A
primal cut is a piece of meat initially separated from the carcass during
butcherA butcher is someone who prepares various cuts of meat and other related goods for sale. Many butchers sell their goods in specialized stores, although in the Western world today most meat is sold through supermarkets.-Duties:...
ing. Different countries and cultures make these cuts in different ways, and primal cuts also differ between type of carcass. The
BritishGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
,
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
primal cuts all differ in some respects. A notable example is
fatbackFatback is a cut of meat from a pig. It consists of the layer of adipose tissue under the skin of the back, with or without the skin . Fatback often is rendered to make a high quality lard, and is one source of salt pork. Fatback is also an important element of traditional charcuterie. In...
, which in Europe is an important primal cut of pork, but in North America is regarded as trimmings to be used in sausage or rendered into lard.
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A
primal cut is a piece of meat initially separated from the carcass during
butcherA butcher is someone who prepares various cuts of meat and other related goods for sale. Many butchers sell their goods in specialized stores, although in the Western world today most meat is sold through supermarkets.-Duties:...
ing. Different countries and cultures make these cuts in different ways, and primal cuts also differ between type of carcass. The
BritishGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
,
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
primal cuts all differ in some respects. A notable example is
fatbackFatback is a cut of meat from a pig. It consists of the layer of adipose tissue under the skin of the back, with or without the skin . Fatback often is rendered to make a high quality lard, and is one source of salt pork. Fatback is also an important element of traditional charcuterie. In...
, which in Europe is an important primal cut of pork, but in North America is regarded as trimmings to be used in sausage or rendered into lard. The primal cuts may be sold complete or cut further.
- Primal cuts of beef
- Primal cuts of lamb and mutton
- Primal cuts of pork
American Primal cuts
The following is a list of the American primal cuts, ordered front to back, then top to bottom. The short loin and the sirloin are sometimes considered as one section.
Upper Half
- Chuck
Chuck steak is a cut of beef and is part of the Sub-primal cut known as the chuck. The typical chuck steak is a rectangular cut, about 1" thick and containing parts of the shoulder bones, and is often known as a "7-bone steak"...
— one of the most common sources for hamburgerA hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat, usually beef, placed in an open bun or between two slices of bread...
s.
- Rib
A standing rib roast is a cut of beef from the rib section, which is one of the eight primal cuts of beef. The entire rib section comprises ribs six through twelve of the animal; a standing rib roast can comprise anywhere from two to seven ribs...
— Short ribsShort ribs are a popular cut of beef. Beef short ribs are larger and usually more tender and meatier than their pork counterpart, pork spare ribs...
, rib eye steak.
- Short Loin
Short loin is a cut of beef that comes from the back of the steer or heifer. The short loin contains part of the spine and includes the top loin and the tenderloin. This cut yields types of steak like porterhouse, strip steak , and t-bone...
— from which porterhouse steaks are cut.
- Sirloin — less tender than short loin, but more flavorful.
- Tenderloin
Beef tenderloin, or eye fillet , is cut from the loin of beef. As with all quadrupeds, the tenderloin refers to the Psoas major muscle anterior to the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae, near the kidneys. This muscle does very little work, so it is the most tender part of the beef. The...
— the most tender, from which filet mignonFilet mignon is a steak cut of beef taken from the tenderloin, or psoas major of the steer or heifer....
is severed.
- Top sirloin
Top sirloin is a cut of meat from the loin of a steer or heifer. Top sirloin steaks differ from sirloin steaks in that the bone and the tenderloin have been removed. Some American butchers call a thick top sirloin steak a chateaubriand, although the French reserve that term for a much better cut...
- Round
A round steak is a steak from the round section of a steer or heifer, known as a rump steak in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand or rump roast in the United States and Canada. Specifically, a round steak is the eye round, bottom round, and top round still connected together. This is a...
— lean cut, moderately tough. Lack of fat and marbling does not allow round steak to tenderize quickly
Lower Half
- Brisket
Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest. While all meat animals have a brisket, the term is most often used to describe beef and sometimes veal. The beef brisket is one of the eight beef primal cuts...
