Advice On Understanding Cuts Of Beef

by JohnG

posted on 10/16/2009

Have you ever gone into the grocery store and wondered what the difference was in the various cuts of beef that are sitting in the display case? After all, they're all from the same cow. Why is one package marked at $5.99 a pound and the one next to it, which seems almost identical, marked at $3.49 a pound? That's a pretty big difference in price. Is the more expensive package really that much better?

In order to understand beef pricing, you have to understand a little bit about the cow and the parts of the cow from where we get our meat.

When a cow is slaughtered and divided into steaks, roasts, hamburger and prime rib, it is first separated into sections called primal cuts. These are distinct parts of the cow, each which has a different character based on its muscle mass and fat content. Each primal cut is then subdivided into smaller packages. These packages are what we see in our supermarket display case.

The eight basic primal cuts of beef are chuck, round, loin, rib, shank, brisket, plate and flank.

The beef we eat is the muscle tissue of a cow. The more developed the muscle, the tougher the meat and usually the cheaper the price. Meat that comes from parts of the cow that has less muscle, such as the loin, have more marbling, or fat. Those parts are the most tender and usually command a premium price.

Tougher cuts of meat should be cooked with long, slow, moist heat, such as stewing, braising, pot-roasting or slow cooking.

The more tender cuts of meat can be easily grilled, broiled, roasted or sautéed.

The most tender cuts come from the loin (or short loin) and include sirloin, porterhouse, T-bone, tenderloin, filet mignon, sirloin tip roast. Other tender cuts include rib roasts and rib steaks.

The tougher cuts of meat come from the chuck, round and flank part of the beef. Although these cuts are heavily muscled, they are also intensely flavorful. Some of the varieties include chuck steak, blade roast, rib-eye steaks, corned beef and London broil. Most hamburger meat is made from the chuck, as is a lot of stew meat.

Less expensive meat that is highly muscled (and therefore very lean) is also very flavorful, but it has to be cooked with slow, low, moist heat. Marinades work as a tenderizer. Less expensive meat usually has less fat, so it is healthier than its marbled and more expensive counterpart is.

The good thing is that all beef can be tasty and tender. You just need to know more about the particular cut of beef you're buying, as well as the best cooking methods

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