Beef, Lamb, Veal, and Pork Cuts

Appears in
Professional Cooking

By Wayne Gisslen

Published 2014

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Beef Primal Cuts and Fabricated Cuts

Primal Major Bones Common Fabricated Cuts Primary Cooking Methods
Forequarter      
Chuck (square cut) Ribs 1–5 Shoulder clod Moist heat
  Blade bone Triangle  
  Backbone (including chine and feather bones)

Boneless inside chuck

Chuck tender

 
  Neck bones Chuck short ribs  
  Arm bone Cubed steaks  
    Stew meat  
    Ground chuck  
Brisket Rib bones Boneless brisket and corned beef brisket Moist heat
  Rib cartilage Ground beef  
  Breastbone Stew meat Moist heat
Shank Shankbone Ground beef  
Note: Square-cut chuck, brisket, and shank, in one piece, are called cross-cut chuck.
Rib Ribs 6–12 Rib roasts (prime rib) Dry heat
  Backbone (chine and feather bones) Rib steaks  
    Short ribs Moist heat
Short plate Rib bones Short ribs Moist heat
  Tip of breastbone Stew meat  
  Rib cartilage Ground beef  
Hindquarter      
(Full loin)   Full tenderloin (to have tenderloin in one piece, it must be stripped out of loin before loin is split into short loin and sirloin) Dry heat
Short loin Rib 13 Club steaks Dry heat
  Backbone (chine, feather bones, finger bones; see Note 1) T-bone steaks  
  Porterhouse steaks  
    Strip loin  
    Strip loin steaks  
    Short tenderloin  
Sirloin Backbone Top sirloin butt Dry heat
  Hip bone (part of pelvis) Bottom sirloin butt  
    Butt tenderloin  
Flank Tip of rib 13 Flank steak Moist heat (exception: flank steak cooked as London broil)
    Ground beef  
Round Round (leg) bone Knuckle (sirloin tip) Moist heat and dry heat
  Aitch bone (part of pelvis) Inside (top) round  
  Shankbone Outside (bottom) round  
  Tailbone Eye of round (part of outside round)  
    Rump  
    Hind shank