The most common cuts of beef include: shank, rib, chuck, brisket, short plate, loin, flank, round, and sirloin. Prime beef cuts are more expensive compared to cheap cuts basically because they’re more tender when they’re grilled, and consumers like tender beef. But a smart cook is aware that some of the best beef flavours come from cheap meat cuts like the flank steak. When cooked properly, flank steak is more flavourful than tenderloin, plus it’s a lot cheaper.
Loin Beef Cut: This is from a cow’s back, normally a section of the hindquarter immediately behind the ribs. It is very popular and expensive because it’s the most tender cut of beef. It is best known for the filet mignon, T-bone steak, and porterhouse steak. The loin also contains the shell steak, tenderloin roast, and the KC strip, and best cooked when grilled.
Sirloin Beef Cut: This cuts comes from a cow’s back. Although it’s not as tender as the loin, it’s still a popular cut of meat. It contains the bottom sirloin, top sirloin, center cut sirloin steak, tri-tip steak, ball tip roast, and the filet of sirloin. It’s best cooked through grilling, but could also be pan-fried, sauteed, or broiled.
Chuck Beef Cut: This is also referred to as the seven-bone steak. It’s located near the neck and shoulder of a cow. This yields to some of the more economical beef cuts, like the flat iron steak, chuck arm roast, and chuck roast. This beef cut have a good amount of connective tissue which has collagen and could be a bit tough, but gives excellent flavour. Slow cooking (through braising or with a crock pot) is best for chuck beef cuts.
Round Beef Cut: This is also called Rump. It’s a lean cut of beef with very little fat. It can be found at the back of a cow near the back leg. This cut is tough because a cow’s legs is constantly used. Despite of its toughness, it produces several different and popular beef cuts: bottom round roast or steak, rump roast, sirloin tip center roast or steak, eye of round roast or steak, and top round roast or steak. Round beef cuts are best roasted or braised.
Brisket Beef Cut: This cut comes from the lower part or the breast of a cow. This has many connective tissues and could be a bit tough unless properly cooked. It’s known by two primary cuts of beef: the brisket point cut and the brisket flat cut. It’s a favourite of those who love to BBQ, and is best cooked braised or smoked.
Rib Beef Cut: The rib includes some of the best beef cuts, which are know for their tenderness, juiciness, flavour, and marbling. It includes some of the finest cow cuts, which include short rib, prime rib, rib eye roasts, and rib eye steak. It’s best when grilled or smoked.
Short Plate Beef Cut: This cut is located on the cow’s front bellow, jut below the ribs. This contains many cartilages and is quite tough and fatty. It contains several different beef cuts: skirt steak, hangar steak, and short ribs. It is commonly used to prepare Carne Asada. Because of its toughness, it’s best cooked through braising.
Flank Beef Cut: This is a long flat cut of beef which comes from a cow’s abdominal muscles. This is one of the toughest beef cuts. It’s usually cut into flank steaks or flab steaks, and normally used in Mexican and Asian cuisine as Fajita beef or stir-fry beef. Because it’s very tough, it’s best cooked through braising.
Shank Beef Cut: This cut comes from a cow’s leg. It’s one of the toughest part of a cow because the muscles in the legs are always used, creating a hard, sinewy cut of meat. So this is one of the least popular cuts, however one of the cheapest. It does not provide that many types of meat, just the shank cross cut or the shank. This particular cut is best cooked for a long time in liquid. It’s best for stews, soups, or for making beef stock.
To get the finest, freshest meat available, contact McLoughlin Butchers, expert, reliable wholesale meat suppliers in Perth. Simply follow the given links for more information: www.mcloughlinbutchers.com.au/cow-cuts-2/.
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