Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle,beef is taken to mean any bovine meat – Ox, bull, buffalo or cow.Today, beef is the third most widely consumed meat in the world, after pork and poultry.
A cow is broken down into what are called primal cuts, the main areas of the animal which include the loin, rib, round, flank, chuck, sirloin, brisket and more.
These primal cuts are then broken down into sub-primal cuts, including specific steaks and chops: flank steak, flat iron steak, filet mignon, rib eye.
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.
The most commonly used beef cust are:
- Chuck: Cut from the shoulder; tough but flavorful.
- Shank: Cut from the leg; very tough and chewy.
- Brisket: Cut from the breast; tough if not cooked properly.
- Rib: Cut from the rib area; very tender and flavorful.
- Short plate: Cut from the belly of the cow; chewy and quite tough.
- Flank: Cut from the abdominal muscles of the cow; one of the toughest cuts.
- Loin: Cut from the back of the cow above the ribs; one of the tenderest cuts.
- Sirloin: Cut from the back of the cow just past the loin; pretty tender and flavorful.
- The round: Cut from the back of the cow above the back legs; chewy and tough.
There are less common types that we won’t be discussing here, but they are:
- Tongue
- Neck
- Knuckle
- Liver and other organ meats
Rib cuts
Ribeye filet, ribeye cap, ribeye steak. These cuts are getting fattier, meaning some of them are better for slow cooking and roasting. Not all the cuts in the rib family work well with slow cooking methods: ribeye steak, for example, will always kick better grilled or fried in a skillet.
Forequarter Cuts: Beef Chuck
Beef chuck comes from the forequarter. Consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade, and upper arm, Beef chuck produces tough but very flavorful cuts of meat.
This primal cut has a good deal of connective tissue. That makes chuck a good choice for braised dishes like beef stew or pot roast, both of which tenderize tough cuts. Due to its fat content, beef chuck is also excellent for making ground beef that produces juicy burgers and ground beef stew.
The classic 7-bone roast comes from the beef chuck, as do the increasingly popular flat iron steak and Denver steak.
With conventional butchering, the beef chuck is separated from the rib primal between the fifth and sixth ribs. This means that it also contains a few inches of the longissimus dorsi muscle, which is the same tender muscle that rib-eye steaks are made from.
Round cuts
Coming from the back legs of the cow, this is a part of the animal that usually provides leaner cuts of beef so you need to know your business at this end. Top, bottom and eye round will go well at high heats, the bottom, rump and eye roast are best for slow cooking and, you guessed it, oven roasted.
Chuck
Description: The chuck, also known as the seven-bone steak (in reference to the shape of the bone), is located near the shoulder and neck area of the cow.
Types: The chuck cut yields some of the more economical cuts of beef, such as the chuck roast, chuck arm roast, and the flat iron steak.
How to Cook: The chuck contains a significant amount of connective tissue, which contains collagen and can be a little tough, but provides great flavor. Chuck cuts of beef are best cooked slowly over time with a crock pot or by braising.
Shank
Description: The shank is the leg of the cow and is one of the toughest meats. This is because the leg muscle is constantly used, creating a tough, sinewy cut. Therefore, it is one of the less popular, but also one of the cheapest.
Types: The Shank doesn’t yield very many cuts of meat, just the shank or the shank cross cut. It is also used in very low fat ratios of ground beef.
