Growing up on a beef farm I’m ashamed to admit when it comes to knowing the different cuts of beef I haven’t got a clue. I do know that sirloin is more tender than flank but when it comes to the rest of the cow I generally go on price. If it’s expensive it must be good.

Tough But Tasty

Today we’re going to look at the different cuts of beef - which is essentially a muscle tissue. The more exercised the muscle the tougher the meat is going to be. That’s why chuck, shank and brisket are the toughest cuts, but their high fat content also makes them the most flavourful.

Generally speaking the fat content in all four-legged animals is the highest in the front of the animal and lowest in the rear. Unlike myself where it is definitely the other way around.

These tougher cuts of meat require slow moist cooking methods like braising, boiling or stewing to loosen the connective tissue. Corned beef comes from boiled brisket meat. More tender cuts of meat like the rib, sirloin and loin can be cooked with dry heat methods like grilling, roasting and broiling.

Expensive but Tender

The Rib, Loin and Sirloin are the most delicate cuts of beef. The rib comes from the rib section (Rib Eye refers to boneless, Prime Rib refers to bone-on).

The Loin produces T-bones, porterhouses, striploins (also known as New York Strips) and tenderloins like Filet Mignon, Chateaubriand, Tournedos and Medallions. Tenderloin is more tender but lacks the flavour intensity which is why filet mignon is often served wrapped in bacon.

The Sirloin, considered to be the best steak for value and taste/tenderness balance, depending on how it’s cut, produces the bottom sirloin, tri-tip, and top sirloin grilling steaks.

The hip or round includes the sirloin tip, eye of round, outside round (bottom round) and inside round (top round). It is the leanest part of the whole animal and has more meat without tendons than any other part of the animal. The sirloin tip and and inside round are the finest- textured meat. Due to the lack of fat on this cut braising is not recommended. It should be cooked quickly using a grilling or stir frying method.

Flank and Short Plate - Flank steak and skirt stake (from the plate) are delicious when grilled, but they need to be slowly marinated first and cut against the grain for a softer texture.

Tomorrow we will look at some great marinades and slow cooking recipes to help you get the tastiest bang for your buck or rather biggest bang for your beef.

For more information on cuts of beef, visit The Healthy Butcher (www.thehealthybutcher.com).

Cheers,

Julie

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 at 11:56 am and is filed under Barbeque, Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.