During butchering, beef is first divided into

primal cut A primal cut or cut of meat is a piece of meat initially separated from the carcass of an animal during butchering. Examples of primals include the round, loin, rib, and chuck for beef or the ham, loin, Boston butt, and picnic for pork. Differen ...

s, pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass. These are basic sections from which

steak A steak is a thick cut of meat generally sliced across the muscle fibers, sometimes including a bone. It is normally grilled or fried. Steak can be diced, cooked in sauce, such as in steak and kidney pie, or minced and formed into patti ...

s and other subdivisions are cut. Since the animal's legs and neck muscles do the most work, they are the toughest; the meat becomes more tender as distance from hoof and horn increases. Different countries and cuisines have different cuts and names, and sometimes use the same name for a different cut; e.g., the cut described as " brisket" in the US is from a significantly different part of the carcass than British "brisket". "Cut" often refers narrowly to

skeletal muscle Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of m ...

(sometimes attached to

bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...

s), but can also include other edible flesh, such as

offal Offal (), also called variety meats, pluck or organ meats, is the organs of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of edible organs, which varies by culture and region, but usually excludes muscle. Offal may also refe ...

(organ meat) or bones without significant muscles attached.

American

The following is a list of the American primal cuts, and cuts derived from them.

Beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...

carcasses are split along the axis of symmetry into "halves", then across into front and back "quarters" (forequarters and hindquarters). Canada uses identical cut names (and numbering) as the U.S, with the exception of the "round" which is called the "hip".

Forequarter

* The chuck is the source of bone-in chuck steaks and roasts (arm or blade), and boneless

clod A clod is a lump of dirt. Clod may also refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Bente Clod (born 1946), Danish poet and writer * Frederick Clod (1625–after 1661), English alchemist and physician Acronym * National Legion of Decency, also known as the C ...

steaks and roasts, most commonly. The trimmings and some whole boneless chucks are ground for ground beef. * The rib contains part of the short ribs, the

prime rib A standing rib roast, also known as prime rib, is a cut of beef from the primal rib, one of the primal cuts of beef. While the entire rib section comprises ribs six through 12, a standing rib roast may contain anywhere from two to seven ribs. ...

and

rib eye The rib eye or ribeye (known as Scotch fillet in Australia and New Zealand) is a boneless rib steak from the rib section. Description Ribeye steaks are mostly composed of the longissimus dorsi muscle but also contain the complexus and sp ...

steaks. * Brisket, primarily used for barbecue,

corned beef Corned beef, or salt beef in some of the Commonwealth of Nations, is salt-cured brisket of beef. The term comes from the treatment of the meat with large-grained rock salt, also called "corns" of salt. Sometimes, sugar and spices are added ...

or pastrami. * The foreshank or shank is used primarily for stews and soups; it is not usually served any other way because it is the toughest of the cuts. * The plate is the other source of short ribs, used for pot roasting, and the outside skirt steak, which is used for

fajita A fajita (; ), in Tex-Mex cuisine, is any stripped grilled meat with stripped peppers and onions usually served on a flour or corn tortilla. The term originally referred to skirt steak, the cut of beef first used in the dish. Popular alternati ...

s. The navel is the ventral part of the plate, and is commonly used to make pastrami. The remainder is usually ground, as it is typically a tough and fatty meat.

Hindquarter

* The loin has two subprimals ** the

short loin Short loin is the American name for a cut of beef that comes from the back of the cattle. It contains part of the spine and includes the top loin and the tenderloin. This cut yields types of steak including porterhouse, strip steak (Kansas Cit ...

, from which the

T-bone The T-bone and porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin (called the sirloin in Commonwealth countries and Ireland). Both steaks include a "T"-shaped lumbar vertebra with sections of abdominal internal oblique muscle on each side ...

and porterhouse steaks are cut if bone-in, or

strip steak The strip steak (sirloin in Britain, Australia, and South Africa) is a cut of beef steaks from the short loin of a cow. It consists of a muscle that does little work, the longissimus, making the meat particularly tender, although not as tend ...

. ** the

sirloin In American butchery, the sirloin steak (called the ''rump steak'' in British butchery) is cut from the sirloin, the subprimal posterior to the short loin where the T-bone, porterhouse, and club steaks are cut. The sirloin is actually di ...