— often associated with barbecue beef brisket.
- Shank
The beef shank is the shank portion of a steer or heifer.Due to the constant use of this muscle by the animal it tends to be tough, dry, and sinewy, so is best when cooked for a long time in moist heat. As it is very lean, it is widely used to prepare very low-fat ground beef. Due to its lack of...
— used primarily for stews and soups, but is not usually served another way, due to it being the toughest of the cuts.
- Plate
The plate cut is from the front belly of the cow, just below the rib cut. The short plate produces types of steak such as the skirt steak and the hanger steak. It is typically a cheap, tough and fatty meat....
— produces types of steak such as the skirt steakThe skirt steak is a cut of beef steak from the plate primal cut. It is a long, flat cut that is flavorful, but tougher than most other steak cuts. As a result, skirt steak is often marinated.-Use:...
and hanger steakA hanger steak is a cut of beef steak which is said to "hang" from the diaphragm of the steer. The hanger is...
. It is typically a cheap, tough, and fatty meat.
- Flank
The flank steak or bavette is a beef steak cut from the abdominal muscles of the cow. Long and flat, the steak's best known application is the fajitas, in which either skirt steak or flank steak can be used as filling in flour tortillas. The popularity of Mexican cuisine has driven up the price...
— Long and flat, the flank steak's best known application is London BroilLondon broil is a North American beef-based food dish usually made by broiling or grilling marinated flank or round steak and then cutting it against the grain into thin strips. The origin of the name is obscure; the food is unknown in London, England....
. One of the most affordable steaks on the market, it is substantially tougher than the loin and rib steaks, therefore many flank recipes use marinades or moist cooking methods such as braising.
- Hoof
A hoof is the tip of a toe of an ungulate mammal, strengthened by a thick horny covering. The hoof consists of a hard or rubbery sole, and a hard wall formed by a thick nail rolled around the tip of the toe. The weight of the animal is normally borne by both the sole and the edge of the hoof wall....
- The lower leg, not much meat but great for soups and stocks
British Primal cuts
- Neck & Clod
- Chuck & Blade
- Rib
- Sirloin
- Rump
- Silverside
Silverside is a cut of beef from the hindquarter of cattle, just above the leg cut. It gets its name because of the "silverwall" on the side of the cut. This is a long fibrous "skin" of connective tissue, which has to be removed for it is too tough to eat. The primary muscle is the biceps...
- Topside
- Thick Rib
- Thin Rib
- Brisket
Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest. While all meat animals have a brisket, the term is most often used to describe beef and sometimes veal. The beef brisket is one of the eight beef primal cuts...
- Shin
- Flank
- Thick Flank
- Leg
Pork
- Head - This can be used to make brawn, stocks and soups. After boiling the ears can be fried or baked and eaten separately.
- Spare Rib Roast/Spare Rib Joint/Blade Shoulder/Shoulder Butt - This is the shoulder and contains the shoulder blade. It can be boned out and rolled up as a roasting joint, or cured as "collar bacon". Not to be confused with the rack of spare ribs from the front belly. Pork butt, despite its name, is from the upper part of the shoulder. Boston Butt
Boston butt is a cut of pork that comes from the upper part of the shoulder from the front leg and may contain the blade bone. Smoked or barbecued Boston butt is a southern tradition...
, or Boston-Style Shoulder, cut comes from this area, and may contain the shoulder blade.
- Hand/Arm Shoulder/Arm Picnic - This can be cured on the bone
Meat on the bone or, more rarely, bone-in meat is meat that is sold with some or all of the bones included in the cut or portion, i.e. meat that has not been filleted. The phrase "on the bone" can also be applied to specific types of meat, most commonly ham on the bone, and to fish...
to make a ham, or used in sausages.
- Loin - This can be cured to give back bacon
Back bacon is bacon prepared from centre-cut boneless pork loin. The name refers to the cut of meat, which is from the back, and distinguishes it from other bacon made from pork belly or other cuts. Like other bacon, back bacon is brined, cured, boiled, or smoked...
