#steak cutting

[fineyoungcarnivores]

The 8 Primal Cuts of Beef — A Beginner’s Guide

One of the first steps to making smarter choices with beef — whether from your local butcher or other cattle farm, is understanding what cuts come from where on a cow. This helps you understand typical fat content, uses, and get an idea of why some cuts are pricier than others.

There’s a lot of jargon in beef. From hanger steaks to delmonico steaks, there are a lot of terms to remember. Today, we’re going to start with the fundamental 8 primal cuts you need to know.

These are the 8 parts of the cow (steer) that all American butchers organize their cuts from, and if you’re looking to cut your own steaks, save money on volume, buy in bulk for a large gathering, or buy wholesale for a restaurant, this is your first step to understanding the steer.

The 8 primal cuts of beef:

• Chuck

• Rib

• Loin

• Round

• Flank

• Plate

• Brisket

• Shank

Within each of the 8 primal cuts are what are known as “sub-primal cuts”. These are just specific names for large parts within each primal cut. Within each sub-primal cut are the “portion cuts”, which are the consumer-facing portions you see in stores.

We’ll cover what each primal cut is and include some of the sub-primal and portion cuts found within each primal. We’ll also provide rough weights and percentages based on a 1,300-pound steer [*].

1. Chuck

Portion of the cattle carcass: 29%

Average weight after fat and bone loss: 198.4lbs

Chuck is the primal cut that includes the shoulder of the steer and is arguably the most versatile cut. It’s delicious, plentiful, and used in a wide variety of cooking applications.

The chuck primal is rich in meat and marbling, which helps add flavor and tenderize the surrounding meat. Although rich in flavor, chuck cuts are not as tender as the elegant middle steak primals; consequently, they are perfectly suited to pot roasts and braising cooking.

This primal cut is also the most popular source for ground beef, thanks to its rich flavor and its balance of meat and fat. Over half of the chuck is typically harvested for ground beef.

Chuck subprimals

The chuck’s sub-primals are the chuck roll, chuck eye, chuck short ribs, chuck tender, clod top blade, clod heart, and teres major.

Chuck portion cuts

Portion cuts from the chuck primal include ground beef, cubed beef, shoulder center roast, and chuck eye steak.

Chuck can be cooked about any way you like. If you’re using chuck ground beef, fire up the grill and have some burgers. If you go with the shoulder center roast, try braising it since chuck can be a bit tougher than other cuts.

2. Rib

Portion of the cattle carcass: 9%

Average weight after fat and bone loss: 63.2lbs

The rib primal includes the meat cut from the ribs and backbone of the cow. Rib meat has a distinctive, sought-after flavor and is more expensive than many other cuts.

This primal is the source, as you might expect, for ribs. Although there are 13 pairs of ribs, only ribs six through 12 fall into the rib primal. (One through five are part of the chuck cut and the 13th rib is part of the loin.)

Rib subprimals

The rib’s sub-primals are the ribeye roll, peeled cap, beef rib / blade meat, and short ribs.

Rib portion cuts

Portion cuts from the rib primal include the ribeye roast and steak, prime rib, the rib short ribs, the ribeye petite steak, and ribeye filet.

Popular cuts like prime rib, short rib, and ribeye steak do best with high, direct heat and short cooking times, but the back ribs are best suited for indirect cooking methods like smoking.

3. Loin

Portion of the cattle carcass: 16%

Average weight after fat and bone loss: 99.5lbs

Because this primal is from some of the least-used muscles of the cow, meat from this cut is particularly tender. As a result, these cuts do not require long cooking times and are often the most expensive.

Loin subprimals

The loin’s sub-primals are the butt tender, peeled tenderloin, strip loin, top butt, ball tip, tri-tip, and bottom sirloin flap. Looking to cut your own steaks? Try our 100% grass-fed whole primal striploin.

Loin portion cuts

Portion cuts from the loin primal include the t-bone steak, filet mignon, delmonico steak, ny strip steak, sirloin roast, porterhouse steak, and tri-tip roast.

Loin cuts take well to open flame and other direct heat methods. Some of the loin cuts are the priciest cuts on the steer, so we recommend cooking them medium-rare to get the most flavor.

4. Round

Portion of the cattle carcass: 22%

Average weight after fat and bone loss: 140.9lbs

The round is cut from the rear of the cow, including the hind shank and the rump. Because the round is so lean and doesn’t have as much marbling, your cooking method will vary depending on the subprimal cut.

