In the Kitchen
MEAT
Cuts
- CHUCK
- NECK
- BRISKET
- FORE SHANK
- FRONT MUSCLE
- ROUND SHOULDER
- CHUCK POT ROAST
- FLANKEN STYLE RIBS
- RIBEYE STEAK
- BONELESS LOIN
- FILLET
- BACK RIBS
- PLATE
- RUMP
- TIP STEAK
- BOTTOM ROUND ROAST
- EYE ROUND STEAK
- ROUND STEAK
- HOCK
- OSSO BUCO (SLICED SHANK)
- TOPSIDE
1 CHUCK
This cut lies just behind the neck and above the fore shank. It may be connected to the breast and the ribs. Anatomically, it is attached to the ribs. The upper section is lean, while the lower part is marbled. The flavour is rich and balanced.
Chuck can be used to make an excellent bollito; deboned, it is the perfect meat for boiling, and can be minced or cut into delicious slices. In the USA it is known as chuck roll: a cut with plenty of connective tissue, flavourful and balanced, to be cooked on the grill.
2 NECK
This trapezium-shaped cut is attached to the first seven cervical vertebrae. It is a robust cut with a lot of connective tissue, since the muscle is used frequently for movement.
The meat is perfect for mincing or for long, slow cooking in stews and casseroles.
3 BRISKET
This cut is from the front of the animal, near the chuck and the fore shank. It consists of two sections: the brisket at the back, and the tip steak at the front. The brisket is characterised by a lean muscular part and a fairly fatty part. It is used to make beef stock and mince, and can also be boiled and braised. In the USA, brisket is slow-cooked on a barbecue and then eaten as it is or used as a sandwich filling.
4 FORE SHANK
This cut from the forequarter of the animal is irregular in shape and consists of two muscles, one tough and one tender, rich in connective tissue. It contains a fair amount of fat and is extremely tasty, ideal for long cooking in stews and casseroles; it can also be minced.
5 FRONT MUSCLE
This cut corresponds to the lower part of the front leg. It is attached to the radius and the ulna. When cut crosswise, the result is osso buco. This is not a particularly noble cut, but it contains a lot of bone and connective tissue that makes it ideal for braising, during which the tissue breaks down and becomes gelatinous. The centre of the bone is filled with marrow, which enhances the flavour of the meat.
6 ROUND SHOULDER
This cut comes from the shoulder muscles and is located below the short ribs. The shape resembles a flattened cone.
It is a lean cut with a good amount of connective tissue; the muscle fibres are rather coarse, and therefore suitable for long cooking in stews or casseroles.
7 CHUCK POT ROAST
This shoulder cut comes from the external surface of the scapula, and lies next to the round steak, the short rib and the shank. It is bisected lengthwise by a thick vein of connective tissue, and is therefore also known in Italian as arrosto della vena, or “vein roast”.
It is suitable for roasting or for stews and casseroles.
In the USA, this cut is used to make delicious steaks known as top blade steak if cut across the grain, or flat iron steak if trimmed from the connective tissue to make broad, thin slices.
8 FLANKEN STYLE RIBS
This cut is triangular in shape and comes from the joint between the scapula and the humerus. It is a medium-tender lean cut suitable for either fast or slow cooking. Chuck tender can be sliced or roasted. Its great flavour and slight marbling make it perfect for hand-chopped beef tartare.
9 RIBEYE STEAK
This cut is the rear section of the loin and lies next to the six lumbar vertebrae that give the Fiorentina and T-bone steak. The Fiorentina is the queen of steaks for the grill and barbecue. The loin is a muscle used for support rather than movement, making the meat particularly tender.
10 BONELESS LOIN
This is the front section of the loin, corresponding to the last eight ribs, and attached to the dorsal vertebrae. This cut is commonly called T-bone and, when boned, makes extremely flavourful marbled steaks known as ribeye.
The T-bone is perfect cooked on the grill or barbecue. The loin is a muscle used for support rather than movement, making the meat particularly tender. The front section has more marbling and a fatty outer layer which releases even more flavour during cooking.
