Ingredient: American Primal cuts Beef
Category: Meat - Butchery, Beef, USA
Season: All:
Beef is first divided into primal cuts.
These are basic sections from which steaks and other subdivisions are cut.
Since the animal's legs and neck muscles do the most work, they are the toughest.
The meat becomes progressively more tender as distance from "hoof and horn" increases.
The closer to the middle back, the more tender the meat.
There are different systems of making and naming of the cuts in America, Britain and France.
The following is a list of the American primal cuts, 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 - The sirloin is actually divided into several types of steak.
Top sirloin is the most prized of these.
Bottom sirloin is less tender, much larger.
It is typically what is offered when one just buys sirloin steaks instead of steaks specifically marked top sirloin.
The bottom sirloin in turn connects to the:
Sirloin tip roast, which is generally considered to be a good, if somewhat tough, roast, less tender than short loin, but more flavoursome.
Tenderloin - the most tender, from which filet mignon is severed.
Round - lean cut, moderately tough. Lack of fat and marbling does not allow round steak to tenderize quickly.
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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
View pictures of British and American cuts, at same time
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Cooking Beef
The method of cooking beef is largely determined by the cut of beef to be cooked.
Tender (and generally more expensive) cuts of meat benefit from fast, high-heat cooking
Tough cuts benefit from a slower and longer cooking method.
Dry heat cooking methods:
Tender cuts of beef from the loin and rib are best cooked via dry cooking methods, such as charcoal grilling, broiling, roasting, and sautéing.
Grilling:
Grilling is characterised by cooking the beef over a high heat source.
Generally in excess of 650øF (343øC).
This leads to searing of the surface of the beef, which creates a flavourful crust
In Australia, Canada and the UK grilling is also known as "Barbecuing".
Broiling:
Broiling is similar to grilling, except where grilling is performed with the heat source under the beef.
Broiling is usually performed in an oven with the heat source above the beef.
In the UK and Australia, broiling is known as "grilling".
Roasting:
Roasting is a particularly British way of cooking meat, which produces the iconic British dish "Roast beef".
British roasting is very similar to American broiling
Although the heating is from hot air and the meat is cooked all around.
Little, if any liquid is added.
The liquid produced during cooking is decanted from the fat and usually made into a gravy to serve with the sliced beef.
Stir fry:
Mainly a Chinese way of cooking.
Cooking oil with agents such as garlic, ginger and onions are added to the wok which are brought to high heat.
The slices of beef (or any other type of meat) which generally cooks longer are added in.
Finally the side ingredients of mixed vegetables are added in to cook for a few minutes.
This method of cooking emphasizes on the timing of cooking where the result would be both the meat and vegetables 'just cook'.
Moist heat cooking methods:
Tougher cuts of beef from the round, brisket, flank, plate, shank, and chuck are best cooked by moist heat cooking methods, such as braising, pot-roasting, and stewing.
Some of the tougher cuts may be prepared by dry heat methods. provided that they are tenderised first with a marinade).
Stewing:
Stewing involves immersing the entire cut of beef in a liquid.
Braising:
Braising involves cooking meats, covered, with small amounts of liquids (usually seasoned or flavored).
Unlike stewing, meat cooked via braising is not fully immersed in liquid.
Cooking temperature, Temperature (meat):
Beef is cooked (roughly) on the following scale, based on the internal temperature of the meat.
Cooked Traditional Temp. (USA) Description
Very rare 115 - 125øF (46 - 52øC) Blood-red meat, soft, very juicy
Rare 125 - 130øF (52 - 54øC) Red center, gray surface, soft, juicy
Medium rare 130 - 140øF (54 - 60øC) Pink center, gray-brown surface, often remains juicy
Medium 140 - 150øF (60 - 66øC) Pink throughout, becomes gray-brown towards surface
Medium well 150 - 160øF (66 - 71øC) Thin line of pink, firm texture.
Well done >160øF (>71øC) Gray-brown throughout, tough texture.
Raw beef
Steak tartare is a French dish made from finely chopped or ground raw meat (often beef).
It is often served with onions, capers, seasonings like fresh ground pepper and Worcestershire sauce, and sometimes raw egg.
Kibbeh nayyeh is a similar Middle-Eastern dish.
In Ethiopia, a ground raw meat dish called Kitfo is eaten.
Carpaccio of beef is a thin slice of raw beef dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and seasoning.
Often the beef is partially frozen before slicing to allow very thin slices to be cut.
Cured or smoked beef
Bresaola is an air-dried salted beef that has been aged about 2-3 months until it becomes hard and a dark red, almost purple colour.
It is lean, has a sweet, musty smell and is tender.
It originated in Valtellina, a valley in the Alps of northern Italy's Lombardy region.
Pastrami is often made from beef, the raw beef is salted, then partly dried and seasoned with various herbs and spices and smoked.
Corned beef, is a cut of beef cured or pickled in a seasoned brine.
The "corn" in "corned beef" refers to the "corn" or grains of coarse salts used to cure it.
The term "corned beef" can denote different styles of brine-cured beef, depending on the region.
Some, like American-style corned beef, are highly seasoned and often considered delicatessen fare.
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