Jump to content

Primal and Sub-Primal Cuts of Beef


hunter

Recommended Posts

The Ventralis is one particular muscle in the Chuck Eye Roll, 116A.  It's actually 1116g.  which is a single cut from 116g which is a sub primal to 116a which is Chuck Roll.  It is a trimmed fabrication out of 116d or 116g.  The yield of ventralis to chuck roll is 25% and of under blade is 60 to 70%.

I sent my beef supplier this info to make sure they are fabricating what I wanted exactly.  If we had gone with the "standard steak, it would have been about 20% less expensive but not as tender and as even.

eg. All tri-tip is sirloin but Sirloin is not Tri Tip.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Damn it, that was a really good answer. My old copy of the Meat Purveyors Buyers Guide doesn't list half of the cuts we use today. On the other hand, at least it's not called "London Broil".

Another example of a new cut is a flat iron.  When I started buying this several years ago, I loved it, but it seemed very familiar.  Then I find out it's prior name: "minute steak" which was my mom's go to when we were growing up.  I imagine she bought it because it was cheap and flavorful.  I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is mildly interesting in a way that only the kinds of food geeks that inhabit a site like this can appreciate.

History of Meat Cuts. Could be a periodic PBS special once Rocks gets that VC funding lined up. "Tune in Tuesday to learn the sordid tale of the culotte!" "And the amazing history of the hanger; it's not what you think."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought in the past I'd come across a definitive USDA chart which clearly showed primal and sub-primal cuts with their corresponding numbers (e.g., 120 = brisket); I can find lots of charts (just search for "Beef USDA cuts chart"), but not one of them spells out everything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another example of a new cut is a flat iron.  When I started buying this several years ago, I loved it, but it seemed very familiar.  Then I find out it's prior name: "minute steak" which was my mom's go to when we were growing up.  I imagine she bought it because it was cheap and flavorful.  I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

But minute steak at a shop can be many other things rather than the flat iron.  That's the problem with current meat labeling.  Seafood labeling is similar with market names that cover different species of fish etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But minute steak at a shop can be many other things rather than the flat iron. That's the problem with current meat labeling. Seafood labeling is similar with market names that cover different species of fish etc.

It's a huge problem with labeling of most anything, way beyond meats and seafood. Produce, dairy and all that 'middle of the store," shelf-stable stuff in jars, boxes, bags and cans. We have lots of other threads on this (which you've contributed to mightily, Dean). The Big (Labeling) Problem, encompassing all the others, is that labeling regulation in this country is still more about supporting industry than it is about informing and safeguarding customers.

Orange juice is a great Exhibit A in all of this.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought in the past I'd come across a definitive USDA chart which clearly showed primal and sub-primal cuts with their corresponding numbers (e.g., 120 = brisket); I can find lots of charts (just search for "Beef USDA cuts chart"), but not one of them spells out everything.

Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications

Bovine Myology

British equivalents

How little you should be paying for commodity flesh in your supermarket

Serratus Ventralis becomes the ruggedly sounding "Denver Cut", named after the Rocky Mountain Ragamuffin John Denver, who notoriously popularized the cut after demanding it throughout his Muppet Show appearances.  Not many butchers (retail/wholesale) buy whole steers, mostly CAFO primals from out west and it is easier for them to grind all the odd cuts rather than market them to a population that doesn't eat far beyond the loin so the colloquial names become moot folklore.  Parts & Labor only buys whole steers from MD/VA and is one of the few with a rail to hang them.

"Rockfish" is a regional name for striped bass but can refer to nearly a dozen fish throughout the world.  Many other fish differ by name in different regions for reasons that are not in the interest of confusing the consumer.  Meat cut names in Europe vary from town to town.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is mildly interesting in a way that only the kinds of food geeks that inhabit a site like this can appreciate.

History of Meat Cuts. Could be a periodic PBS special once Rocks gets that VC funding lined up. "Tune in Tuesday to learn the sordid tale of the culotte!" "And the amazing history of the hanger; it's not what you think."

I wonder if there is a periodic table of meat. Or rather one each for bbef, chicken, pork, lamb, you name it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if this has been reported here before, but be careful when buying beef.  According to the article, Costco has been good about the labeling for some time now, but apparently it is now the law.  for those of you who don't know what I am talking about, the article talks about Costco (and evidently other retailers) practice of blade tenderizing beef, which creates the possibility of contamination.  I guess I will no longer buy beef at Costco.  Credit--NPR.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, pras said:

I don't know if this has been reported here before, but be careful when buying beef.  According to the article, Costco has been good about the labeling for some time now, but apparently it is now the law.  for those of you who don't know what I am talking about, the article talks about Costco (and evidently other retailers) practice of blade tenderizing beef, which creates the possibility of contamination.  I guess I will no longer buy beef at Costco.  Credit--NPR.

Shouldn't that be the opposite reaction? Costco is the only major retailer that has been voluntarily labeling the meat that is mechanically tenderized - all of the others are selling you the same meat without labeling it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, DanielK said:

Shouldn't that be the opposite reaction? Costco is the only major retailer that has been voluntarily labeling the meat that is mechanically tenderized - all of the others are selling you the same meat without labeling it.

I applaud their transparency, but now I cannot cook their steaks to medium or medium rare.  Mechanically tenderized beef is not something that was ever on my radar.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, pras said:

I applaud their transparency, but now I cannot cook their steaks to medium or medium rare.  Mechanically tenderized beef is not something that was ever on my radar.

It doesn't say that ALL of their meat is mechanically tenderized, just that they label when it is. It could be that you go tomorrow, and most of the case doesn't have that warning, and you go to Giant/Safeway/HT, and ALL of it does.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, DanielK said:

It doesn't say that ALL of their meat is mechanically tenderized, just that they label when it is. It could be that you go tomorrow, and most of the case doesn't have that warning, and you go to Giant/Safeway/HT, and ALL of it does.

Fair enough.  When I was there last weekend, everything was labeled that it was mechanically tenderized (even their prime offerings).  I guess what I should have said is that I won't buy any mechanically tenderized beef, which may limit me to Whole Foods (I can walk there from home) or maybe Wegmans (but I have never checked their packaging).  Giant, Safeway, and HT are way off my radar (not meant to be a snob, just not stores I shop at).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...