Beef and Steak Cuts

Beef and Steak Cuts

American Beef Cuts

Quick reference guide to popular American cuts of beef for steaks and roasts.

American Beef Cuts

Rib

  • Standing Rib Roast (Multiple Rib Steaks)
    • First Cut (Ribs 10-12; see Prime Rib)
    • Second Cut (Ribs 6-9; More Rib Cap)
  • Rib Steaks (Côte de Boeuf)
    • Tomahawk (Long Frenched Bone)
    • Cowboy/Cowgirl (Short Frenched Bone; Cowgirl is Smaller)
    • Bone-in Ribeye (No Frenched Bone)
  • Ribeye Steak (Boneless)
  • Ribeye Filet (Eye of the Ribeye)
  • Ribeye Cap (Spinalis Dorsi Rolled into Medallions)
  • Back Ribs (Leftover Bones from Boneless Rib Roast/Ribeye)

Loin (Mid Back)

Strip Loin + Tenderloin
  • Short Loin
    • Strip Loin
      • New York Strip (Boneless)
      • Kansas City Strip/Shell Steak (Bone-in)
    • Strip Loin + Tenderloin (Separated by Bone) (Separated by Bone)
      • Porterhouse (Strip + Filet ≥ 1.25 in)
      • T-Bone (Strip + Filet 0.5–1.24 in)
  • Tenderloin
    • Filet Mignon (Smaller Front End, Known as the “Tail”)
    • Chateaubriand (3 in Long Center Cut)

Sirloin (Lower Back)

  • Top Sirloin
    • Picanha/Coulotte (Top Sirloin Cap; Rump Cap in the U.K.)
    • Sirloin/Top Sirloin Steak (Top Sirloin Butt)
  • Bottom Sirloin
    • Tri-Tip/Newport
    • Flap Steak/Bavette
    • Ball Tip

Plate (Abdomen)

  • Hanger (Crura of the Diaphragm)
  • Skirt
    • Outside Skirt (Harami in Japanese)
    • Dino Ribs (Plate Short Ribs)
  • Beef Belly/Navel/Toro (Used for Beef Bacon)

Chuck (Shoulder)

  • Boneless “Short Ribs” (Chuck Flap/Flat)
  • Denver/Zabuton Steak (Chuck Under Blade)
  • Flatiron Steak (Chuck Top Blade)
  • Bistro Steak/Shoulder Tender (Teres Major)
  • Chuck Steak/7-Bone Steak (Cross Cut of the Shoulder Blade)

Brisket (Chest)

  • First/Flat Cut (Leaner)
  • Second/Point Cut (Fattier)

Multiple (Chuck/Rib/Plate)

  • Short Ribs*
    • Flanken Cut (Cut Across the Bone)
      • Asado de Tira (Thick Sliced; 0.5–2 in Thick)
      • Asado de Tira Entera (Rack of 11–13 Ribs)
      • LA Galbi (Thinly Sliced)
    • English Cut (Cut Parallel to the Bone)
      • Wang Galbi (Butterflied)

Flank (Flank/Belly)

  • Flank Steak

Round (Rear)

  • Oyster/Spider Steak
  • Top Round (Used for Roast Beef)

Shank (Leg)

  • Marrow Bone

Offal

  • Tripe
    • First Stomach (Rumen) (Flat/Smooth Blanket Tripe)
    • Second Stomach (Reticulum) (Honeycomb/Pocket Tripe)
    • Third Stomach (Omasum) (Book/Leaf Tripe)
    • Fourth Stomach (Abomasum) (Reed Tripe/Maw)
  • Oxtail (Tail)
   

Nominal Cuts:

Côte de Boeuf is a French term that refers to a rib steak, whereas the term entrecôte, which literally means “between the ribs,” is now a blanket term for a boneless steak from the primal rib.

