“American” (in this case, meaning The United States of the Americas, only) Cuts of Beef

Of course, you know, 

there are three Americas;

none of them being 

The United States of THE Americas.

Image has been released into public domain. 

Note: The, huge, huge inaccuracy as to where most of the psoas major is located. Most of the tenderloin is NOT found in what is NOW DAYS usually referred to as the SIRLOIN (USA terminology-in reality, the whole of the LONG LOIN is the SIRLOIN and two long loins left joined are the BARON OF BEEF- refer to the lower image, the long loin secation runs from the sacrum up to and inclues the 13th rib.

Upper image is posted on The Weber Bullet and also on some other sites where they obviously don't know any better/what they are talking about either.

Do not forget the (USA) "Chuck Prime Rib; a beef carcass can DEFINETLY produce more than two rib cuts (roasts).

As with all quadrupeds, the tenderloin refers to the psoas major muscle ventral to the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae, near the kidneys.

One the key points that one MUST grasp  is the way that longissimus dorsi (LD), psoas major (PM) and gluteus medius (GM) are spread along the length of the carcass, as shown above.

Whole tenderloins are sold as either "unpeeled" (meaning the fat and silver skin remain), "peeled" (meaning that the fat is removed, but silver skin remains), or as PSMOs ("pismos"), which is short for peeled, silver skin removed, and side muscle (the "chain") left on. While the most expensive option pound-for-pound, PSMOs offer considerable savings over other tenderloin options as they require little handling by the cook(journeyman or apprentice cooks are Not chefs), as the fat and trimmings have already been removed. Trimming the silver skin can be a tricky process that is easily learned by any home cook. However, trimming a tenderloin is a job best done by experts, as inexperienced meat cutters can damage the steaks, reducing either the yield or the visual presentation. Since it is the tenderest part of the animal, beef dishes requiring exceptionally tender meat, such as steak tartare, are ideally made from the tenderloin.

The following is a list of the "American" primal cuts (in boldface), and the sub-primal and FABRICATED cuts derived from them. Beef carcasses are split along the axis of symmetry into "halves", then across into front and back "quarters" (forequarters and hindquarters). Canada (for obvious reasons-such as most ALL supermarkets and retail outlets being owned by the United States of the Americas.) uses identical cut names (and numbering) as the United States of the Americas

Forequarter Cuts

The chuck is the source of bone-in chuck steaks and roasts (arm or blade), and boneless clod steaks and roasts, most commonly. The trimmings and some whole boneless chucks are ground for hamburgers.

The rib contains part of the short ribs, the standing rib, rib, and rib eye fabricated)( steaks.

Brisket is (not truly a primal cut) primarily used for barbecue, corned beef or pastrami.

The Rib Section (ALL Ribs) is a very uneconomical cut of meat.

The fore shank or shank is used primarily for stews and soups; it is not usually served any other way because it is the toughest of the cuts.

The plate is the other source of short ribs (fabricated cut), used for pot roasting, and the outside skirt steak (very modern, fabricated cut), which is used for fajitas. The remainder is usually ground, as it is typically a cheap, tough, and fatty meat.

Hindquarter Cuts

The Long Loin or “true” sirloin has two subprimals, or, four, if boneless.

The short loin, from which the T-bone and Porterhouse steaks are cut if bone-in, or striped steak (if the tenderloin is stripped off)(New York Strip (fabricated cuts) if served without the bone, and Kansas City strip if bone in).

The (modern, U.S. of the Americas conception of) sirloin, which is less tender than short loin, but more flavourful, can be further divided into top sirloin and bottom sirloin (including tri-tip), and

The tenderloin: which is the tenderest, can be removed as a separate sub primal, and cut into medallions, tournedos or tenderloin steaks (fabricated cuts), or left as a braising, broiling/ roasting cut.

The round (which cannot become, or, be fabricated as, Baron of Beef because it is not a member of the British nobility) contains lean, often moderately tough, lower fat (less marbling) cuts, which might require moist(braising, stewing, or, rare cooking. Some representative cuts are round steak, eye of round, top round, and bottom round steaks and roasts.

