Beef is one of the most popular types of meat around the world. It’s tasty, nutritious and versatile, making it a staple ingredient in many cuisines.
When it comes to beef, not all cuts are equal. The type of cut you choose affects the texture, flavor, and best cooking method. Understanding the differences between cuts of beef ensures you can pick the right one for your recipe.
This complete guide covers everything you need to know about the various beef cuts. including
- An overview of primal and subprimal beef cuts
- Descriptions of the most common retail beef cuts
- Cooking tips for each cut
- Handy beef cut charts
Overview of Beef Cuts
Beef is divided into large sections called primal cuts, which are then broken down further into subprimal cuts, from which steaks and other retail cuts are prepared Here’s a quick overview
Primal Cuts: The cow is first split into 8 primal cut regions – chuck, rib, loin, round, brisket, shank, short plate, and flank.
Subprimal Cuts: Each primal region is then divided into smaller subprimals. For example, the short loin subprimal comes from the loin primal.
Retail Cuts: The subprimals are fabricated into portions like steaks, roasts, and other cuts for sale at retail markets. A T-bone steak is a retail cut from the short loin subprimal.
Understanding the primal cut that retail cuts come from provides useful insight into their general characteristics. Now let’s look closer at the most common retail beef cuts.
12 Major Retail Beef Cuts
There are over 100 different retail beef cuts, but the following 12 are among the most popular and commonly available.
1. Ribeye
Primal Cut: Rib
Location: From rib section between ribs 6-12
Characteristics: Tender, heavily marbled, flavorful
Best Cooking Methods: Grilling, pan-searing, roasting
The ribeye comes from the rib primal located near the mid-upper back of the cow. It contains high marbling, which helps keep it juicy and flavorful when cooking. Ribeye steaks and roasts are ideal for quick, high-heat cooking like grilling.
2. Tenderloin
Primal Cut: Short Loin
Location: Inside the loin primal near backbone
Characteristics: Extremely tender, lean, delicate flavor
Best Cooking Methods: Grilling, sautéing, roasting
Also called filet mignon, the tenderloin is cut from the short loin primal near the cow’s backbone. It’s the most tender cut of beef with very little fat or connective tissue. Quick cooking with dry heat like grilling or pan searing helps prevent overcooking.
3. Strip Steak
Primal Cut: Short Loin
Location: From the top loin muscle
Characteristics: Tender, moderate marbling, robust flavor
Best Cooking Methods: Grilling, pan searing, broiling
The strip steak, also called New York strip or top loin, comes from the short loin primal. It offers a balance of tenderness and rich beefy flavor. Strip steaks can be grilled or pan-seared for serving.
4. T-Bone
Primal Cut: Short Loin
Location: Contains tenderloin and strip loin
Characteristics: Tender, flavorful, moderate marbling
Best Cooking Methods: Grilling, broiling, pan searing
The iconic T-bone steak contains both the strip loin and a piece of tenderloin, giving you a tasty combination in one steak. It can be cooked quickly over high heat.
5. Porterhouse
Primal Cut: Short Loin
Location: Contains tenderloin and strip loin
Characteristics: Tender, juicy, robust flavor
Best Cooking Methods: Grilling, pan searing
Similar to the T-bone, the porterhouse also includes portions of the tenderloin and strip loin. It’s larger than the T-bone and contains a higher proportion of tenderloin. Porterhouses excel when grilled or pan-seared.
6. Flank Steak
Primal Cut: Flank
Location: From the belly muscles
Characteristics: Lean, flavorful, somewhat tough
Best Cooking Methods: Grilling, broiling, braising
Flank steak comes from the flank primal near the belly. It has a distinct grain and intense beefy flavor but can be chewy if overcooked. Slice against the grain after cooking, and aim for medium rare doneness. It’s great for grilling or braising.
7. Skirt Steak
Primal Cut: Plate
Location: From the diaphragm muscles
Characteristics: Thin, flavorful, somewhat tough
Best Cooking Methods: Grilling, pan-searing
Adjacent to the flank, skirt steak is from the plate primal. It’s thin and flavorful but has a coarser grain that can make it tough if overcooked. Marinating helps tenderize, then cook over high heat. Slice against the grain.
8. Hanger Steak
Primal Cut: Plate
Location: From the diaphragm
Characteristics: Lean, tender, full-flavored
Best Cooking Methods: Grilling, broiling, sautéing
Hanger steak comes from near the flank and skirt steak. It has a loose grain and robust beef flavor similar to flank, but is more tender. Use marinades or rubs to boost flavor before grilling or pan-searing to medium rare.