You can slice the round into 5/8 inch thick steaks for country fried round steaks. The round can also be separated into sections or seamed out into the Top, Bottom, and Eye of Round. The top can be cut 1 ½-2 inch thick steaks and makes for a fantastic London Broil, and the Bottom Round is often used for corned beef.

Round subprimals

The round’s subprimals are the round tip, top round, bottom round, and rump.

Round portion cuts

Portion cuts from the round primal include the bottom round steak, eye of round steak, top round roast, and round tip steak.

Meat from the round tends to be very lean and not as tender — making it best suited for moist cooking. There are exceptions to this: London broil is delicious when grilled, and sirloin tip and sirloin sandwich steaks are light, healthy meats that require minimum preparation times.

Any of the round items makes for a wonderful beef roast, too. Just remember to serve it medium and slice it thin. If you’re a jerky fan, any of the round pieces make great jerky, too. Just remove all fat and silver skin before drying it.

5. Flank

Portion of the cattle carcass: <1%

Average weight after fat and bone loss: 4.6lbs

The flank is the primal cut just below the loin primal, so it is the “bottom most” primal excluding the little bit of meat you can collect from the shank (legs) of the cow. Flank has been historically cheap but with lean meat on the rise, flank has inflated in price.

Flank subprimals

The flank’s subprimals are just the flank.

Flank portion cuts

Portion cuts from the rib primal are just the flank steak and any ground beef the butcher collects.

This cut requires a bit of love and attention, but it can be worth it. It’s wonderful baked, and make sure you give it a good marinade to tenderize the meat.

6. Plate

Portion of the cattle carcass: <2%

Average weight after fat and bone loss: 9.2lbs

The plate primal (also called the short plate) is located under the rib primal, close to the stomach of the cow. The cuts from the plate are slightly tough and therefore better prepared with moist cooking methods. It is generally a cheap cut of meat, and a leaner plate can be used for beef bacon. Most butchers use the plate for ground beef, though.

Plate subprimals

The plate’s subprimals and portion cuts are one in the same. Since there isn’t a lot of meat in the plate, it is cut directly into portion cuts or ground into ground beef.

Plate portion cuts

Portion cuts from the plate primal include the hanger steak, short ribs, skirt steak, and beef bacon.

Low and slow is the name of the game with the plate primal. This meat is inexpensive, tough, and takes best to moist cooking methods.

(Jingo's commentary- think of this like brisket but not as thick and more ribby rich flavor. This is one of the primals used to cure beef bacon. Yes I know it says that up there but this is important)

7. Brisket

Portion of the cattle carcass: 11%

Average weight after fat and bone loss: 27.6lbs

The brisket primal is from the front of the animal beneath the chuck primal. It’s essentially the breast meat of the cow. Because cuts from the brisket are among the less tender, they are best suited for moist cooking methods like braising, stewing, and steaming.

Common cuts from the brisket primal include the brisket point and brisket flat. The point is fattier and better suited for pot roast, and the flat is a bit leaner and better for square cuts and corned beef.

Brisket subprimals

The brisket’s subprimals are simply the brisket.

Brisket portion cuts

Portion cuts from the brisket primal include the point cut and flat cut.

Brisket is famously delicious but also known to be tough and sinewy. To combat this and unlock the unique meaty flavor of the brisket, you should stick to moist cooking methods like braising, smoking, steaming, and stewing.

(Jingo's commentary- if it is tough, then you fucked up. Fact statement. There are techniques. Ask me and we will start up a thread and get a bunch of the boys to do a brisket bull session. Second bit, this is one of the primals you can use for beef bacon. Yes...you heard me. Beef bacon. Assume that an angel's choir just fired up)

8. Shank

Portion of the cattle carcass: 10%

Average weight after fat and bone loss: 40.3lbs

Meat from the shank primal is some of the toughest; as a result, most stores and retailers do not offer cuts from this primal. If you do get some, it is great for marrow and lean ground beef, but in general, it is so tough and sinewy it’s difficult to get much more out of it. Other miscellaneous pieces that are sometimes harvested include the kidneys.

Shank subprimals

The shank’s subprimals include marrow bones and ground beef.

