CUTS OF BEEF DESCRIPTION - Arm Pot Roast to Club Steak
ARM POT ROAST: (Also known as:cross rib
roast/thick rib roast/thick end roast/round bone roast/shoulder roast/round shoulder
roast) The beef arm roast is cut from the chuck primal, and is one of the most popular
pot roasts. The beef arm roast is also known as arm pot roast, round bone pot roast,
chuck bone pot roast, chuck round bone cut and arm chuck roast. A smaller cut of
the beef arm roast is known as an arm steak or a Swiss steak. This choice of beef
is drawn from the muscle of the cow and is generally tough. Because of this, it
is generally better to use moist cooking methods like stewing or braising.
BLADE POT ROAST: (Also known as: chuck
roast/blade cut chuck roast/square cut chuck roast/English cut roast/7 roast/ 7
bone roast/flat bone roast) This large roast contains many small muscles and is
easily identified by the blade bone located in the upper center of this cut. Note
also that rib bones and a portion of the backbone are located along the lower left
portion of the cut. However, these bones may be removed from this large roast before
it is packaged and put in the meat counter at the local supermarket. Cooking Recommendations
Braise or Roast
BONELESS SIRLOIN STEAK: (Also known as:
top loin steak/hip steak/rump steak/top of Iowa steak/top sirloin butt steak/bottom
sirloin butt steak) A boneless beefsteak cut from the top loin muscle of the short
loin. Boneless top loin steaks are tender and flavorful and are best prepared using
grilling, broiling, sautéing, or pan-frying cooking methods.
BOTTOM/OUTSIDE ROUND: (Also known as:silverside/gooseneck/silver
tip/Swiss steak)The beef bottom round is the outside muscle of the upper leg. The
bottom round roast can be used as an oven roast if it is of the best quality, but
it can become very tough and chewy if it is roasted too long. The best results occur
when the meat is pot-roasted, which helps to tenderize the meat.
BRISKET: (Also known as:deckle/boneless
brisket/bone-in brisket/fresh boneless brisket/beef breast/brisket pot roast/barbeque
beef brisket/corned beef) Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest
of beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the nine beef primal cuts. The brisket
muscles include the superficial and deep pectorals. As cattle do not have collar
bones, these muscles support about 60% of the body weight of standing/moving cattle.
This requires a significant amount of connective tissue, so the resulting meat must
be cooked correctly to tenderize the connective tissue. Brisket can be cooked many
ways. Slow and moist cooking methods are common to all. Basting of the meat is often
done during the cooking process. This normally tough cut of meat, due to the collagen
fibers that make up the significant connective tissue in the cut, is tenderized
when the collagen gelatinizes, resulting in more tender brisket, despite the fact
that the cut is usually cooked well beyond what would normally be considered "well
done". The fat cap often left attached to the brisket helps to keep the meat from
over-drying during the prolonged cooking necessary to break down the connective
tissue in the meat. Water is necessary for the conversion of collagen to gelatin.
Popular methods in the Southern United States include rubbing with a spice rub or
marinating the meat, then cooking slowly over indirect heat from charcoal or wood.
This is a form of smoking the meat.
CHUCK/SHORT RIBS: (Also known as: flanken/brust
flanken) Short ribs (UK cut: Thin Rib) (Commonly known in UK as 'Jacob's Ladder'
) are a popular cut of beef. Beef short ribs are larger and usually more tender
and meatier than their pork counterpart, pork spare ribs. Short ribs are cut from
the rib and plate primals and a small corner of the square-cut chuck. A full slab
of short ribs is typically about 10 inches square, ranges from 3-5 inches thick,
and contains three or four ribs, intercostal muscles and tendon, and a layer of
boneless meat and fat which is thick on one end of the slab and thins down to almost
nothing on the other. There are numerous ways to butcher short ribs. The ribs can
be separated and cut into short lengths (typically about 2 inches long), called
an "English cut"; "flanken cut" across the bones (typically about 1/2 inch thick);
or cut into boneless steaks (however, these are not to be confused with "boneless
country-style short ribs," a cut recently introduced in the United States as a cheaper
alternative to rib steak, which are not ribs but cut from the chuck eye roll.
CHUCK TENDER: (Also known as: scotch tender/Jewish
tender/kosher filet/round musclelfish muscle/top eye pot roast/catfish pot roast)
Chuck steak is a cut of beef and is part of the sub prime 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". (This is in reference
to the shape of the bone, which resembles the numeral '7', not to the number of
bones in the cut.) This cut is usually grilled or broiled; a thicker version is
sold as a "7-Bone Roast" or "chuck roast" and is usually cooked with liquid as a
pot roast. The bone-in chuck steak or roast is one of the more economical cuts of
beef. In the United Kingdom, this part is commonly referred to as "braising steak".
It is particularly popular for use as ground beef, due to its richness of flavor
and balance of meat and fat.
CLUB STEAK: (Also known as: sirloin steak/sirloin
strip steak/Delmonico steak/market steak/individual steak) Club steak is a steak
cut from the beef short loin. Club steak is a triangular steak with an L-shaped
bone. The club steak is similar to a T-bone steak, but it's taken from the front
part of the short loin, the part nearest the rib. In contrast to the club steak,
the T-bone steak is taken from the center section of the short loin. The club steak
also differs from the T-bone in that it lacks any of the tenderloin muscle. Because
it is a tender cut of meat, the club steak is suitable for dry-heat cooking methods
such as grilling and broiling.
Back To Beef Diagram |
English Cut - Round |
Sirloin - Tenderloin |
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