11 FILLET
The fillet comes from the lumbo-sacral area of the animal, the rear part of the loin; it consists of a rear section (butt), next to the rump, a mid-section (centre) near the lumbar vertebrae, and a front section (tail) adjoining the dorsal vertebrae.
The fillet is a small cut, fairly fatty and with no connective tissue. It is ideal for cooking on the grill, but also makes wonderful hand-chopped tartare.
12 BACK RIBS
This is the intercostal muscle found between the breast, the back and the upper belly. It also includes the dorsal muscles. This cut is high in fat and cartilage, and therefore perfect for long, slow cooking, braising or stewing. Back ribs are one of the key ingredients in Piedmontese bollito misto.
13 PLATE
This is the largest cut of the forequarter, and includes the abdominal area and part of the ribs. The plate is generally used for bollito and stews, but it is also minced to make succulent burgers, as it contains a fair amount of fat.
In the USA it makes very tasty steaks: flank steak, with a rich, ferrous flavour, and flap steak, very tender and with more intense flavour.
14 RUMP
This cut links the thigh and the lumbar area, and is located on the back of the animal at the end of the loin. It is also known as sirloin, because it sits behind the fillet, or tenderloin. This is a lean cut, like all the other leg cuts. The rump can be used for steaks, grilled and served rare; roasted or hand-chopped for tartare. Rump is one of the most popular cuts for tagliata of beef.
15 TIP STEAK
Obtained from the bottom round, this is a triangular-shaped lateral tensor muscle that lies between the round and the rump. The grain of the muscle is particularly coarse, so it is less tender than the round; and it tends to be lean, making it suitable for long, slow cooking, roasting or fillings. It can also be grilled, with care. Known in the barbecue world as tri-tip, it has an intense flavour and contains a moderate amount of connective tissue.
16 BOTTOM ROUND ROAST
The bottom round is attached to the femur, and lies next to the rump, topside, eye of round and flank. It is roundish in shape, tender and extremely lean; ideal for steaks cooked rare, grills or roasts, and hand-chopped tartare.
17 EYE ROUND STEAK
This cut is from the lateral rear rib area, next to the bottom round; it connects the pelvis to the tibia. The eye of round is one of the largest and longest cuts of the hindquarter, and is rectangular in shape. The main muscle is the femoral biceps, known for its toughness. This cut is lean, succulent and low in connective tissue, making it great for slicing, rapid cooking and roasts.
18 ROUND STEAK
This cut is located at the back of the leg, next to the topside and the eye of round. It is truncated conical in shape and has fine muscle fibres. This extremely lean cut is ideal for hand-chopped tartares, quick cooking and roasts. It is the favourite cut for vitello tonnato.
19 HOCK
This cut is found behind the tibia at the top of the leg, and corresponds to the animal’s calf muscle. The fibres are particularly fine and, due to its anatomical position, the meat is very tender. This is a lean cut, with plenty of connective tissue that turns gelatinous with long cooking. It is great in bollito, stews and casseroles.
20 OSSO BUCO (SLICED SHANK)
This is the shin of the animal (without the calf muscle, or hock), consisting of a cross-section of the tibia and fibula. It is not a particularly noble cut, but the large amount of connective tissue makes it ideal for braising, as this allows the cartilage to turn gelatinous. The centre of the bone is filled with marrow, which enhances the flavour of the meat.
21 TOPSIDE
This cut is from the inner part of the leg, and is attached to the ischio-pubic symphysis. It is roughly triangular in shape. The muscle fibres are long and thin, making the meat particularly tender.
Topside is an extremely lean cut, and therefore ideal for thin slices cooked rare or hand-cut tartare.
| KCAL | PROTEIN (g) | FAT (g) | WHICH SATURATED (g) | |
Forequarter cuts of beef | 145 | 20,5 | 7 | 2,2 |
Hindquarter cuts of beef | 117 | 21,5 | 3,4 | 1,14 |
Fat content in cuts of beef. INRAN (National Research Institute on Food and Nutrition) food composition tables