Delmonico Steak is traditionally any thick, premium cut of beef that's cut from the rib or short loin, often the 13th rib. In the mid 19th century, Delmonico's would serve whatever the butcher thought was best that night as its “Delmonico” steak. According to the current Delmonico’s Restaurant, it is a boneless ribeye (IMPS 1112/1112A). Unfortunately, some butchers today try to pass off rolled chuck eye steaks (IMPS 116D/A) as Delmonico steaks.

London Broil is an American cheaper cut of marinated and grilled beef, typically flank steak, top round, or top sirloin cap.

Prime Rib is a dish made by roasting meat from the primal rib, most commonly in the form of a standing rib roast. The notion of first cut primacy is outdated. In the past, slaughterhouses used to leave a lot more of the short rib meat on the prime rib (what is today IMPS 107, or a “107 Rib”), increasing the diameter of the prime rib at the loin end and reducing the percentage of ribeye meat to around 60%. Due to the rise in popularity of boneless short ribs, this extra meat, along with undesirable bone, fat, and cartilage, is now removed (to form what is known as IMPS 109, or a “109 Rib,” which is served in restaurants today as prime rib). Both of these cuts are often divided into loin (“first cut”) and chuck (“second cut”) ends. The loin end, towards the chest, has fewer chunks of fat, longer ribs, and greater spacing between ribs, whereas the chuck end, towards the neck, has a greater percentage of the marbled and flavorful rib cap (spinalis dorsi). The loin end is thus preferred for appearance and the chuck end preferred for flavor (assuming it’s being cut from a 109/109E rib and not a 107 rib, which contains the undesirable elements that originally drove people to seek out the cleaner “first cut”). Additionally, the name “prime rib” is not associated with the cut’s USDA Grade, and thus select or choice prime rib is also available.

 

Popular International Breed Specific Cuts:

Bistecca alla Fiorentina is a very thick and lean Porterhouse steak (~3 inches thick) from of a young Chianina cow (from Tuscany) that weighs at least ~3 lbs, is dry aged for at least 2 weeks, and is seasoned only with salt and extra virgin olive oil, cooked over charcoal, and served rare. Despite its leanness, Chianina meat remains exceptionally tender when served rare, so bistecca alla Fiorentina is exclusively served rare or “blue” (~50°C/122°F), as cooking beyond this would make the steak tougher and less flavorful.

Txuleton, or Chuletón, is a very thick rib steak (2–4 inches thick), characterized by its distinctive yellow fat, from an 8–18 year old Rubia Gallega cow (from Galicia in northwest Spain) that is dry aged, cooked over charcoal, and served rare. Due to the cow's age and the high amount of beta-carotene-rich fat with a relatively low melting point, cooking beyond rare would cause the fat to contract and over-render, making the steak tough.

Wagyu refers to beef from four Japanese breeds of cattle, primarily Japanese Black (Kuroge Washu), which is renowned for its exceptional intramuscular fat content (i.e. marbling or “sashi”). Unlike American beef fat that melts at 104–122°F, Japanese wagyu fat has a vastly lower melting point between 59–77°F. Due to this and its delicate texture, wagyu is not cooked beyond medium rare and is best enjoyed in small pieces that are quickly seared. For more, see Wagyu.

 

*Note on Short Ribs: Among Americans, there is a pervasive misconception that short ribs must always be slow-cooked, braised, or thinly sliced. However, short ribs, which are incredibly well-marbled and extremely flavorful, are in fact best grilled—as exemplified in the national dishes of Argentina, Uruguay, and South Korea. In Argentina and Uruguay, thick flanken cut ribs (0.5–2 inches thick), known as Asado de Tira, are grilled over a wood fire and eaten as incredibly flavorful and tender steaks. In South Korea, Wang Galbi are marinated English cut short ribs that are butterflied and grilled, whereas LA Galbi are thinly sliced flanken cut short ribs. Accordingly, short ribs are considered one of the finest cuts for grilling, perhaps second only to rib cap.

 

Cut Reference: USDA Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications

Grade Reference: USDA Beef Grades

 

Updated on December 4, 2024.