Shank portion cuts

Apart from the bones and a little bit of beef, most retailers don’t sell shank. Beef kidneys are fairly popular, though.

The best use for a shank is to use them to make beef broth or to cook them low and slow in a dish like osso buco. Because shank has such little fat, you’ll need to cook it for a long time to make it worth it.

(Jingo's commentary on shank, not part of the article - adding shank to almost any crock pot meal, up to and including chili is outstanding. The steak from that area is fine but it is the bone marrow is what you want. The amount of satiety you will get from high amounts of bone marrow in solution in dishes will shock you. Even higher satiety...long term satiety is even better than even the fattiest meal you have ever had. It also helps to act as a binder and a bit of a food glue if that makes sense. If you don't want to buy flank steaks, ask the meat counter guys about cross cut large bones and throw them any slow cooker meal. It is so good, good for you and will help tighten up that loose skin as you loose weight.)

Credit Nathan Phelps

Congratulations on getting to the end. Here is your reward

(There are tonnes of additions I would make and things said in the article I would disagree with but it is a good general guide)

[bitchfitch]

My mother's bf had a fairly major surgery (he's fine and recovering well DW) and he's going to be housebound for his birthday this year, so I've been enlisted to come up with a fancy birthday meal for the special birthday boy that's primarily fruit and veg, sweeter than savory, and is something he's never had before.

Bc I'm making watermelington. It's beef Wellington, but watermelon. bc my mom only found out recently you can use watermelon as a tuna substitute. And I know that you can substitute most higher quality beef cuts with tuna or salmon.... usually. Anyways the idea fascinates her so I'm hoping to use that for bonus points.

Now he's off his ass on pain killers so I can't like. Ask him if he's ever had something before. so to meet my brief I've decided to just. commit a novel hate crime against the British I guess.

Anyways. I'm writing this because I need to walk myself through this process and think it'll be surreal enough to be worth taking y'all along for.

So, Beef Wellington. In its most basic bitch arrangement is a beef tenderloin wrapped in prosciutto/really thin bacon, with a layer of mushroom and onion mush, that has been further wrapped in mustard slathered puff pastry.

We will be ship of Theseusing this. bc beef Wellington is like. the opposite of what he wants. Which is why it's funny.

Puff pastry-> it's still just puff pastry

this one doesn't have to change (aka I can't be fucked to do pastry prep and I'm just gonna use store bought it's Fine.)

the prosciutto is also just going to be prosciutto.

Thin meat

Beef tenderloin-> watermelon,

Tbh this is a pretty 1 to 1 substitution. I'll bake the slices at like. 250-300 for an hour or so ahead of the rest of prep to dry it out a bit. bc you can't like. Sear watermelon to seal in the water like you can beef. By definition it's a very wet fruit (like me when I fall into the lake). Ill Add salt and chili and lime juice while baking maybe. this is the easy part

The mushroom mush-> salsa done bad style

As the word mush implies, this is meant to be a very soft mix. It adds a lot of nuttiness to the wellington that rounds out all of the salt from the meats. I'm replacing it with white person salsa(the birthday boy can't handle spice). Tomato, lime juice, parsley, avocado, cucumber, feta, and maybe mango so I can have an excuse to have a lil mango treat. I said I wasn't making it spicy. I'm still putting a bit of chili in it. bc it'll be better like that. This is also a ridiculously wet bit of mush, Even the original mushrooms have too much water. I'll figure something out.

Mustard -> jelly

He lives in a big city. those preserve sections are massive. I'll find a weird one. maybe apricot.

Prep:

We're in the mind palace kitchen, I have not attempted any of this. We're just thinking real hard about it and I'll edit as needed on the day and post results.

The watermelon

Preheat oven to eh. 300f? We want low and slow to dry things out without it taking a year. but idk what his oven is like. If it's gentle I'll bump it up another ten-twenty.

Slather some watermelon slices in salt chili powder and lime juice mixture.

bake for 30 min on a wire rack or directly on the oven racks (after cleaning thoroughly) if he doesn't have a wire rack. with a drip try underneath to catch the drippage. check frequently. Have one slice that's for being poked to see if it's approaching being meat. Bake longer if needed.

Salsa bad style

chop everything up and add it to a pan with some oil in it. Tbh I don't think the type of oil you use for cooking matters if you're not like, getting near any smoke points. Most people can't tell the difference unless you made your food bland as hell.