, which is less tender than short loin, but more flavorful, can be further divided into

top sirloin A spinning top, or simply a top, is a toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom, designed to be spun on its vertical axis, balancing on the tip due to the gyroscopic effect. Once set in motion, a top will usually wobble for a f ...

and

bottom sirloin The bottom sirloin steak is a steak cut from the back of the animal below top sirloin A spinning top, or simply a top, is a toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom, designed to be spun on its vertical axis, balancing on the ...

(including tri-tip), and ** the tenderloin, which is the most tender, can be removed as a separate subprimal, and cut into filet mignons, tournedos or tenderloin steaks, and roasts (such as for

beef Wellington Beef Wellington is a steak dish of English origin, made out of fillet steak coated with pâté (often pâté de foie gras) and duxelles, wrapped in puff pastry, then baked. Some recipes include wrapping the coated meat in a crêpe or pa ...

). They can also be cut bone-in to make parts of the

and porterhouse loin steaks. * The round contains lean, moderately tough, lower fat (less marbling) cuts, which require moist or rare cooking. Some representative cuts are round steak, eye of round, top round, and bottom round steaks and roasts. *The flank is used mostly for grinding, except for the long and flat flank steak, best known for use in

London broil London broil, also known as the “Dawson” in parts of the Southern United States, is a beef dish made by broiling marinated beef, then cutting it across the grain into thin strips. Despite its name, the dish and the terminology are North Am ...

, and the inside skirt steak, also used for fajitas. Flank steaks were once one of the most affordable steaks, because they are substantially tougher than the more desirable loin and

rib steak A rib steak (known as côte de boeuf or tomahawk steak in the UK) is a beefsteak sliced from the rib primal of a beef animal, with rib bone attached. In the United States, the term rib eye steak is used for a rib steak with the bone removed; ...

s. Many modern recipes for flank steak use marinades or moist cooking methods, such as braising, to improve the tenderness and flavor. This, combined with a new interest in these cuts' natural leanness, has increased the price of the flank steak.

Argentine

The most important cuts of beef in

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...

cuisine are: ; ''Asado'' : the large section of the rib cage including short ribs and spare ribs ; ''Asado de tira'' : often translated as short ribs, but also sold as long, thin strips of ribs. Chuck ribs, flanken style (cross-cut). ; ''Bife de costilla'' : T-bone or porterhouse steaks ; ''Bife de chorizo'' : strip steak, called NY strip in US ; ''Ojo de bife'' : ribeye steak ; ''Bola de lomo'' : eye of the round ; ''Chinchulín'' : upper portion of small intestines ; ''Colita de cuadril'' : tri-tip, or the tail of the rump roast ; ''Cuadril'' : rump ; ''Entraña'' : skirt steak ; ''Falda'' : navel ; ''Lomo'' : tenderloin ; ''Matambre'' : a long thin cut that lies just under the skin and runs from the lower part of the ribs to belly–or flank area ; ''Mollejas'' : sweetbreads (thymus gland) ; ''Pecho'' : brisket ; ''Riñones'' : kidneys ; ''Tapa de asado'' : rib cap ; ''Tapa de nalga'' : top of round roast ; ''Vacío'' : flank, though it may contain the muscles of other near cuts

Brazilian

The most important cuts of beef in the

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

ian cuisine are: ; ''Acém'' : neck ; ''Alcatra'' : top/bottom sirloin ; ''Contrafilé'' : tenderloin ; ''Coxão duro'' : round (upper) ; ''Coxão mole'' : round (lower) ; ''Filé Mignon'' : part of the tenderloin ; ''Lagarto'' : round (outer) ; ''Maminha'' : bottom sirloin/flank ; ''Patinho'' : confluence of flank, bottom sirloin and rear shank ; ''

Picanha ''Picanha'' is a cut of beef first made popular in Brazil, and later adopted in Portugal. In the United States, the cut is little known and often named top sirloin cap, rump cover, rump cap, or culotte (French). North American butchers generall ...

'' : rump cover or rump cap ; ''Cupim'' : hump (

zebu The zebu (; ''Bos indicus'' or ''Bos taurus indicus''), sometimes known in the plural as indicine cattle or humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of domestic cattle originating in the Indian sub-continent. Zebu are characterised by a fatty h ...

cattle only) ; ''Fraldinha'' : confluence of short loin, flank and bottom sirloin ; ''Paleta'' : chuck/brisket

British, Australian and New Zealand

Tongue The tongue is a muscular organ in the mouth of a typical tetrapod. It manipulates food for mastication and swallowing as part of the digestive process, and is the primary organ of taste. The tongue's upper surface (dorsum) is covered by taste ...