The flank is used mostly for grinding, except for the long and flat flank steak, best known for use in London broil, and the inside skirt steak, also used for fajitas. Flank steaks were once one of the most affordable steaks, because they are substantially tougher than the more desirable loin and even rib steaks. Many modern recipes for flank steak use marinades or moist cooking methods, such as braising, to improve the tenderness and flavour. This, combined with a new interest in these cuts' natural leanness, has increased the price of the flank steak.

Some More, Common Misconceptions 

Beef Short Loin:

Beef short loin is where we get many of the most desirable cuts of meat, including T-bone and Porterhouse steaks, as well as the (fabricated) striped loin or striped steak. Dry-heat cooking is, usually, best for the tender cuts from the short loin.

The tenderloin: is an oblong shape, usually spanning one (Long Loin); and, occasionally, touching three ribs (rib 13 of the hind quarter and ribs12 to 11 of the rib section) primal cuts. The tenderloin sits (beneath- inside of- the ribs), next to the backbone. It has two ends: the butt and the "tail". The smaller, pointed end — the "tail" — usually starts in the (Hind Quarter) just behind the ribs, and grows in thickness until it ends in the modern  "sirloin" primal cut, which is closer to the butt (rump) of the bovine.. This muscle does very little work, so it is the most tender part of the beef. The tenderloin can be cut for either roasting cuts or steaks.

A very common misconception is that the tenderloin is also called a Chateaubriand steak, when in fact, while the entire fillet was, originally, known as fillet mignon, Chateaubriand is a RECIPE, for a VERY SPECIAL steak PRESENTATION; which originated in France. Typically, the Chateaubriand is taken from the large (first) cut of the tenderloin, a large enough portion to feed two or more.it should also be carved and served, at the table, not before.

There are three main "parts" of the tenderloin: the butt, the centre-cut, and the tail. The butt end is usually  also suitable for Carpaccio, as the eye can be quite large; cutting the whole (fillet mignon, as used in Beef Wellington)tenderloin into steaks of equal weight will, of course, yield proportionally very thin (undesirable) steaks. The centre-cut (This is not an eye) is usually more suitable for portion-controlled steaks as the diameter remains relatively consistent. The centre-cut can yield  United States of the Americas style “filet mignon” or tenderloin steak, The tail, which is generally unsuitable for steaks due to consistency of size concerns, can be used in braised or stewed recipes where small pieces of a tender cut are called for, such as the famous French dish Beef Stroganoff.

The first step in cooking a perfect steak is choosing the right cut of beef. You want to select a cut of meat that's tender and has plenty of marbling. In general, the best cuts of beef for steak come from the short loin or tenderloin primal cuts.

 Examples:

The stripped steak (sometimes called a New York strip or Kansas City strip), which is from the short loin;

The Porterhouse, T-Bone, and Club steaks the short loin, without the tenderloin having been stripped off.

The rib or even” ribeye” steak, which are fabricated from the rib primal (NOT PRIME) cut.

Medallions; which are steaks cut (fabricated) from, almost, the pointy end of the tenderloin.

Tenderloin steaks can also be taken from the butt or back end of the tenderloin where a small seam of connective tissue (which can be easily removed) may run through the steak, making it somewhat less desirable. However, the original Chateaubriand recipe came from the first (butt) cut of the tenderloin.

Beef Sirloin: was originally, and in reality still is, the entire LOIN or “Long Loin”.

Beef Tenderloin:

Possibly, depending on just how susceptible you are to the brain washing used by marketers, the finest cut of beef, the beef tenderloin (fillet mignon) is found inside the loin, Unless, of course, you are preparing BEEF WELLINGTON or one of the other braised/steamed dishes, or perhaps a stewed dish such as Beef Stroganoff (French); any tenderloin should only be cooked using dry heat methods such as broiling/roasting (Including baking in an oven) or grilling 

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