Understanding Beef Cuts: What You're Actually Buying

When you buy beef at a grocery store, someone else decided which cuts to stock and how to label them. When you buy direct from a ranch, you're making those decisions yourself. That means you need to understand what you're looking at.

This isn't complicated, but it helps to know the basics. A steer gets divided into eight main sections called primal cuts. From those primals, butchers cut the steaks, roasts, and ground beef you actually cook with. Different parts of the animal produce different types of meat based on how much that muscle worked during the animal's life.

Here's what you need to know.

How Beef Gets Divided

After processing, a beef carcass gets split down the middle, creating two sides. Each side is divided into a front quarter and a hind quarter. From there, butchers separate the eight primal cuts: chuck, rib, loin (short loin and sirloin), round, brisket, plate, flank, and shank.

The basic rule: muscles that worked harder are tougher. Muscles that worked less are more tender. The most tender cuts come from the middle of the animal (rib and loin). The toughest cuts come from the legs and shoulders (round, chuck, shank) because those muscles did the most work.

Tougher doesn't mean worse. It just means different cooking methods work better.

The Primal Cuts and What They Give You

Chuck (Shoulder)
Location: Front shoulder and neck area
Character: Well-used muscle, more connective tissue, rich flavor, higher fat content

Chuck produces great ground beef because of its fat-to-meat ratio. It also gives you roasts that work perfectly for pot roast, stews, and braising. Chuck is tough if you cook it hot and fast, but becomes incredibly tender with low, slow cooking. Common cuts: chuck roast, chuck steak, ground chuck, short ribs from the chuck.

Rib
Location: Upper middle back, ribs 6-12
Character: Well-marbled, tender, premium cuts

This is where ribeye steaks come from. The fat marbling in rib cuts creates exceptional flavor and tenderness. These are premium cuts with premium prices. Best cooked with high heat on a grill or in a cast iron pan. Common cuts: ribeye steak, prime rib (standing rib roast), short ribs, ribeye roast.

Loin (Short Loin and Sirloin)
Location: Lower back, behind the ribs
Character: Least-used muscles, very tender, leaner than rib

This primal produces your most expensive steaks. The tenderloin runs through this section, giving you filet mignon. The short loin gives you T-bone, porterhouse, and New York strip steaks. Sirloin sits further back and is slightly less tender but more flavorful. These cuts need minimal cooking, work best at medium-rare to medium. Common cuts: filet mignon, T-bone, porterhouse, New York strip, sirloin steak, tri-tip.

Round
Location: Rear leg and rump
Character: Lean, tougher, large muscles

Round cuts are lean with minimal marbling. They're less expensive and require attention when cooking to avoid drying out. Good for roasts if cooked low and slow, or sliced thin for sandwiches. Top round works for London broil. Bottom round makes good roast beef. Eye of round is the leanest, best for slow roasting. Common cuts: top round, bottom round, eye of round, round steak, rump roast.

Brisket
Location: Lower chest, breast area
Character: Tough, fatty, requires long cooking

Brisket is famous for barbecue for a reason. It has significant connective tissue that breaks down beautifully with long, slow cooking. Cooked properly (low and slow), it becomes incredibly tender. Rush it, and it's tough and dry. This cut requires patience but delivers incredible flavor. Common cuts: brisket flat, brisket point.

Plate
Location: Lower front belly, below the rib
Character: Fatty, flavorful, tough

This is where skirt steak and hanger steak come from. Both are flavorful cuts that benefit from marinating and quick, hot cooking. Slice against the grain after cooking. The plate also produces ground beef and short ribs. Common cuts: skirt steak, hanger steak, short ribs, pastrami (from plate).

Flank
Location: Lower rear belly
Character: Lean, long grain, flavorful but tough

Flank steak has become more popular (and expensive) as people discovered its flavor. It's lean with long muscle fibers. Best marinated and grilled hot and fast, then sliced thin against the grain. Works great for fajitas and stir-fry. Common cuts: flank steak.

Shank
Location: Front and rear leg, below the knee
Character: Toughest cut, lots of connective tissue

Shank is the hardest-working muscle on the animal. It's tough, sinewy, and requires very long cooking to break down. Used primarily for stews, soups, and bone broth because the long cooking extracts incredible flavor and collagen. Not typically sold as individual cuts. Common uses: stew meat, soup bones, osso buco (cross-cut shank).

Choosing What to Order

When you order from Culbertson Cattle Co., you're choosing between different cuts based on how you plan to cook and what you're feeding.

For grilling and quick cooking: Rib and loin cuts (ribeye, strip steak, filet mignon, T-bone, sirloin)
For slow cooking and braising: Chuck roasts, brisket, round roasts
For ground beef: Usually from chuck, sometimes from round or mixed
For everyday cooking: Ground beef, sirloin, round
For special occasions: Ribeye, filet mignon, prime rib

Don't overlook the tougher cuts. A chuck roast cooked low and slow in a Dutch oven produces incredible results at a fraction of the cost of premium steaks. Brisket done right beats most expensive cuts. The "cheaper" cuts aren't inferior, they just require different cooking methods.

What This Means When You Buy Direct

When you buy from a grocery store, you get whatever cuts they decided to stock that day. When you buy direct from us, you can request specific cuts, talk through what you're planning to cook, and make informed decisions about what you're getting.

We'll answer questions about cuts, suggest alternatives if something's not available, and help you get the right beef for how you actually cook. That's the advantage of buying direct. You're not just getting better beef. You're getting the information to use it properly.