* * * * * * *

Top rump A spinning top, or simply a top, is a toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom, designed to be spun on its vertical axis, balancing on the tip due to the gyroscopic effect. Once set in motion, a top will usually wobble for a few ...

* *

Rib eye steak The rib eye or ribeye (known as Scotch fillet in Australia and New Zealand) is a boneless rib steak from the rib section. Description Ribeye steaks are mostly composed of the longissimus dorsi muscle but also contain the complexus and spina ...

T-bone steak The T-bone and porterhouse are steaks of beef cut from the short loin (called the sirloin in Commonwealth countries and Ireland). Both steaks include a "T"-shaped lumbar vertebra with sections of abdominal internal oblique muscle on each s ...

* * * ( Skirt steak) * * * * Feather blade * Fillet * Oxtail

Colombian

* ''Posta'' (top round) * ''Muchacho'' (heel) * ''Huevo'' de Aldana (bottom round) * ''Entretabla'' * ''Tabla'' (bottom round) * ''Solomo'' or lomo * ''Solomito extranjero'' * ''Solomito Redondo'' (sirloin) * ''Solomito Largo'' (tri-tip) * ''Punta de Anca'' (sirloin tip center)

Dutch

Neck The neck is the part of the body on many vertebrates that connects the head with the torso. The neck supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that carry sensory and motor information from the brain down to the rest of the body. In ...

Rib steak A rib steak (known as côte de boeuf or tomahawk steak in the UK) is a beefsteak sliced from the rib primal of a beef animal, with rib bone attached. In the United States, the term rib eye steak is used for a rib steak with the bone removed; ...

Sirloin In American butchery, the sirloin steak (called the ''rump steak'' in British butchery) is cut from the sirloin, the subprimal posterior to the short loin where the T-bone, porterhouse, and club steaks are cut. The sirloin is actually di ...

* Tenderloin – Considered to be the premium cut, highly prized. It is called 'ossenhaas' in Dutch. It tends to be cut slightly smaller than its American counterpart. *

Top sirloin A spinning top, or simply a top, is a toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom, designed to be spun on its vertical axis, balancing on the tip due to the gyroscopic effect. Once set in motion, a top will usually wobble for a f ...

* Round – Mainly used for ''kogelbiefstuk'' ('

hip joint In vertebrate anatomy, hip (or "coxa"Latin ''coxa'' was used by Celsus in the sense "hip", but by Pliny the Elder in the sense "hip bone" (Diab, p 77) in medical terminology) refers to either an anatomical region or a joint. The hip region is ...

steak') considered to be the basic form of steak in Dutch and Belgian cuisine. * Flank *

Chuck Chuck is a masculine given name or a nickname for Charles or Charlie. It may refer to: People Arts and entertainment * Chuck Alaimo, American saxophonist, leader of the Chuck Alaimo Quartet * Chuck Barris (1929–2017), American TV producer * C ...

– Best cuts are used for stoofvlees, lesser bits are used in

hachee Hachée () is a traditional Dutch stew based on diced meat, fish or poultry, and vegetables. Hachee based on beef, onions, apple butter, breakfast bread and acid (usually vinegar or wine) is a typical example of traditional Dutch cuisine. Clove a ...

. * Brisket * Shankle *

Beef tongue Beef tongue (also known as neat's tongue or ox tongue) is a cut of beef made of the tongue of a cow. It can be boiled, pickled, roasted or braised in sauce. It is found in many national cuisines, and is used for taco fillings in Mexico and for ...

is considered the cheapest piece of beef; it is used in certain styles of sausages such as the

frikandel A frikandel (; plural frikandellen) is a traditional snack originating from the historical Low Countries ( Netherlands, Belgium and north of France), a sort of minced-meat sausage, of which the modern version was developed after World War ...

, though not as the main

ingredient An ingredient is a substance that forms part of a mixture (in a general sense). For example, in cooking, recipes specify which ingredients are used to prepare a specific dish. Many commercial product (business), products contain secret ingredie ...

. * Oxtail, though not on the image shown, is used extensively in

stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables a ...

