Meat Cut Identification

Beef

Top Round Steak

Beef

Top Round Steak

The Top Round Steak is the most tender of the various round steaks. This boneless steak consists of a large muscle called the top or inside round. Note the cover fat on the curved top surface, the cut surface on the left side, and connective tissue along the bottom.

Beef

Bottom Round Steak

Beef

Bottom Round Steak

The Beef Bottom Round Steak contains muscles which are less tender than the top round muscle. Note the heavy band of connective tissue separating the muscles.

Beef

Eye of Round Steak

Beef

Eye of Round Steak

The Beef Eye of Round Steak is a small round boneless steak. It usually has a layer of external fat on two sides.

Beef

Round Tip Steak

Beef

Round Tip Steak

The Tip Steak is cut from the tip roast. Like the roast this steak is identified by four individual muscles within.

Beef

Sirloin Steak

Beef

Sirloin Steak

The boneless Beef Sirloin Steak is an excellent steak for broiling and is made by removing all of the bones from any of the other types of sirloin steaks.

Beef

Porterhouse Steak

Beef

Porterhouse Steak

The Porterhouse Steak is similar to the beef loin T-bone steak. However the tenderloin muscle is much larger and an extra muscle is located in the center of the porterhouse steak on the upper side.

Beef

T-Bone Steak

Beef

T-Bone Steak

This steak has the characteristic "T" shaped vertebrae and the large eye muscle. The smaller muscle located below the T-bone is the tenderloin.

Beef

Top Loin Steak (boneless)

Beef

Top Loin Steak (boneless)

The boneless large eye muscle from the T-bone steak is called the boneless Beef Top Loin Steak.

Beef

Chuck 7-Bone Steak

Beef

Chuck 7-Bone Steak

The Beef Chuck 7-Bone Steak is similar to the beef chuck blade. It is usually cut less than one inch thick. The blade bone shown in this slide has the typical shape of the "seven-bone", a term frequently used in the meat trade.

Beef

Chuck Blade Steak

Beef

Chuck Blade Steak

The Beef Chuck Blade Steak is similar to the Chuck 7-Bone Steak. It is usually cut less than one inch thick. The blade bone is very easily seen in this slide.

Beef

Flank Steak

Beef

Flank Steak

The Beef Flank Steak is the only steak in the carcass containing an entire large muscle. Also, although most other steaks are cut across the muscle fibers, the flank steak fibers run the full length of the steak. Since the flank steak is one of the less tender steaks, it should be cooked with moist heat cookery.

Beef

Rib Eye Steak

Beef

Rib Eye Steak

The Beef Rib Eye Steak comes from the large end of the beef rib and is made by removing back and rib bones.

Beef

Rib Steak

Beef

Rib Steak

This steak contains a rib and portion of the backbone. This cut will also contain one or more smaller muscles.

Beef

Short Ribs

Beef

Short Ribs

Short Ribs are small cubes containing a section of the rib bone and thin layers of muscles. The muscles of the chest perform considerable work and are therefore not very tender.

Beef

Boneless Chuck Steak

Pork

Blade Chop

Pork

Blade Chop

This cut comes from the blade end of the loin. It contains several muscles and the blade bone.

Pork

Shoulder Arm Steak

Pork

Shoulder Arm Steak

This cut comes from the Pork Shoulder Arm Picnic Roast by slicing across the picnic. The round arm bone is located in the upper center.

Pork

Shoulder Blade Steak

Pork

Shoulder Blade Steak

This cut is from the Pork Shoulder Blade Boston Roast. It contains the blade bone and several muscles.

Pork

Shoulder Arm Picnic

Pork

Shoulder Arm Picnic

This roast contains the shank bone, the arm bone, and a portion of the blade bone. The arm bone will not be visible on the cut surface. This cut comes from the lower portion of the shoulder.

Pork

Loin Chop

Pork

Loin Chop

This cut has the same muscle and bone structure as the Beef T-Bone steak.

Pork

Rib Chop

Pork

Rib Chop

This steak contains a rib and portion of the backbone. This cut will also contain one or more smaller muscles.

Pork

Sirloin Chop

Pork

Sirloin Chop

The pork loin sirloin chop contains portions of the hipbone and backbone.

Pork

Smoked Ham Center Slice

Pork

Smoked Ham Center Slice

This cut is sliced from the center area of the pork ham. The cut is seldom more than one inch thick. It contains the leg bone and top, bottom , and eye muscles.

Lamb

Leg (whole)

Lamb

Leg (whole)

The American leg of lamb cut is boneless and is most often used as a roast. The Frenched leg of lamb is the same except it has the bone.

Lamb

Leg Center Slice

Lamb

Leg Center Slice

This cut is similar to both the beef round steak and the ham center slice in that it has the same muscles.

Lamb

Shank

Lamb

Shank

The shank is the bottom part of the leg of lamb with many of the same muscles as the center sliced leg at the top portion of the cut.

Lamb

Loin Chop

Lamb

Loin Chop

Loin chops are cut from the loin roast. These contain the T-bone, top loin and tenderloin muscles.

Lamb

Sirloin Chop

Lamb

Sirloin Chop

The lamb sirloin chop contains portions of the hipbone and backbone just like the pork sirloin chop.

Lamb

Rib Chop

Lamb

Rib Chop

The rib chops are cut from the rack of the lamb carcass and contains the backbone and rib bones. The large muscle in the middle, surrounded by smaller muscles, is the rib eye.

Lamb

Blade Chop

Lamb

Blade Chop

The blade chop is cut from the blade of the shoulder of the lamb carcass. It contains part of the blade bone, ribs and backbone.