9. Brisket
Primal Cut: Brisket
Location: From the chest region
Characteristics: Tough, flavorful, well-marbled
Best Cooking Methods: Braising, smoking/barbecuing
Brisket comes from the chest area. It contains a lot of connective tissue that must be broken down through moist cooking methods like braising, stewing, or barbecuing for many hours. When cooked properly, it becomes incredibly tender.
10. Short Ribs
Primal Cut: Chuck, plate, rib
Location: Below ribs near belly
Characteristics: Tough, flavorful, fatty
Best Cooking Methods: Braising, stewing
Short ribs can come from several primal cuts but are always located below the ribs. They contain a lot of fat and connective tissue. Moist cooking like braising or stewing transforms them into fall-off-the-bone tender ribs.
11. Chuck Roast
Primal Cut: Chuck
Location: From shoulder region
Characteristics: Affordable, flavorful, somewhat tough
Best Cooking Methods: Braising, stewing, roasting
Chuck roast comes from the large chuck primal section. It’s an affordable but tougher cut that benefits from braising or slow roasting to become tender. Well-suited for stews, pot roasts, and shredded meat.
12. Ground Beef
Primal Cut: Varies
Location: Usually chuck, round, sirloin, brisket, etc.
Characteristics: Varies depending on cut
Best Cooking Methods: Burgers, meatballs, etc.
Ground beef can come from almost any primal cut but is often chuck, round, or brisket. The characteristics vary depending on the cuts used. It’s extremely versatile for burgers, tacos, chili, meatloaf, and many other dishes.
Handy Beef Cut Charts
For quick reference, here are some handy beef cut charts summarizing the major primal cuts, subprimals, and characteristics:
Primal Cuts Chart
| Primal Cut | Location | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Chuck | Shoulder | Tough, flavorful |
| Rib | Upper ribcage | Tender, juicy, flavorful |
| Short Loin | Lower ribcage to hips | Very tender |
| Sirloin | Hip to rear | Flavorful, fairly tender |
| Round | Rear leg | Lean, fairly tender |
| Brisket | Chest | Flavorful, tough |
| Plate | Belly | Flavorful, tough cuts |
| Flank | Lower chest/belly | Lean, flavorful, tough |
Subprimal Cuts Chart
| Subprimal | Primal Cut | Example Retail Cuts |
|---|---|---|
| Chuck Roll | Chuck | Chuck Roast |
| Rib | Rib | Rib Steak, Rib Roast |
| Short Loin | Loin | Tenderloin, T-Bone |
| Sirloin | Loin | Top Sirloin |
| Round | Round | Top Round Roast |
| Brisket | Brisket | Brisket Flat |
| Short Plate | Plate | Skirt Steak |
| Flank | Flank | Flank Steak |
Cooking Tips for Beef Cuts
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Tender cuts like tenderloin, ribeye, and strip steak are best prepared through quick, dry-heat cooking methods like grilling, broiling, and pan searing. Don’t overcook.
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Marbling adds moisture and flavor during cooking. Cuts like ribeye and brisket have a lot of fat marbling. Leaner cuts may need added moisture.
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Tough cuts like brisket, chuck roast, and short ribs need long, slow moist cooking like braising or smoking to break down connective tissues.
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Always slice across the grain of steaks and roasts after cooking, which shortens the muscle fibers for more tenderness when chewing.
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Use a meat thermometer and cook to proper internal temperatures. Medium rare (145F) is ideal for most cuts besides ground beef.
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Allow steaks and roasts to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing to allow juices time to redistribute through the meat.
Get the Right Cut for Your Recipe
With this guide, you now have a complete overview of the primary retail beef cuts available, where each comes from on the cow, characteristics, and the best cooking methods.
Whether you’re looking for a quick weeknight steak, a hearty Sunday pot roast, or perfectly smoked barbecue brisket, use the information here to select the optimum beef cut for your recipe.
Properly utilizing cuts like the well-marbled ribeye versus lean, tough chuck roast ensures your beef dishes turn out juicy, flavorful and tender every time. Now get cooking!
Cut To The Chase: Primal, Subprimal and Portion Cuts
To start, there are eight main cuts of beef known as the primal cuts, listed below:
These large primal cuts are then divided into smaller subprimal cuts that are shipped by packers to local markets for final cutting and preparation. These final cuts are known as portion cuts, and are the cuts of meat that consumers will find in their local stores like steaks, ribs and roasts.
We’re going to cut through some of this beef-buying complexity by focusing on the eight main primal regions as well as their most common portion cuts. For most consumers, understanding these main cuts and what makes them distinctive is sufficient enough for informed beef buying.
Chuck comes from the cow’s shoulder. It’s a very flavorful region that can be cut and prepared in many ways, but it’s also typically a firmer cut of beef. Due to its versatility and cheap cost, chuck is probably what you’re most familiar with. It’s great for any type of cooking!