Anyways there's some wildly different moisture contents on the list so there has to be an Order to cook off as much water as possible without getting yucky.

Tomatoes and cucumbers go in together with some salt to get the cucs softening, then the mango chunks and lime juice. Once most of the water is gone the avocado feta and parsley can go in. There is a good amount of water in avocados but they're delicate and don't pan fry well, so we're just going to ignore their water crimes and hope for the best. They just need to be evenly mixed through the rest of the mush.

Putting it together

lay out the puff pastry, cut into sections to wrap each watermelon slice individually with.

Slather in jam

Take the prosciutto and lay it out on half of each section of the pastry,

spoon the salsa onto that

Melon

Another layer of salsa

another layer of thin meat

Fold the pastry over the top and pinch the edges bc watermelon slices are not a rollable shape and I don't want to carve a watermelon into a tube for this because that sounds irritating.

Brush with egg wash and more parsley

Cook in oven following the pastry's preferred temp and time. it's fucking watermelon, you're not getting ecoli from it.

watermelington :)

I'm serving it with baked sweet potatoes and spinach based salad with whatever toppings are left over from making the salsa.

anyways thank you for joing me on this thought experiment. I will post updates once the deed is done. I'm sorry to every British person ever.

[flowerakatsuka]

Western Matsu THE Chara Shop ( 2016 )

[kaeyachi]

Have you all imagined the days where Kaeya would scream in frustration when he tries to create a Khaenri'ahn dish, but the dish just doesn't taste quite right?

How about the helpless feeling he gets when he barely remembers what ingredients go in his homeland's dishes?

And what about the cravings that have never been satisfied since he was a child because his father didn't teach him how to make them?

For an adventurous food lover... perhaps forever losing your nation's food might just be the most painful thing.

[miodiodavinci]

congration

you done it

[nanmeo]

theres SOMETHING behind you…

[bloodshotgun]

in my mind hoffman loves fishing and strahm is fine with eating fish 3 times a day as long as he gets to absolutely decimate it with a kitchen hatchet beforehand. hoffman is still the one to cook it though strahm just likes violence

[stimboardboy]

meat

x - x | x - x

[yumkitchen]

[piggiebonez]

YEAH this is pretty high-concept basically . . .

BONUS DIBS yayy

was too lazy to finish him sorry. this is what the tallest personal chef was going to look like. i dont like the concept here bc i feel like their personal chef would be much more cool looking something like a sizz-lorr type design. but i like his stupid face. look at him

[red-revival]

Tbh I think just saying “increased appetite” on change lists with T truly doesn’t tell you just how much. So I’m gonna tell you how much for ppl considering starting T

A fucking lot. A “I’ve had an appetite-related eating disorder for years that I barely struggle with since starting T” lot. I am not kidding you will have so much of an appetite. You will be so hungry. Its genuinely incredible

And obviously it’s different for everyone but I just need ppl thinking of starting T to understand they are not fucking around when they say your appetite will increase. T makes you so hungry you will eat so much. Trust me on this please. Learn to make some nice filling meals, find fun ways to cook veggies, get some meat

[epikhightechnology]

So inspiring watching kanghan find his true passion: being a sugar daddy

[waywardstation]

'I know most people have a food that has become inedible based on Events' WAIT THAT'S NOT JUST A ME THING. I CAN'T EAT CRUMPETS ANYMORE BECAUSE I FOUND A PACK IN MY CUBOARD THAT WAS BASICALLY COVERED IN MOLD. THAT'S NORMAL?? ON GOD

In regards to the tags on this post

YES!! It’s a thing!! I mean, I deal with it, and many other people I know deal with it. It seems common and normal! So not wanting to eat something in its entirety after seeing mold all over it in one instance is very understandable to me!!

[transpanda-1]

😷We binged all of Dungeon Meshi’s manga

And we have to be honest

We didn’t really care for Izutsumi

[stone-cold-groove]

Beef cuts and how to cook them.

[an-autistic-with-personhood]

So in DnDads episode 22, Matt accidentally said Darryl had made the "doily" in his bathroom instead of the paper towel "dowel rod." He asked for clarification on what a doily is, then owned it by saying Darryl had made that, too.

Darryl canonically knows how to crochet with tiny thread and hooks, and now I desperately want some fanart of this big barbarian coach dad serenely crocheting in an armchair