Beef Tenderness-Ranking, the Different Beef Cuts and Muscles.

Do you have any idea, at all, of what you are talking about- you know, those things that you grew up knowing, those things everybody knows ALL ABOUT; or a least likes to BELIEVE they do?

When thinking of tender beef, most consumers, cooks and would be chefs (chef is a professional trade certification, definition and registration) first think of the hind quarter; the short loin; the tenderloin to be precise.

Secondly, those who self-identify as “American” usually think of “Prime Rib", the “King of Roasting Cuts"-or so they perceive. Prime rib-modern, original; or the chuck end; of which one are they thinking?  Then too, these people may be very surprised by some of the more recent tenderness findings and rankings.

 As found on another website:

 “What cut of steak?

A lot of people have trouble with meat. They like the idea of a great steak, and they have a general notion that the more expensive the steak, the better it is…but more than that…who knows?!

I didn't either until fairly recently when I decided to really get to know the different cuts of meat, where they came from on the cow, and what they each had to offer.

 British Beef Cuts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef

Dutch Beef Cuts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef

Imagine a cow…"
preferably Bovine, as  shown in charts TOP; that is if you are looking for beef. 

But, using a somewhat larger image of a cow--it would be somewhat easier to see the individual parts.


Comparison in size of a Blue Whale Cow(180 tons) and a Human- Female 
Blue Whales are known as COWS; so are female elephants. A fully grown female African Elephant is about the same size and weight as a Blue Whales tongue

"If you imagine a cow, the front section from about just behind the shoulders up to the neck and all the way down, is home to some very tasty and very ornery cuts of meat. From the shoulder area comes your beef chuck, and down south a bit your brisket. Cuts of meat full of connective tissue that melts into flavourful heaven when braised, but makes for an awfully chewy steak.

Most steaks come a bit further back on the cow, and the best known steaks start at the upper mid-section, and proceed back to the hind quarters."

RIB

"Just back from the shoulder is the rib section, and this is the home of the prime rib roast, and not surprisingly, the rib steak and the rib eye. Very well-marbled and flavourful, the rib section is about the tastiest of all the steaks".

[The preceding statement is, of course, incorrect; as I indicated in a previous post; that honour probably goes to the flank or shank]

"and is tender and succulent enough for a quick treatment on the grill. Some common cuts of the rib are:

Rib steak, which if you can imagine is just a slice with the bone of a prime rib,

Rib eye steak, which is just the boneless interior of the rib steak

LOIN

Directly behind the rib section is the loin, and the loin meat is the tenderest section of beef. Although not as well flavoured or marbled as the rib, the loin accounts for the most expensive and tender of all the cuts of steak. Some common cuts of the loin are:

The tenderloin, is the tenderest cut, the most expensive, and some say the least flavourful.

T-Bone, A bit of everything, the T bone has a T shaped bone which sub divides a small section of tenderloin, with a larger section of strip steak.

Porterhouse, similar to the T-bone, but with a larger section of tenderloin.

Strip loin (NY steak), a rectangular strip of very flavourful steak, like a T-bone without the bone or tenderloin!"

SIRLOIN [Sir-loin of course includes both the long and short loin] Two Long Loins, (short loin, loin end[sirloin], unstripped, joined [not split apart through the back bone]-SEE THE CHART BELOW), constitute a TRUE BARON OF BEEF and will usually weigh over a hundred pounds.

Directly behind the short loin is the sirloin. Less tender, [therefore more flavourful], and cheaper than the short loin, sirloin steaks are very tasty. Try to pick sirloin steaks as cut close to the loin if possible (if the bone is flat that means close to the loin, and round means farther back).”

My, Further Comments; About the Quoted Material:

Cuts from the seven muscles-as listed below-are the very tenderest, to be found of a beef carcass.

I on the other hand, was taught, from an early age,[at that time such research, while it was every bit as accurate as that which is done today, was done using much less equipment and at a much lower cost; many of the female researchers not only cooked meals for growing families, work gangs, and threshing crews; often they prepared meals for men that had no teeth. Often, they may not have had teeth themselves.]that everything considered; chuck and sirloin were, by far, the most economical, the tenderest, and the most nutritious; of all, beef cuts. 
Government sponsored scientific (meaning: highly over paid teams, using very expensive equipment, and Much Taxpayer Money)research has recently confirmed this to be true.
Now, because, six, of the top 10, most nutritious, most tender muscles(cuts), in the beef carcass, are from the chuck; which has traditionally been merchandised as ground beef or slow-cook cuts (braised beef and hamburger- which is seldom roasted-are not roasts); just to confuse consumers and thereby enabling higher prices, United States of the Americas based supermarkets and merchandisers are trying desperately to do away with all traditional names and make them obsolete.

