The Top Cuts of Beef

The best most tender cuts of beef come from the muscles of the cow animal that move the least. The top cuts of meat beef come from areas like the rib, the short loin, the sirloin, the short plate and the flank. Those muscles don’t get used as much as the shank, the round, the chuck or the brisket.

Beef lends itself well to a wide variety of All the meat from the cow can be made into excellent meals. The main difference is that the tougher cuts are best prepared muscles must be wet cooked low and slow by boiling, stewing or braising. The most tender cuts should be dry cooked by grilling, roasting, broiling or sautéing.

Here’s a list of the different cuts of beef, their location on the cow animal and how they’re cooked.

Chuck (neck and shoulders)

The chuck is among the toughest cuts of beef. Chuck is boiled or braised for stews. It is also ground for hamburger.

Round (rump)

The rump roast and the various round steaks all come from the round. Since those muscles are used frequently, the meat is always somewhat tough. Of those cuts, top round is tender enough to be roasted. The rest of the round should be braised or roasted. in water.

Brisket (chest)

Barbequed beef and corned beef are made from the brisket. Braising the brisket produces a nice pot roast.

Shank (legs)

The shank is best when braised for stews and stocks.

Short plate and flank (abdomen)

The meat from the flank and short plate are less tough than the shank or brisket but not as tender as the sirloin. These cuts have adequate fatty deposits to offset the coarse muscle fibers. Skirt steaks, short ribs, hanger steaks and flank steaks love the grill. Marinating is also a good option for these steaks. They benefit from being marinated. Fajitas use marinated flank steak as does beef teriyaki.

Rib

Meat Beef from the ribs is the most tender. cut of beef. Rib steaks, Delmonico steaks, prime ribs and rib roasts are all from the rib. They’re best when broiled, grilled, sautéed or roasted.

Short loin (back)

The very finest beef is cut from the short loin. The porterhouse, T-bone, New York strip, tenderloin and fillet filet mignon all come from the short loin.

Sirloin (back)

Sirloin steaks vary depending on whether they’re closer to the round or the short loin. Those closer to the short loin make excellent steaks. Sirloin steak from the rear of the sirloin is great when ground with chuck for hamburger.

Learn more about sirloin steaks or flank steaks.