Finnish

The cuts of beef in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...

are: *''Entrecôte'' ** Etuselkä (chuck and blade) *''Kulmpaisti'' (topside) *''Kylki'' (flank/rib) *''Lapa'' (shoulder) *''Niska'' (chuck) *''Paahtopaisti'' (bottom sirloin) *''Poski'' (cheek) *''Potka'' (shank) *''Rinta'' (brisket) *''Sisäfilee'' (filet/tenderloin) *''Sisäpaisti'' (silverside/bottom round) *''Ulkofilee'' (sirloin) *''Ulkopaisti'' (rump)

French

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

German

# ''Rinderhals, Kamm or Nacken'' ( Chuck steak) # ''Querrippe'' ( Short ribs) # ''Rinderbrust'' ( Brisket) # ''Hochrippe'' or ''Fehlrippe'' ( Standing rib roast) # ''Vorderrippe'' or ''hohes Roastbeef'' # ''Rostbraten or flaches Roastbeef''
5. & 6. together are the ''Roastbeef'' or ''Zwischenrippenstück'' # ''Filet'' ( Fillet) # ''Spannrippe'' or ''Knochendünnung'' # ''Dünnung'' or ''Bauchlappen'' ( flank steak) # ''Falsches Filet, Schulter, Bug'' or ''Schaufel'' (shoulder) # ''Oberschale, Unterschale'' and ''Nuss'' # ''Flanke, Schliem'' or ''Rindfleisch'' # ''Hüfte mit Hüftsteak'' and ''Schwanzstück'' or ''Tafelspitz'' (

)) # ''Hesse'' or ''Wade'' (

Beef shank The beef shank is the leg portion of a steer or heifer. In the UK, the corresponding cuts of beef are the shin (the foreshank), and the leg (the hindshank). Due to the constant use of this muscle by the animal, it tends to be tough, dry, and ...

) # ''Fricandeau'' # ''Schwanz'' or ''Ochsenschwanz'' ( Oxtail)

Croatian

# ''Vratina'' # ''Hrskavi zapećak'' # ''Rebra'' # ''Pržolica (ramstek)'' # ''Hrbat (rozbif)'' # ''Hrbat (rozbif)'' # ''Pisana pečenka (biftek)'' # ''Rebra, mekana (srednja) rebra, potrbušina'' # ''Masna potrbušina, slabina'' # ''Rame (ribica), plećka (lopatica)'' # ''But'' # ''Vrh kuka'' # ''Zdjelica'' # ''Stražnja goljenica''

Italian

; Leg subcutsScheda su
tagli di carne bovina
di Alimentipedia.it : ''Codone'' : ''Scanello'', noce or fesa (

or thick flank) : ''Sottofesa'' or ''fetta di mezzo'' or ''codino'' or ''controfesa'' or ''contronoce'' : ''Fianchetto'' (flank) : ''Rosa, fesa interna, punta d'anca'' (eye of the silverside) : ''Magatello'' or ''girello'' : ''Spinacino'' or ''tasca'' ; Sirloin (''lombata'') subcuts : ''Filetto'' ( beef tenderloin) : ''Controfiletto'' or

roast beef Roast beef is a dish of beef that is roasted, generally served as the main dish of a meal. In the Anglosphere, roast beef is one of the meats often served at Sunday lunch or dinner. Yorkshire pudding is a standard side dish. Sliced roast beef ...

(

) : Veal ''Carré'' ( spare ribs) : ''Costolette'' : ''Nodini'' ; Loin (''schiena'') : ''Costata'' (

) : ''Coste della croce'' ( short ribs) ; Neck : ''Collo'' ( Chuck steak) : ''Reale'' or ''tenerone'' ; Head subcuts : ''Lingua'' (

) : ''Testina'' (flesh from the head of a calf) ; Shoulder subcuts : ''Fesone di spalla'' : ''Fusello'' or girello di spalla : ''Brione'' : ''Cappello del prete'' or ''spalla'' ; Hocks subcuts : anterior and posterior ''Ossibuchi'' : ''Pesce, piccione, campanello, muscolo, gamba'' ; ''Petto'' (chest) subcuts : ''Punta di petto'' ( Brisket) : ''Pancia di vitello, pancetta'' or ''fianchetto'' ; Lower ribs subcuts : ''Biancostato di reale'' or ''spuntatura'' : ''Taglio reale, polpa reale'' (Pony 6 Ribs, Square Cut, Chuck, Middle Rib, Steak Meat) ; ''Pancia'' (belly) subcuts : ''Biancostato di pancia'' : ''Fiocco'' : ''Scalfo'' (armhole)