Note the low ranking of Rib Cuts.

Standing Rib (prime rib) is still a very much of an over priced,highly overrated, uneconomical,strictly second rate, cut of meat.
See post: Prime Rib Hamburgers. 

TENDER:

1.    Psoas major or; retail name, Tenderloin-location: Hind Quarter, Short Loin

2.    Infraspinatus or; retail name, Flat Iron/Triangle-Location: Front Quarter, Chuck.

3.    Spinalis dorsi or; retail name, Flat Iron/Triangle-Location: Front Quarter, Chuck.

4.    Serratus ventralis or; retail name, Boneless Short Rib-Location: Front Quarter, Chuck.

5.    Multifidus dorsi or; retail name, Chuck Blade Steak-Location: Front Quarter, Chuck

6.    Subscapularis or; retail name, Chuck Blade Steak- Location: Front Quarter, Chuck

7.    Teres major or; retail names, shoulder, shoulder tender/petite tender-Location Front Quarter, Chuck

Of course in any case, smart merchandising, retail, or wholesale, dictates that cuts from the seven tenderest muscles should not all be merchandised separately;  but, they can  often be purchased as part of a larger primal or sub-primal cut and then cut and trimmed into desired portions.  

Because it was prepared for a government agency, there are no copyrights on the above chart. Although it does refer to some cuts of meat that may just as well be braised as being roasts and it also refers to "Pot-Roasts" an impossibility; it is also the chart that probably best shows were the various (especially tender chuck[note the triangle and fillet] and sirloin) are located. Note also the sections labelled "loin end" and "short Loin" which together represent the "long Loin" or as it was first known SIR LOIN.Two complete Sirloin sections (the whole, complete, Long Loins) left joined, are the  original and TRUE BARON OF BEEF. 

INTERMEDIATE: 
Ten of the fifteen intermediate cuts still derive from the noble SIR LOIN.

1.    Rectus femoris, or; retail name, Rump, Knuckle Centre-Location: Hind Quarter, Rump

2.    Tensor fascia latae, or; retail name, Tri-Tip-Location Hind Quarter: Sirloin. bottom

3.    Biceps brachkli, or; retail name, Chuck- Location Front Quarter:Chuck

4.    Complexus, or; retail name Rib-eye, Standing Rib/prime rib-Location: Front Quarter; RIBS,

5.    Longissimus lumborum, or; retail name Loin Eye, Striped Loin- Location: Hind Quarter:Short Loin

6.    Obliquus internus abdominus, or, retail name Sirloin Butt Flap-Location: Hind Quarter: Sirloin.

7.    Gracilis, or; retail name, Inside Round Cap-Location; Hind Quarter: Round

8.    Longissimus thoracis, or; retail name, Rib-eye-Location: Front Quarter: Ribs

9.    Vastus medialis, or; retail name, Round-Location: Hind Quarter: Round

10.  Tricept braciii, or; retail names, Chuck Centre, Ranch Cut, Shoulder Centre, Shoulder Top Clod Heart-Location: Front Quarter: Clod Muscle, Chuck

11.  Gastrocneminis, or; retail name, Round Heel-Location: Hind Quarter: Round

12.  Rectis adominus, or; retail name Flank- Location : Front and Hind Quarter” Primal Flank

13.  Quadriceps femoris, or; retail name, Sirloin-tip-Location: Hind Quarter: Sirloin

14.  Semimembranosus, or; retail name, Top/ Inside Round-Location: Hind Quarter: Round

15.  Adductor, or; retail name, Top/Inside Round-Location: Hind Quarter: Round

TOUGH:
Notice: With the new “Integrated “ market,  these cuts are now pretty much from where ever; and are named whatever.

1.    Biceps femoris or; retail names , Bottom,Outside Round- location hind Quarter

2.     Obliquus externus abdominis-

3.     Supraspinatus-Mock Tender (whatever), Chuck Tender, Scotch Tender

4.    Semitendinosus-Eye of Round

5.    Latissimus dorsi

6.    Splenius

7.    Superficial pectoral (pectoralis profundus)-Brisket

8.    Gluteus medius-Top Sirloin

9.    Vastus lateralis-Side Round

10.  Brachialis

11.  Trapezius-Outside Chuck

12.  Deltroideus-Outside Chuck

13.  Rhomboideus- Stew scraps

14.  Longissimus dorsi (chuck)-Chuck Eye

15.  Extensor capri radialis

16.  Cutaneous-omi brachialis

17.  Brachiocephalicus omotransversarius

©Al (Alex-Alexander) D Girvan. All rights reserved.