CUTS OF BEEF DESCRIPTION - English Cut to Round
ENGLISH CUT: (Also known as: Boston cut/bread
& butter/boneless English cut) An English roast is a cut of beef taken from the
shoulder. It is a cut traditionally roasted for Sunday dinner in England. Beef shoulder
is the same as beef chuck.
FLANK STEAK: (Also known as: London broil/cube
steak/minute steak/flank steak filet/Swiss steak) The flank steak, also known as
bavette, is a beef steak cut from the abdominal muscles of the cow. A relatively
long and flat cut of meat, flank steak is used in a variety of dishes including
London broil and fajitas. It is significantly tougher than the other beef cuts;
therefore, many recipes use moist cooking methods such as braising. Mexico's version
of the flank steak has gained fame throughout Latin America. It originates in the
city of Monterrey and is known as arrachera in Mexican cuisine. It may be tenderized
by using commercial tenderizers, or by mechanical tenderizing, using a method to
create an even cut. A different version of the arrachera is known as entraña, the
difference being that the latter retains a thick layer of the fat surrounding the
muscle, making it a juicier and saltier steak. The French are quite partial to this
cut, known as bavette. It is quickly seared in a hot pan and eaten rare. Bavette
is frequently served in Parisian bistros with shallots - "Bavette a l'échalote".
The cut is also popular in Colombia, where it is known as sobrebarriga, literally
meaning "over the belly". Flank steak is best when it has a bright red color. Because
it comes from a strong, well-exercised part of the cow, it is best prepared when
cut across the grain.
FORE SHANK: (Also known as: shin/fore
shin/shank) The beef shank is the shank (or leg) portion of a steer or heifer. In
Britain the corresponding cuts of beef are the shin (the foreshank), and the leg
(the hindshank). 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.
It is an ideal cut to use for beef bourguignon. As it is very lean, it is widely
used to prepare very low-fat ground beef. Due to its lack of sales, it is not often
seen in shops. Although, if found in retail, it is very cheap and a low-cost ingredient
for beef stock. Beef shank is a common ingredient in soups.
HEEL OF ROUND: (Also known as: pike's
peak/diamond wedge/gooseneck/horseshoe/upper round/lower round/Jew daube/Denver
pot roast) Heel roast, also known as heel of round, isn't a cut of meat that you
often find in the grocery store because it is often reserved after butchering to
make beef stock or for use as stew meat. However, if you can find it, you can braise
it as a pot roast. Heel of round is a very flavorful roast that is tougher than
many of the other beef cuts because of its location: above the heel on the cow.
LOIN STRIP STEAK: (Also known as: top
loin steak/sirloin steak/boneless sirloin steak/New York steak/Kansas City steak/club
steak/Delmonico steak/shell steak/strip steak/boneless top sirloin steak/boneless
hotel steak/boneless hip steak/minute sirloin steak/key strip steak)The strip steak
is a type of cut of beef steaks. Internationally it is called a club steak. In the
United States and Canada it is also known as New York strip, strip loin, shell steak,
or Kansas City strip steak, In Australia it is known as a porterhouse steak or boneless
sirloin. Cut from the short loin, the strip steak consists of a muscle that does
little work, and so it is particularly tender, though not as tender as the nearby
rib eye or tenderloin (fat content of the strip is somewhere between these two cuts).
Unlike the nearby tenderloin, the short loin is a sizable muscle, allowing it to
be cut into the larger portions. When still attached to the bone, and with a piece
of the tenderloin also included, the strip steak becomes a T-bone steak or a Porterhouse
steak, the difference being that the Porterhouse has a larger portion of tenderloin
included. The strip steak can be sold with or without the bone. Strip steaks can
be substituted for most recipes calling for T-bone and porterhouse steaks, and sometimes
for fillet and rib eye steaks.
PORTERHOUSE STEAK: (Also known as: T-bone
steak/large T-bone steak/tenderloin steak/king steak)The Porterhouse is a crosscut
beefsteak containing part of the tenderloin and part of the top loin, which are
separated from each other with a "T" shaped bone. It is similar to a T-bone steak
except that it is thicker and the proportion of the tenderloin to the top loin is
greater. However, this steak is often cut into two different steaks with the largest
portion being served as a New York strip and the smaller piece as a tenderloin.
The flavor and tenderness of the steak is enhanced with grilling, broiling, sautéing,
or pan-frying.
RIB EYE STEAK: (Also known as: market
steak/spencer steak/beauty steak/Delmonico steak/boneless Delmonico steak/center
cut steak/boneless rib steak/club steak/boneless club steak/boneless rib club steak/country
club steak/regular roll steak) The Rib-Eye is cut from the roast that sits at the
top of the rib primal. As a roast is known as a standing rib roast or, more commonly,
Prime Rib (though technically only if it is prime grade beef). The Rib-Eye is a
boneless cut. When the bone is attached it is called a Rib Steak. Because of excellent
marbling in the meat of this cut it is loaded with flavor and remains tender during
cooking.
ROUND: (Also known as: bucket steak/top
round/bottom round/eye of round/full cut round/Swiss steak) A round steak is a steak
from the round primal cut of beef. Specifically, a round steak is the eye (of) round,
bottom round, and top round still connected, with or without the "round" bone (femur),
and may include the knuckle (sirloin tip), depending on how the round is separated
from the loin. This is a lean cut and it is moderately tough. Lack of fat and marbling
makes round dry out when cooked with dry-heat cooking methods like roasting or grilling.
Round steak is commonly prepared with slow moist-heat methods including braising,
to tenderize the meat and maintain moisture. The cut is often sliced thin, then
dried or smoked at low temperature to make jerky.
Back To Beef Diagram |
Arm Pot Roast - Club Steak |
Sirloin - Tenderloin |
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