Anatomy
The beef cut chart, plainly.
Eight primals. Dozens of subprimals. The retail cuts you actually recognize, mapped to where they come from on the steer — and which cooking method belongs with each.
How a beef carcass is broken down
After harvest, a beef carcass is split in half along the spine. Each side is then quartered, and each quarter is cut into the primals — the eight large foundational sections that all retail cuts come from.
Each primal is then broken down into subprimals — named muscle groups within the primal (e.g. the rib primal contains the ribeye roll subprimal, which becomes ribeye steaks). Subprimals are then portioned into the retail cuts you see on a butcher counter or in a vacuum-sealed pack.
The eight primals are: Chuck, Rib, Loin (short loin and sirloin), Round, Brisket, Plate, Flank, and the Short Plate. Cards below show what comes from each, and how to cook it.
The eight primals
Front of the steer to back. Top of the steer is the more tender, more expensive cuts; bottom and ends do more work and need slow cooking.
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Front shoulder
Chuck
Hard-working shoulder muscles. Tough, intensely beefy, packed with collagen that breaks down into gelatin with slow cooking.
Retail cuts: chuck roast, chuck eye steak, flat iron, ground beef, short ribs (boneless).
Cook: braise, slow-roast, smoke. The Piedmontese chuck is leaner than commodity beef, so add liquid.
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Top of the back, mid-steer
Rib
Tender muscles that don't work hard — the seventh through twelfth ribs. The marquee primal for steaks and standing roasts.
Retail cuts: ribeye steak, prime rib (standing rib roast), back ribs, cap of ribeye (spinalis).
Cook: hot & fast for steaks, low & slow then high-heat sear for roasts. Reverse-sear is the move for Piedmontese ribeye.
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Behind the rib, top
Loin (short loin & sirloin)
The premium primal — the most tender muscles on the animal because they barely move. Includes the tenderloin (filet) and the strip loin.
Retail cuts: tenderloin / filet mignon, NY strip, T-bone, porterhouse, top sirloin, tri-tip.
Cook: hot, fast, briefly. Filet wants no more than medium-rare.
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Hindquarter
Round
The hind leg. Lean, dense, mostly used for working roasts and steaks for the slow cooker. Cuts here often go to deli roast beef and jerky.
Retail cuts: top round roast, eye of round, bottom round, sirloin tip, rump roast, cube steak.
Cook: braise, slow-roast, slice paper-thin against the grain. Excellent for jerky.
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Front, low
Brisket
The chest. Two muscles (point and flat) packed into a long, lean, collagen-heavy cut. The smoker's favorite.
Retail cuts: whole packer brisket, brisket flat, brisket point, corned beef, pastrami.
Cook: 12+ hours low & slow. Smoke at 225°F to internal 203°F. Patience beats technique.
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Belly
Plate & Short Plate
The belly under the rib. Source of short ribs and skirt steak — fatty, beefy, full of flavor.
Retail cuts: short ribs (bone-in English or flanken cut), skirt steak, hanger steak, plate ribs.
Cook: short ribs braise; skirt & hanger get hot, fast, sliced thin against the grain — fajita work.
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Lower side, behind plate
Flank
A single big muscle — long, flat, full of pronounced grain. Lean, beefy, demanding of correct slicing.
Retail cuts: flank steak (one of the most underrated steaks on the animal).
Cook: marinate, hot grill 4 min/side to medium-rare, rest, slice across the grain on a bias. Fajitas, stir-fry, steak salads.
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"Fifth quarter"
Trim, organs & bones
Everything that isn't a primal muscle: ground from trim, plus organs, tongue, oxtail, marrow bones. Often called the "fifth quarter."
Retail cuts: ground beef, liver, heart, kidney, tongue (lengua), oxtail (rabo), cheek (cachete), marrow bones.
Cook: ground for everything; organs hot & fast or slow-braised; bones for stock; tongue 90 min pressure cook.
A picture is coming. For now, this is the layout the picture will mirror.
Cuts by cooking method
Forget primals for a second. If you know how you want to cook tonight, here's what to pull from the freezer.
Quick & hot
High heat, short time, internal 130–140°F.
- Ribeye, NY strip, filet, T-bone
- Top sirloin, tri-tip
- Skirt, hanger, flank
- Burgers
Slow & low
Low heat, hours, internal 195–205°F to break down collagen.
- Brisket, chuck roast, short ribs
- Round (top, bottom, eye)
- Oxtail, cheek, shank
- Tongue (pressure-cook variant)
Ground & stew
Trim from across the animal, plus the working muscles cubed for braises.
- Ground beef (burgers, tacos, bolognese, meatloaf)
- Stew meat (chuck cubed)
- Sirloin tip cubed for kabobs
- Heart blended with ground for richness
How to pick the right cut for the right night
Weeknight, 30 minutes, kids: ground beef. Tacos, burgers, a quick skillet with onions. The most forgiving cut on the animal.
Weeknight, 30 minutes, adults: a sirloin steak or flank. Pull from the freezer two days before, sear hot, slice thin.
Weekend, 4 hours, family: chuck roast. Pot roast in the dutch oven, tri-tip on the grill, or short ribs braised in red wine.
Special occasion, time on your side: ribeye reverse-seared, standing rib roast, or a whole brisket smoked overnight.
You inherited an aunt's recipe and it calls for "soup bones": marrow bones from the specialty cuts page. Roast them, then simmer the broth 24 hours.