Determining the Primal and Sub-primal Cuts of Meat

Introduction

This lesson is about the primal and sub-primal cuts of meat as well as the variety meats used in cooking. Before you proceed, take to make yourself familiar with the following terms you will encounter as you go further into this module.

The carcass refers to the whole body minus the head, feet, entrails and hides (except for pork). This is rarely purchased though since it will require additional resources for butchering. Primal cuts are divisions of the sides, quarters, forelimbs and hindlimbs while sub-primal or fabricated cuts are trimmed versions of primal cuts and can even be cut ready for cooking.

REF: Gisslen, W. (2007). Professional Cooking, 6th Edition. USA. John Wiley & Sons. Inc.

Beef Cuts

The beef carcass is usually cut into two (forequarter and hindquarter) before it is divided into primal cuts. The following are the primal cuts of beef and some of the fabricated cuts you can get from each.

The following are the common methods of cooking used for the sub-primal or fabricated cuts of beef:

1. Chuck (Tender chuck, Chuck ribs)

Braised
Stewed
Roasted (Tender chuck, Ground beef)

2. Plate, Shank, Brisket and Flank

Braised
Stewed

3. Ribs and Loin (Shortloin, Sirloin)

Broiled
Roasted

4. Round (Eye round, Rump, Knuckle, Topside)

Braised
Stewed
Broiled
Roasted

Through time, additional beef cuts such as the hanging tenders, a piece of meat found between the ribs, started to be used for food service. Before, hanging tenders and other beef cuts are not sold to the public and only consumed by the butchers. However, such cuts are currently being sold for their flavor and tenderness as well as to maximize the profit from the cattle.

REF:

ASEAN. (2013). Prepare Portion Controlled Meat Cuts - Trainee Manual. William Angliss Institute of TAFE.

Alfaro, D. (2018, Oct 17). Learn Where Cuts of Beef Come From. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/yDhEPX

Velasco, G. (2014, Feb 19). Pepper’s English-Filipino Cheat Sheet: Common Beef Cuts. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/GnjAtf

Ray, M.F.& Dondi, B. (1981). Professional Cooking and Baking. USA. Glecoe/McGraw-Hill

Pork Cuts

Pork is a type of red meat coming from domesticated swine or hogs. Records say that the practice of domesticating hogs started in the Middle East but the earliest pork recipe found was a 2000-year-old Chinese dish. Same with beef, the carcass of pork is usually divided into two – forequarter and hindquarter before being sectioned into the following sub-primal cuts:

The following are the common methods of cooking used for the sub-primal or fabricated cuts of pork:

Picnic Shoulder (Shoulder hock, Blade steak), Spare Ribs and Side

Braised
Stewed
Roasted
Broiled

Loin (Chops, Sirloin and Tenderloin)

Roasted
Braised (Country-Style ribs, Back ribs)
Broiled

Leg (Ham, Rump)

Broiled
Roasted

Lamb Cuts

Lamb is another type of red meat coming from sheep. As the sheep gets older, the meat gets a deeper color and becomes tougher. Here are the primal and sub-primal cuts of lamb.

The following are the common methods of cooking used for the sub-primal or fabricated cuts of lamb:

1. Loin (Tenderloin, Sirloin)

Roasted
Broiled

2. Ribs (Lamb Rack, Rib chop) and Shoulder (Blade chop, Arm chop)

Roasted
Broiled

3. Leg (Leg Chop, Rump) and Breast (Spare ribs, Riblets)

Broiled
Roasted
Braised (Spare ribs, Riblets)

4. Shanks (Foreshanks, Hind shanks)

Braised
Stewed

REF:

ASEAN. (2013). Prepare Portion Controlled Meat Cuts - Trainee Manual. William Angliss Institute of TAFE. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/mqQn46

BBCGoodFood.com. (n.d). Glossary- Lamb. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/mRXL5B

Alfaro, D. (2018, June 2). Major Cuts of Lamb from Leg to Loin. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/tTs7e3

Ray, M.F.& Dondi, B. (1981). Professional Cooking and Baking. USA. Glecoe/McGraw-Hill

Variety Meats

Variety meats, also known as offals or fancy meats, are edible organs which are not included in the primary or secondary cuts. The common variety meat used in cooking are:

REF:

Carl, F. & Jopling, L. (n.d). Unusual Meat: How to Prepare Them. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/NAfnc2

ASEAN. (2013). Prepare Portion Controlled Meat Cuts - Trainee Manual. William Angliss Institute of TAFE.

BC Open Textbooks. (n.d). Meat Cutting and Processing for Food Service. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/YFsQfu

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