What are the Different Types of Cuts and Which Cut is Appropriate for Steak?

You can get as many as 60 different types of beef products in the grocery shop which may often be confusing while determining the cuts. In fact, there are 8 types of primary cuts as per the USDA which divides the cow into 8 regions. The primary cuts are also known as main cuts. The butchers further cut the primary cuts in sub-primal cuts which are larger than the steak, roast or other single cuts. The sub-primal cuts are then cut into an individual size which you see in the butcher case. Finally, the last cut is the portion cut which we eat. However, the most expensive cuts are the centre cuts comprising the loin or the rib section which is used for steak and eventually this is the basic reason why steak is comparatively expensive. Get the best and delicious steak from Rib N Reef steakhouse.

The reason behind using the centre cuts comprising the loin or the rib for the steak is because the beef gets most soft and tender as the distance from hoof and horn increases. The centre comprising the loin or rib is the portion which is far from the horn and hoof and so they are the softest and tender part in comparison to other portion of beef. Secondly, other portions like legs and neck muscles do a lot of work resulting in the formation of strong and firm tissues. On the other hand, the ribs and loins do not work as much the legs and neck do. Therefore, the best and expensive portion in terms of tenderness of the beef is the loin and ribs which are used for steak.

The 8 types of primary cuts are chuck, rib, loin, round, flank, short plate, brisket, and shank. The chuck meat comes from the shoulder portion of the cow. Since the shoulder does a lot of work, eventually the shoulder forms a touch cut but a flavourful cut. There are different kinds of chuck cuts like ground chuck or hamburger, chuck short ribs, flat-iron steak, shoulder tender medallion, chuck post-roast, boneless chuck short ribs, blade roast, stew meat, top blade steak, country-style rib etc.

The brisket is the steer’s breast portion and normally touch and has a substantial amount of fat. But when it is tenderised the brisket tastes most flavorous and delicious, and that is the reason the brisket is most preferred for corned beef, smoked beef and pastrami.