To know about steak cuts, first of all, you need to know about the primal cuts of beef. The divided large sections are called primal cuts, which you can find in the above beef cuts diagram. There are 8 primal cuts, namely chuck, rib, loin, brisket, plate, flank, round and shank. Steaks like the ribeye steak are the sub-primal cuts.
(Click the name of primal cuts and jump to the introduction)
| Primal Cuts | Features | Steak Cuts |
| Chuck | Rich Beef Flavor Tough Texture (some exceptions) | Chuck Eye Steak Denver Steak Flat Iron Teres Major |
| Rib | Wonderful Marbling Flavorful Tender | Ribeye Tomahawk Ribeye Cap Steak Prime Rib |
| Loin | Tender Soft Low in Fat | T-bone / Porterhouse Strip Steak Tenderloin / Filet Mignon Sirloin Steak Tri-tip |
| Brisket | Rich Beef Flavor Tough Texture | Brisket |
| Plate | Fairly Fatty Contains a lot of Cartilage | Hanger Steak Skirt Steak Short Ribs |
| Flank | Deep Beef Taste Lean | Flank Steak |
| Round | Lean Moderately Tough | Round Roast |
| Shank | Extremely Lean Toughest Part of Beef With Marrow-rich Bone | Shank |
Table of Contents
Chuck
The chuck primal comes from the forequarter. This cut includes the upper arm, the shoulder, and the blade.
It is very beefy and rich in flavor due to the well used muscles in this area. Yet, the large amount of connective tissue results in a tough texture. That’s why the steak from this primal is perfect for slow cooking methods such as sous vide and cooked in a crock pot.
However, there are some exceptional cuts of steak, for example, flat iron is really tender which is the second most tender steak after filet mignon.
Rib
The rib primal is located at the top part of a cow, specifically between the sixth and twelfth ribs. Steaks from this primal, such as ribeye and prime rib, are premium and prized by every gourmet.
The cuts from this primal are wonderful to taste due to the evenly distributed marbling and less-worked muscle fibers. They have a high level of intramuscular and kernel fat. Juicy, tender, and flavorful are the best words to describe these steaks.
Loin
The loin primal is another premium cut of beef. This primal consists of two parts which are short loin and sirloin while sirloin is located toward the backside of the cow.
The amount of exercise of short loin muscles are comparatively higher than that of rib primal, and thus they are more chewy. T-bone, Porterhouse and New York Strip Steak are the cuts from short loin.
The tenderloin (where filet mignon is sourced) is contained within both short loin and sirloin, which cross these 2 sections. It is low-fat yet the most tender part of a cow.
Sirloin can be further subdivided into top sirloin and bottom sirloin. But to make things simple, we will not discuss here. Common cuts from the sirloin part are sirloin steak and tri-tip.
In short, the loin cuts are soft and tender due to the fine muscle fibers.
Brisket
The brisket primal, as the name suggests, comes from the cow’s brisket. It is the lower chest directly under the chuck.
Muscles of this section get a lot of exercise daily which results in a tough texture but a super rich flavor. Slow cooking methods like smoking and crock pot cooking bring the brisket to the next level by tenderizing it.
Plate
The plate primal is just below the rib primal which includes four ribs.
This primal has a lot of cartilage and it’s fairly fatty especially around the ribs. It is where the hanger steak, skirt steak (the diaphragm muscle) and short ribs are found.
Flank
The flank primal is situated just beneath the loin primal.
Steaks from this section are lean and have a deep beef taste. This is where the flank steak comes from.
Round
The round is the biggest primal which consists of a rump and hind leg. Their muscles are heavily used which makes them moderately tough and lean without much marbling.
Shank
Their muscles are crazily strong because of the hard-working movement which makes them the toughest part of beef. There is a marrow-rich bone at the center which enriches the flavor of your dish once it’s softened. One of the common ways to cook beef shank is using it for Osso Buco, a famous Italian dish.
Now, you are knowledgeable about these 8 primal cuts of beef. It’s time to know about each steak cut, here is the complete guide for you.
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