With so many cuts of meat, choosing best options can be challenging. We've summarized the most popular cuts, trim specs and muscles in a simple to follow reference format.

1. Cheat Sheet for Meat

2. P o p u l a r C u t s & D e s c r i p t i o n s
Ball Tip Steak Boneless steak cut from the bottom sirloin muscle known as the "ball tip" / Lower cost value cut
Baseball Cut Butt steak Boneless top sirloin steak cut filet style / Rich and flavorful, looks like a tenderloin filet but lower in cost
Bavette Steak Name commonly used for steaks cut from sirloin flap meat
Boston Cut Strip Steak Boneless New York Strip steak cut in half across the width
Butcher's Steak Another name for hanging tender steak, or hanger steaks
Club Steak Cut from the beef short loin nearest the rib / Triangular L-shaped like a T-Bone steak but without the tenderloin
Cowboy Steak Bone-in Rib-eye steak with meat cut off at top end of the bone leaving about 1” exposed bone for presentation
Cube Steak Cut of beef usually top round or top sirloin, fiercely tenderized by pounding with a meat or electric tenderizer
Delmonico Steak Boneless Rib-eye steak with no tail fat
Filet (Tenderloin Filet) Commonly used term for a boneless steak cut from the tenderloin muscle
Flank Steak Boneless steak cut from the abdominal muscle which is called the flank
Flat Iron Steak Steak cut from the shoulder top blade muscle located inside the clod or shoulder / Tender value cut
Hanger Steak Steak cut from the hanging tender in the diaphragm of the animal / Commonly called Onglet Steak in French bistros
Kansas City Strip Bone-in Strip steak cut from the short loin
London Broil Variety of thinly sliced beef cuts, usually boneless, for broiling / Suggested cuts: top butt cap, flank and top round
NY Strip Steak Boneless steak cut from the strip loin muscle
Petite Filet Medallion Common name given to a boneless cut from the teres major muscle in the shoulder
Porterhouse Steak Bone-in steak cut from short loin; similar to T-bone / One side is tenderloin at least 1.25" wide; one side strip loin
Ranch Steak Boneless steak cut from beef shoulder chuck / Technical name: boneless chuck shoulder center cut steak / Value cut
Rib-Eye Steak Cut from the animal's rib portion / Rib-eye steaks can be boneless or bone-in
Sizzler Steak Name commonly used for boneless ball-tip steaks
Skirt Steak Boneless steak cut from whole skirt muscle / Can be inside or outside skirt
Sirloin Flap Cut from the bottom sirloin just above the flank and right next to the short loin
T-Bone Steak Bone-in steak cut from short loin similar to a Porterhouse / One side tenderloin at least .5" wide; One side strip loin
Tomahawk Steak Name for bone-in rib-eye steak with long portion of rib bone attached and exposed for dramatic plate presentation
Top Butt Steak Boneless steak cut from top sirloin muscle, rich and flavorful / Not the actual "butt" of the animal
Tri-Tip Steak Boneless steak cut from tri-tip muscle, part of the bottom sirloin
Vein Steak Hip end of sirloin strip or short loin; shows piece of connective tissue around loin eye / Value cut from end of strip loin

3. Backstrap
Elastin type connective tissue found in neck, blade, rib and loin
Usually removed before steaking or roasting strip loin
BRT
"Boned, Rolled & Tied" Bone is removed; meat is rolled and tied (netted)
Usual specification for boneless lamb legs
Chine Bone
Part of the backbone that remains after a carcass is split
Chine bones should be removed from beef roasts to cut through the roast prior to or after cooking
Denuded Meat cuts that have had all surface fat removed
French Cut Bone-in steaks (or chops) with meat trimmed from the bone to expose it – looks like the “cowboy steak”
Lollipop Cut
Bone-in steak (or lamb/pork chop) with bone trimmed down to eye of the loin
Bone is exposed further than French or Cowboy style making it look like a “lollipop”
Mouse or Rat Muscle Small muscle part of the whole top sirloin (top butt) which can be left on or taken off with cutting steaks
Peeled Same as Denuded; meat cuts that have had all surface fat removed
Pinned (Needled) Tenderizing process involving penetration of muscles by steel blades
Silver Skin Thin film of soft connective tissue on beef tenderloin which can be left on or removed when cutting steaks
Tail Fat Small part of fat attached to cut of steak / Typically 1” or 2” on Strip Steaks and Rib-Eyes
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4. W h o l e M u s c l e s & D e s c r i p t i o n s
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Ball Tip Boneless sub primal found in Bottom Butt / Can be roasted or cut for "Sizzler" steaks
Bottom Butt (Bottom Sirloin) Boneless sub primal below Top Butt; includes Tri-Tip and Ball Tip cuts
Bottom Round Bone-in sub primal from beef round or back leg of steer / Also called Gooseneck Round
Chuck Bone-in or boneless with neck, shoulder blade and upper arm / Tougher cut good for roasting and ground beef
Chuck Roll Boneless cut from the whole beef chuck
Clod Heart Flavorful less tender cut from heart of beef shoulder / Clod roast is an economical cut for roasting or grinding
Coulotte Triangular shaped muscle beneath surface of whole top butt muscle / Very rich in flavor, great for roasting or steaks
Export Rib Bone-in whole Rib-eye primal cut / Used for roasting or cutting into bone-in rib-eye steaks
Gooseneck (Round) Bone-in sub primal that comes from beef round or back leg of steer / Also called Bottom Round
Inside Round Bone-in sub primal that comes from the beef round or back leg of the steer / Also called Top Round
Knuckle Very lean part of the sirloin; also known as "Sirloin Tip" / Commonly used for roasts and ground beef
Lipon Rib-Eye Boneless rib section; subprimal / Used for prime rib and boneless rib-eye steaks
PSMO Peeled beef tenderloin; side muscle on / Common sub primal cut used for roasting or cutting into tenderloin filets
Short Loin Bone-in sub primal from back of the steer / Contains part of the spine and includes the strip loin and tenderloin
Strip Loin 0x1 Boneless sub primal cut without tail fat on one end and 1" tail fat on the other / For roasting or cutting strip steaks
Strip Loin 1x1 Boneless sub primal cut with 1" tail fat across the loin / Used for roasting or cutting strip steaks
Top Butt (Top Sirloin) Boneless sub primal below tenderloin between short loin and round / For roasting or cutting steaks rich with flavor
Top Round Bone-in sub primal from the beef round or back leg of steer / Also called Inside Round
Tri-Tip Boneless sub primal found in Bottom Butt / Great for roasting or cutting into Tri-Tip Steaks

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