(Canadian-style bacon). The loin and belly can be cured together to give a side of bacon. The loin can also be divided up into roasts (blade loin roasts, center loin roasts, and sirloin roasts come from the front, center, or rear of the loin), back ribs (also called baby back ribs, or riblets), pork cutlets, and pork chopA pork chop is a cut of meat cut perpendicularly to the spine of the pig and usually containing a rib or part of a vertebra, served as an individual portion.-Variations:...
s. A pork loin crown roast is arranged into a circle, either boneless or with rib bones protruding upward as points in a crown. Pork tenderloin, removed from the loin, should be practically free of fat.
- Fatback
Fatback is a cut of meat from a pig. It consists of the layer of adipose tissue under the skin of the back, with or without the skin . Fatback often is rendered to make a high quality lard, and is one source of salt pork. Fatback is also an important element of traditional charcuterie. In...
- The subcutaneous fatSubcutaneous fat is found just beneath the skin as opposed to visceral fat which is found in the peritoneal cavity. Subcutaneous fat can be measured using body fat calipers giving a rough estimate of total body adiposity...
and skin on the back are used to make pork rindPork rind is the fried skin of a pig. Salted and fried until crispy, this may be either eaten warm with a meal, or served at room temperature as a snack. Frying melts most of the fat from the pork rind...
s, a variety of cured "meats", lardonA lardon is a small strip or cube of pork fat used in cooking to flavor foods. Lardons are used for larding in French cuisine, and in many cuisines to flavor a wide variety of savory dishes....
s, and lardLard is pig fat in both its rendered and unrendered forms. Lard was commonly used in many cuisines as a cooking fat or shortening, or as a spread similar to butter. Its use in contemporary cuisine has diminished because of health concerns posed by its saturated-fat content and its often negative...
.
- Belly/Side/Side Pork - The belly, although a fattier meat, can be used for steaks or diced stir-fry meat. Belly pork may be rolled for roasting or cut for streaky bacon.
- Legs/Hams - Although any cut of pork can be ham cured, technically speaking only the back leg is entitled to be called a ham. Legs and shoulders, when used fresh, are usually cut bone-in for roasting
Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting usually causes caramelization or Maillard browning of the surface of the food, which is considered a flavour enhancement. Meats and most root and bulb vegetables can be roasted...
, or leg steaks can be cut from the bone. Three common cuts of the leg include the rump (upper portion), center, and shank (lower portion).
- Trotters - Both the front and hind trotters can be cooked and eaten, as can the tail.
- Spare ribs
Pork ribs are a type of food dish popular in North America and Asian cuisine. Pork and bones from a pig's ribcage are cooked by smoking, grilling, or baking – usually with a sauce, often barbecue – and then served.-Cuts of pork ribs:...
, or spareribs, are taken from the pig's ribIn vertebrate anatomy, ribs are the long curved bones which form the ribcage. In most vertebrates, ribs surround the chest they enable lungs to expand by expanding the chest, they also protect the lungs, heart, and other internal organs of the thorax...
s and the meat surrounding the bones. St. Louis-style spareribs have the sternum, cartilage, and skirt meat removed.
British
The traditional
BritishGreat Britain is an island lying to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island. With a population of about 59.6 million people, it is the third most populated island on Earth. Great Britain is surrounded by over 1000 smaller...
cuts of Lamb:
- Scrag end
Scrag end is the name of a cut of lamb and mutton, common in the United Kingdom. It is a primal cut, thus is separated from the carcass during butchering. It is one of the cheaper cuts of meat, and can be used in soups and stews....
(of Neck)
- Middle neck
- Best end (of neck)
- Loin
The loin are the sides between the lower ribs and pelvis, and the lower part of the back. It is often used when describing the anatomy of humans and quadrupeds . The anatomical reference also carries over into the description of cuts of meat from some such animals, eg...
- Chump (and chump chops)
- Leg
- Shoulder
- Breast