Interactive Chart
The Cut Map
Where every cut sits on the animal. Pick a species, then hover a primal or a cut name to light it up on the chart — and hover the chart to find the cuts in each primal.
Beef · 9 primals
Chuck
2- Beef Chuck — Subprimal BreakdownThe chuck primal — roughly the shoulder and neck — breaks into six distinct subprimals and individual muscles, each with different textures and ideal cooking methods.
- Beef Clod (Chuck Shoulder Clod)A large, economical subprimal from the beef shoulder that Central Texas pitmasters smoke low-and-slow as a brisket alternative, yielding deeply beefy, sliceable roast at a fraction of the price.
Rib
1Short Loin
3- Beef Loin — Strip, Tenderloin, T-Bone & PorterhouseThe loin primal (short loin + sirloin) is the source of the strip steak, tenderloin, T-bone, porterhouse, and sirloin — the most prestigious dry-heat cuts on the carcass.
- Beef Tenderloin — Medallion Portioning & Chain RemovalThe most tender cut on the steer — a tapered torpedo of near-fat-free muscle that must be broken down precisely into châteaubriand, center-cut filets, and tail portions before a single ounce is wasted.
- ChâteaubriandThe thick, center-cut roast from the heart of the beef tenderloin — the most tender steak cut on the animal.
Sirloin
2- Beef Round & Rump CutsThe round primal — the entire hind leg and rump — is the largest and leanest primal, yielding economical roasts and thin-sliced cuts best suited to low-and-slow or high-acid preparations.
- Tri-TipA triangular, well-marbled muscle from the bottom sirloin butt, famous in California's Santa Maria Valley for reverse-sear or direct-grill cooking — and notorious for its two-direction grain that demands careful slicing.
Round
3- Bresaola Source Cut (Eye of Round)The eye of round — a lean, cylindrical muscle from the beef hindquarter — is the canonical cut for bresaola, chosen for its uniform shape, tight grain, and near-zero intramuscular fat.
- Molida de Res — Ground Beef CoarsenessMexican ground beef calibrated for loose, savoury picadillo and taco fillings — coarser than American hamburger grind to preserve crumble texture and absorb salsa without becoming paste.
- Oxtail — Cross-Cut vs. SegmentThe bovine tail sectioned either by sawing across the vertebrae (cross-cut) or by separating at the natural joints (segment) — each method yielding different textures and best uses.
Brisket
3- Beef Brisket — Flat vs. PointThe pectoral workhorse of the steer — a two-muscle slab that rewards long, patient cooking with the most deeply flavored, collagen-rich beef in the butcher case.
- Burnt Ends (Point Cube)Cubed brisket point re-smoked in its own juices until lacquered with bark and rendered fat — Kansas City's most coveted BBQ byproduct.
- Chadolbaegi (Paper-Thin Beef Brisket Slice)Translucent 1–2 mm brisket slices, cut frozen on a deli slicer, defined by their white fat streaks and near-instant cook time on a Korean table grill.
Plate
4- Beef Flank & Plate — Skirt, Hanger & FlapFour deeply flavored, grain-forward muscles from the underbelly — the butcher's secret weapons for tacos, bistro steak, and live-fire cooking.
- Beef Plate Short Rib vs. Chuck Short RibTwo very different short rib cuts from different primals — plate ribs are the big, fatty showstoppers of Texas BBQ; chuck ribs are the braise-ready workhorses of bistros and Sunday kitchens.
- Beef Rib Section — Ribeye, Short Rib & Back RibThe rib primal (ribs 6–12) is home to the most lushly marbled steaks on the carcass — ribeye, prime rib — plus back ribs and the beginning of plate short ribs.
- Korean Galbi — Flanken-Cut & LA GalbiKorean short ribs in two distinct cuts — traditional flanken (parallel to bone through 3 ribs) and LA galbi (thin perpendicular cross-cut) — each optimised for tabletop charcoal grilling and maximum marinade surface area.
Shank
4- Beef Shank & Osso Buco Cross-CutThe leg of the steer — an almost impossibly collagen-rich muscle that transforms under long braising into trembling, silky, marrow-laden magnificence.
- Beef Tendon vs. Shank Cross-CutTwo collagen-dense cuts from the lower leg — the Achilles tendon itself and the cross-cut shank — that transform through long wet heat into silk.
- Veal Osso Buco Cross-CutA transverse cross-section of the veal hind shank cut to expose the marrow-filled bone — the anatomical and culinary centerpiece of the Milanese braise that bears its name.
- Wagyu / Japanese Beef Subprimal BreakdownJapanese beef butchery divides the wagyū carcass into 13 primary sections with dozens of named subprimal muscles, each selected for its specific marbling grade and cut for yakiniku, shabu-shabu, or sukiyaki.