Korean

; 1. ''Moksim'' () : ''Moksim-sal'' () ; 2. ''Deungsim'' () : ''Arae-deungsim-sal'' () : ''Kkot-deungsim-sal'' () : ''Salchi-sal'' () : ''Wi-deungsim-sal'' () ; 3. ''Chaekkeut'' () : ''Chaekkeut-sal'' () ; 4. ''Udun'' () : ''Hongdukkae-sal'' () : ''Udun-sal'' () ; 5. ''Ansim'' () : ''Ansim-sal'' () ; 6. ''Ap-dari'' () : ''Ap-dari-sal'' () : ''Buchae-deopgae-sal'' () : ''Buchae-sal'' () : ''Galbi-deot-sal'' () : ''Kkuri-sal'' () ; 7. ''

Galbi ''Galbi'' * (), ''galbi-gui'' (), or grilled ribs, is a type of ''gui'' (grilled dish) in Korean cuisine. "''Galbi''" is the Korean word for "rib", and the dish is usually made with beef short ribs. When pork spare ribs or another meat is us ...

'' () : ''Anchang-sal'' () : ''Bon-galbi'' () : ''Cham-galbi'' () : ''Galbi-sal'' () : ''Jebichuri'' () : ''Kkot-galbi'' () : ''Maguri'' () : ''Tosi-sal'' () ; 8. ''Yangji'' () : ''Ap-chima-sal'' () : ''Chadolbagi'' () : ''Chima-sal'' () : ''Chima-yangji'' () : ''Eopjin-an-sal'' () : ''Eopjin-sal'' () : ''Yangji-meori'' () ; 9. ''Seoldo'' () : ''Boseop-sal'' () : ''Dogani-sal'' () : ''Samgak-sal'' () : ''Seolgi-meori-sal'' () : ''Seolgi-sal'' () ; 10 ''Satae'' () : ''Ap-satae'' () : ''Arong-satae'' () : ''Dwi-satae'' () : ''Mungchi-satae'' () : ''Sangbak-sal'' ()

Polish

# ''karkówka'' # ''szponder'' # ''mostek'' # ''rozbratel'' # ''antrykot'' # ''rostbef'' # ''polędwica'' # ''szponder i mostek'' # ''łata'' # ''łopatka'' # ''udziec (zrazowa górna i zrazowa dolna)'' # ''skrzydło'' # ''krzyżowa'' # ''pręga'' # ''ligawa'' # ''ogon''

Portuguese

# Cachaço # Coberta do acém, acém comprido # Pá, peito alto # Maçã do peito # Peito # Chambão # Mão # Lombo # Rosbife, acém redondo, vazia, entrecôte # Prego do peito # Aba grossa # Alcatra # Chã de fora # Rabadilha # Pojadouro

Russian

# Шея/Sheya (neck) # Рёбра/rjobra (ribs) # Челышко/Chelyshko, грудинка/grudinka (brisket) # Толстый край/Tolstyy kray (thick edge), рибай/ribay (rib eye), корейка на кости/koreyka na kosti (loin on the bone) # Тонкий край/Tonkiy kray (thin edge), короткое филе/korotkoye file (short filet) # Оковалок/Okovalok (sirloin) # Вырезка/Vyrezka (tenderloin) # Покромка/Pokromka (shortloin) # Брюшина/Bryushina (peritoneum), фланк/flank # Лопатка/Lopatka (shoulder) # Oguzok (rump), bedro (hip) # Пашина/Pashina (flank) # Кострец/Kostrets (leg) # Голяшка/Golyashka (shank)

Turkish

; ''Gerdan'' : neck,chuck (1) ; ''Antrikot'' : rib steak, ribeye(2) ; ''Kontrfile'' : Steak, striploin(3) ; ''Sokum'' : rump (4) ; ''Bonfile'' : fillet Steak,tenderloin(5) ; ''Tranç'' : the upper left side of nuar, inside round, top round(6) ; ''Nuar'' : round of beef, eye of round (7) ; ''Kontrnuar'' : the lower left side of nuar, flat, gooseneck(with eye of round), (8) ; ''incik'' : front and rear leg (9, 14) ; ''Yumurta'' : sirloin tip, the section between kontrnuar and pençata (10) ; ''Pençata'' : flank (11) ; ''Döş'' : brisket, plate, short ribs(12) ; ''Kürek, kol'' :shoulder, shank (13)

UNECE standard for bovine meat carcasses and cuts

The

UNECE The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE or UNECE) is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It was established in order to promote economic cooperation and ...

standard formalizes internationally agreed upon specifications written in a consistent, detailed and accurate manner using anatomical names to identify cutting lines.

References

External links

Agence canadienne d'inspection des aliments - Boeuf - Manuel de coupes de viandeFrench-German butcher glossary
{{Beef