breastbone, the brisket is basically the chest or pectoral muscle of the animal. The characteristically thick, coarse-grained meat needs a lot of time and low-temperature cooking to break down and tenderize.
Brisket is frequently used for making pot roast, and its the traditional choice for corned beef. Another very popular technique for preparing brisket is to slow cook it in a barbecue or smoker.
A Visual Guide to the Cuts of a Cow: Where Every Beef Cut Comes From | By The Bearded Butchers
FAQ
Where does most beef in the US come from?
Specifically, a lot of the beef the United States imports is frozen 90% lean trim from Australia and New Zealand, which is blended into 80/20 grinds with our …Jul 6, 2020
Where do beef trimmings come from?
Our Beef Fat Trimmings are packaged into approx. two pound packs, vacuum sealed, and flash frozen for optimal freshness. They are typically cut into small cubes and chunks, and come from fat from around the muscles, subcutaneous fat (the fat beneath the hide), and fat from inside the body.
What part of the cow do New York steaks come from?
(also called: Strip steak, sirloin steak, Manhattan, Kansas City steak or shell steak ) Where does the New York Strip come from? The New York Strip steak comes from the top part of the short loin behind the ribs – the longissimus muscle of the cow. This muscle is little worked, making the steak very tender.
Where do ribeyes come from on a cow?
Ribeye steak is a cut out meat taken from the cow’s beef rib. This primal cut is located along the cow’s ribs, with the ribeye typically taken from between the sixth and twelfth ribs.