The types of portion cuts you can find for chuck are ground chuck (hamburgers), chuck short ribs, shoulder tender medallions, chuck pot roast, shoulder steak, flat-iron steak and stew meat, amongst others.
As the name implies, the rib primal cut refers to meat cut from the cow’s ribs and backbone. Of the 13 pairs of ribs on a cow, only the last six are classified in this section – the rest are grouped with chuck and short plate! Rib cuts are notable for their fatty marbling, tenderness, and distinctive flavor. Rib cuts tend to be a little pricier than most and are often better slow-cooked than grilled.
The types of portion cuts you can find for ribs are beef short ribs, ribeye steak, cowboy steak, ribeye roast, ribeye filet and back ribs.
This is where you’ll find your most expensive cuts of beef. The loin is located directly behind the ribs and, due to its location, is not a heavily used muscle. This makes loin very tender compared to more muscular cuts. The loin primal cut comprises two parts worth mentioning: sirloin and short loin.
Sirloin is the rearmost cut of the loin region and the least tender of the two subregions (though arguably more flavorful). Sirloin is typically best for grilling and almost never used for slow cooking. Common cuts include sirloin steak, top sirloin, bottom sirloin, tri-tip roast and tri-tip steak.
Short loin is similar to sirloin cuts, but is closer to the center of the cow and more tender than sirloin cuts as a result. Like sirloin, it dries out very fast so it’s typically best grilled or fried. Common short loin cuts include NY strip, T-Bone, porterhouse, tenderloin filet, filet mignon and strip loin.
The round primal region is an inexpensive, lean cut. Located near the cow’s hind legs, it’s typically a tough cut of beef. Due to the leanness of this cut, it’s important to thoroughly research how to prepare and cook the individual portion cuts of this primal region; sometimes it calls for high heat cooking (like top, bottom and eye round portion cuts), or slow-cooking (like rump and eye roast).
The common round cuts you can expect to find in stores are round steak, eye of round, tip roast, tip steak, top round and bottom round roasts.
The flank primal cut is located just below the loin. This region has no bones, but is flavorful despite its toughness. In the past, it was typically the least expensive cut one could find in a store. However, as the recent demand for lean meat increased, so did the demand for flank steak – driving its popularity and price up.
Typically you’ll only find one of two flank cuts: a flank steak or a skirt steak, both of which are best grilled at high heat.
Often grouped with the brisket beef region, short plate cuts are found near the stomach of the cow. Its location in the cow lends to cheap, tough and fatty cuts of beef. This is also where you’ll find your other source of marbled short ribs.
The most common short plate portion cuts you can expect to find in stores are skirt steak, hanger steak, beef bacon, pastrami, short ribs and ground beef from this primal cut.
A barbecue favorite, the brisket cut belongs to a cow’s breast. Brisket is known for its fatty, tough texture, but if prepared correctly (low and slow) it can be cooked to melt-in-your-mouth perfection. Just be careful when slow cooking – with brisket, there’s a slim margin between juicy and dry! That’s why you should always tenderize and marinate this cut before slow cooking to soften it up.
There’s typically only two cuts of brisket you’ll find widely available: brisket point and brisket flat. They are both better slow-cooked, but the flat is distinguished by its leaner quality.
Shank is arguably the toughest, cheapest cut of beef. Located in front of the brisket at the cow’s forearm, this beef cut is notable for its sinewy dryness. Due to its lack of popularity, shank is not typically found in retail stores. However, if you can find it, it’s a great inexpensive option for beef stock or lean ground beef. Because of its dry nature, it’s best cooked for a long time in moist heat.
You’ll often find this cut used for stew or soup meat, or prepared as the popular Osso Buco dish.
Basics of Beef Cuts
Butchers have developed a framework for breaking down cuts of beef. They start by separating a carcass into sections called primals.
Everything A Beginner Needs To Know About Beef In 9 Minutes!
FAQ
What are the best cuts of beef to order?
Different parts different uses. The best for a steak would be a loin, sirloin. some argue that the rib eye is the tastiest due to more fat. for burgers chuck would be better. due to not breaking as fast when cooking. As a rule of thumb, the muscle that is least used is the softest meat (usually the loin).
What are the different cuts of beef called?
There are 8 main primal cuts of beef: chuck, rib, loin (consisting of the short loin and the sirloin), round, flank, plate, brisket, and shank.
What are the 9 prime cuts of beef?
- Chuck.
- Rib.
- Short Plate.
- Brisket.
- Foreshank.
- Short loin.
- Sirloin.
- Round.
What are the different grades of beef cuts?
In total, there are 8 quality grades: Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner. They have been consistently used by the beef industry since 1927.