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A primal cut is a piece of meat initially separated from the carcass during butchering. Different countries and cultures make these cuts in different ways, and primal cuts also differ between type of carcass. The British, American and French primal cuts all differ in some respects. A notable example is fatback, which in Europe is an important primal cut of pork, but in North America is regarded as trimmings to be used in sausage or rendered into lard. The primal cuts may be sold complete or cut further.
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Beef
American Primal cuts
The following is a list of the American primal cuts,[citation needed] ordered front to back, then top to bottom. The short loin and the sirloin are sometimes considered as one section.
Upper Half
- Chuck — one of the most common sources for hamburgers.
- Rib — Short ribs, rib eye steak.
- Short Loin — from which porterhouse steaks are cut.
- Sirloin — less tender than short loin, but more flavorful.
- Tenderloin — the most tender, from which filet mignon is severed.
- Top sirloin
- Round — lean cut, moderately tough. Lack of fat and marbling does not allow round steak to tenderize quickly
Lower Half
- Brisket — often associated with barbecue beef brisket.
- Shank — used primarily for stews and soups, but is not usually served another way, due to it being the toughest of the cuts.
- Plate — produces types of steak such as the skirt steak and hanger steak. It is typically a cheap, tough, and fatty meat.
- Flank — Long and flat, the flank steak's best known application is London Broil. One of the most affordable steaks on the market, it is substantially tougher than the loin and rib steaks, therefore many flank recipes use marinades or moist cooking methods such as braising.
- Hoof - The lower leg, not much meat but great for soups and stocks
British Primal cuts
- Neck & Clod
- Chuck & Blade
- Rib
- Sirloin
- Rump
- Silverside
- Topside
- Thick Rib
- Thin Rib
- Brisket
- Shin
- Flank
- Thick Flank
- Leg
Pork
British cuts of pork.
American cuts of pork.
- Head - This can be used to make brawn, stocks and soups. After boiling the ears can be fried or baked and eaten separately.
- Spare Rib Roast/Spare Rib Joint/Blade Shoulder/Shoulder Butt[1] - This is the shoulder and contains the shoulder blade. It can be boned out and rolled up as a roasting joint, or cured as "collar bacon". Not to be confused with the rack of spare ribs from the front belly. Pork butt, despite its name, is from the upper part of the shoulder. Boston Butt, or Boston-Style Shoulder, cut comes from this area, and may contain the shoulder blade.
- Hand/Arm Shoulder/Arm Picnic[1] - This can be cured on the bone to make a ham, or used in sausages.
- Loin - This can be cured to give back bacon (Canadian-style bacon). The loin and belly can be cured together to give a side of bacon. The loin can also be divided up into roasts (blade loin roasts, center loin roasts, and sirloin roasts come from the front, center, or rear of the loin), back ribs (also called baby back ribs, or riblets), pork cutlets, and pork chops. A pork loin crown roast is arranged into a circle, either boneless or with rib bones protruding upward as points in a crown. Pork tenderloin, removed from the loin, should be practically free of fat.
- Fatback - The subcutaneous fat and skin on the back are used to make pork rinds, a variety of cured "meats", lardons, and lard.
- Belly/Side/Side Pork - The belly, although a fattier meat, can be used for steaks or diced stir-fry meat. Belly pork may be rolled for roasting or cut for streaky bacon.
- Legs/Hams - Although any cut of pork can be ham cured, technically speaking only the back leg is entitled to be called a ham. Legs and shoulders, when used fresh, are usually cut bone-in for roasting, or leg steaks can be cut from the bone. Three common cuts of the leg include the rump (upper portion), center, and shank (lower portion).
- Trotters - Both the front and hind trotters can be cooked and eaten, as can the tail.[2]
- Spare ribs, or spareribs, are taken from the pig's ribs and the meat surrounding the bones. St. Louis-style spareribs have the sternum, cartilage, and skirt meat removed.
Lamb
British
The traditional British cuts of Lamb[3]:
See also
References
- ^ a b Cattleman's Beef Board & National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Uniform Retail Meat Identity Standards. Retrieved July 11, 2007.
- ^ Hugh Fearnley Wittingstall. "The River cottage cookbook". Harper Collins.
- ^ Larousse Gastronomique(2001), ISBN 0-600-60235-4
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