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A Guide To Beef Cuts & Cooking Techniques

The array of names used to describe various cuts of beef is bewildering at times.  Each culture uses different names and techniques for butchering a cow and often times multiple names exist for the same cuts of beef.  Our goal in this article is to cover the basics of how beef is broken down in the United States.  We only include the most common cuts of beef you are likely to encounter at your local grocery store or butcher. 

If you want to read a more detailed write up on the history of beef and read more about the cultural differences in butchering beef, you should check out the great list of beef articles on Wikipedia. 

Butchering

Beef is first divided into primal cuts which are large pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass during the initial phases of the butchering process. Once these primal cuts are separated from the carcass, the primal cuts are further divided into smaller sections from which roasts and steaks are cut. 

Unless you are in the wholesale or restaurant business, you are unlikely to ever encounter a primal cut of beef. However, it is helpful to understand what the primal cuts are and from what part of the carcass they come from because they give you a good clue as to the best way to prepare the beef.

A general rule of thumb is the further the distance from the hoof and the horn, the more tender the cut of beef.  If you think about which part of the animal does the most work, it is easier to understand that the more the muscle works, the tougher the meat.  Cuts of beef derived from the animal's legs and neck muscles are usually the toughest becuase those are the muscles that do most of the work. 

Beef Cut Chart