Beef cuts – uses
Forequarters
Primary cuts
1 Hump
The breed and species normally determines size of this boneless cut. The coarse texture is well marbled and very tasty.
Purchase cut and cooking method
Whole, 1,5 kg or larger – Pot-roast
Corned beef – Boiled and served hot or cold
Stewing steak slices – Braised
Mince – Mince dishes
2 Neck
Contains a large proportion of bone and white connective tissue and is therefore very tasty. Also contains a thick yellow sinew. (yellow connective tissue or elastin). remove before cooking as it will not soften.
Purchase cut and cooking method
Neck slices – Braise or casserole
Goulash cubes (2.5cm) – Stew
Mince – Mince dishes
Bones with meat – Stock for stews. roasts. braises, soups and sauces.
3 Shin
Contains a large proportion of bone and white connective tissue that contribute to the taste.
Purchase cut and cooking method
Slices with bone. (1,5 cm thick) – Braise or soup.
Mince – Mince dishes
4 Bolo
A bright red muscle layer on top resembles a red patch. Bolo contains little intramuscular fat. It is boneless with a coarse texture and consists of a few muscle layers which can be separated.
Purchase cut and cooking method
Whole (1.5 kg or larger) – Pot-roast, aluminium foil or cooking bag
Sliced (1.5 cm thick) – Braise
Cubes (2.5 cm) – Stew
Cut into 3 – 5mm minute steaks beef olives – Frying
Mince – Mince dishes
5 Chuck
Contains six vertebrae; six to seven rib bones, the blade bone, backbone and yellow connective tissue. It consists of several muscle layers
Purchase cut and cooking method
Rolled beef – Pot-roast, oven-roast in foil or cooking bag if good quality and matured.
Sliced, with or without bone (1.5cm) – Braise
Goulash cubes (2,5cm) – Stew
Bones for meat stock – Soup
Mince – Mince dishes
6 Flat Rib
This cut has a flat shape and contains rib bones. Two muscle layers are visible and separated by a layer of connective tissue.
Purchase cut and cooking method
Slices, with bone – Braise / Potjie
7 Brisket
The cut contains breast bone and a few ribs. It is divided into the point brisket, mid-brisket and navel end. The texture of the meat is coarse.
Purchase cut and cooking method
Brisket roll – Pot-roast, aluminium foil or cooking bag
Flat, trimmed brisket (Pastrami) – Boil, as for corned beef
Sliced with / without bone (1,5cm) – Braise
8 Prime rib
Consists of three to four rib bones and eye muscle. On top of the eye muscle there are several flat muscle layers separated by layers of fat and connective tissue
Purchase cut and cooking method
Prime rib roast – Oven-roast
Roll – Oven-roast
Prime rib steaks (2,5 – 3cm) – Grill and pan-fry
Rib eye steaks (2,5cm) – Grill and pan-fry
Hindquarters
Primary cuts
9 Thin flank
Contains a few ribs in a triangular shape (short rib). The rest of the cut is boneless and covered with a thick layer of connective tissue, remove prior to cooking.
Purchase cut and cooking method
Roll. with or without a stuffing – Pot-roast, bake in foil or cooking bag
Short ribs – Braise, casserole or cure for soutribbetjie
Mince trimmings – Mince dishes
10 Wing Rib
It is situated next to the prime rib which it resembles, except that the eye muscle of the wing rib is slightly larger and does not contain extra muscle layers. It contains three to four rib bones, vertebrae, dorsal vertebrae and an even outside fat layer
Purchase cut and cooking method
Roll – Oven-roast
One piece on the bone, chine – Oven-roast
Club steaks, with bone (2,5cm) – Grill and pan-fry
Scotch fillet steaks. boneless (2,5cm) – Grill and pan-fry
11 Sirloin
The strip loin (sirloin) does not contain any ribs. It contains the vertebrae with the T-shaped bone and the fillet on the one side and the eye muscle on the other. The meat is tender and has a fine texture. The fillet gets bigger to the rump side.
Purchase cut and cooking method
T-bone roast (one large cut) – Oven-roast
Roll – Oven-roast and Weber braai
T-bone steak (2,5cm) – Grill and pan-fry
Porterhouse steak (2.5cm) at largest (rump side) – Grill and pan-fry
Fillet steaks (2,5cm) – Grill and pan-fry
Strip loin – Grill and pan-fry
12 Rump
A tender cut, which consists of a few loosely connected muscles and the pelvic bone. This cut also contains part of the fillet. (The pelvic bone consists of the hip and aitchbone).
Purchase cut and cooking method
Rump roast, one large cut. 1.5kg – Oven-roast
Rump steaks (2,5cm) – Grill and pan-fry
Goulash cubes (2,5cm) – Kebabs
Strips for stir-fry – Stir-fry
13 Fillet
The fillet is situated inside the carcass alongside the vertebral column, from the wing rib to the rump. The fillet is boneless and without fat, and the most tender cut in the carcass.
Purchase cut and cooking method
One large cut. bard or baste – Oven-roast
Several steaks can be cut from the fillet such as Minute. Mignon. Picata and Tournedo. (Mostly 2.5 cm) –
Grill and pan-fry
14 Topside
Is recognized by the half-moon shaped fat layer on the outside. Just beneath this layer is a thin muscle layer and followed by two larger muscle layers. The texture is coarse with little marbling. The aitchbone is in the topside as well.
Purchase cut and cooking method
Roast (1,5kg or larger) – Lard and pot-roast, aluminium foil or cooking bag.
Roll (1.5kg or larger) – Pot-roast. Aluminium foil or cooking bag.
Stewing steak slices (3-5mm) – Braise
Cubes (2,5cm) – Stew
Cut biltong (2,5 – 3cm) – Dry curing and hang to dry
Mince – Mince dishes
Holland steak (5mm) – Fry in butter medium to rare and serve
15 Silverside
Consists of three parallel muscles. namely the round eye muscle, the rectangular muscle and a small triangular muscle. The round muscle is easy to recognize as it is covered with a silvery layer of connective tissue. The meat has a coarse texture and very little infra-muscular fat.
Purchase cut and cooking method
Large cut (1,5kg or more) – Lard and pot-roast, bake in foil or cooking bag
Cure for corned beef – Do not cook. Slice thinly, and serve as smoked beef
Thin slices (3.5mm), Prego steaks (5 mm).
Beef olives – Pan-fry
Goulash cubes (2,5cm) – Stew
Biltong – Cure and dry
16 Aitchbone
Forms part of the silverside. Contains the tail bone and the texture of the meat is coarse. It lacks intra-muscular fat.
Purchase cut and cooking method
Keep whole (1,5kg or more) – Lard and pot-roast, bake in aluminium foil or cooking bag
Cure for corned beef. Boil as corned beef
17 Thick Flank (Knuckle)
Consists of three concentric muscles, the inside one being the most tender and known as mock fillet
Purchase cut and cooking method
One large cut (1.5kg or more) – Pot-roast, bake in foil or cooking bag
Slices, Holland steak (1,5cm) – Braise
Goulash cubes (2,5cm) – stew
Mince – Mince dishes
