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General Meat Carcass Information

• Livestock are processed before 2 years of

age
– Why?
• Tender meat
– Older animals are processed but the quality of
meat is older.
• After the
animal is
stunned,
• The carcass is
bled out by
hanging
upside down
on a rail
 Primal Cuts
• Are also known as wholesale cuts
• Are the larger sections of a carcass from
which retail cuts are fabricated
• Are the pieces of meat from the initial
breakdown of the carcass

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 Wholesale vs. Retail
Wholesale Retail

• Wholesale cuts are • Retail Cuts are the

those which are smaller cuts that you
shipped from the and I buy at the
packing plant to Grocery Store or
Butchers and Grocers Butcher Shop.
for further Processing
into smaller cuts.

Large Cuts Smaller Cuts

 Sub Primal Cuts
• Refer to the larger cuts of meat fabricated
from the primal cuts of the carcass
• Are cut from wholesale cuts, will fit into
boxes to be sold
• Are vacuum sealed,
boxed and shipped to
stores
• Are typically sold
boneless
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 Primal Cuts(Wholesale) - Beef
• Includes:
1. chuck
2. rib
3. loin
4. round
5. flank
6. plate
7. shank
8. brisket

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 Chuck
• Is the area of the carcass
which extends from the
neck to the fifth rib and the
dorsal to the brisket
– shoulder of beef
• Has varying amounts of tenderness
between the muscles
• Retail cuts: Pot Roast, Short Ribs, Top
Blade Steak, Ground Beef
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 Rib
• Is fabricated from the forequarter of the
carcass, ribs 6 through 12 as well as a
portion of the backbone
• Retail cuts, including the ribeye steak, are
often cooked using dry heat cooking
methods
• Is a popular choice of meat
due to its flavor and
tenderness
• Retail Cut: Rib Eye, Back Ribs
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 Loin
• Yields the most expensive and tender cuts
of meat
• Includes the 13th rib and all of the lumbar
vertebrae
• Can be divided into the short loin and the
sirloin
• Can be cut into chops,
steaks and roasts including
T-bones, tenderloin fillets,
& Porterhouse.
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 Round
• Is the hind leg of a beef carcass
• Is not as tender as other primal cuts due
to extensive muscle use
• Is a popular cut of meat because of its
strong combination of
leanness, flavor, texture
and low price
• Retail Cuts: Tip Steak, Rump
Roast, Round Steak & Roast
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 Flank
• Is located directly beneath the loin behind
the plate
• Is a tougher cut with large amount of fat
and connective tissue
• Is usually ground with the exception
of the flank steak or London broil
• Is boneless

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 Plate
• Is the ventral portion of the rib connected
to the sternum
• Is also called the short plate
• Is usually a cheap, fatty, bone-in and
tough cut
• Retail Cut: Ground Beef

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 Shank
• Is the lower portion of the leg of the
carcass
• Is extremely tough, with excess
connective tissue
• Is usually used in stews with slow cooking
process to break down connective
tissues or ground
• Retail Cuts: Corned Beef,
Brisket, Ground Beef
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 Brisket
• Is cut from the breast of the beef carcass
• Is a boneless cut and is ideal for feeding
large groups
• Is popular for its flavor and texture
• Must be cooked slowly at low heat and will
shrink significantly

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 Popular Retail Cuts - Beef

Eye of Round Steak Round Steak Tip Steak, Sirloin Tip

(Round) (Round) Steak (Round or Loin)

Porterhouse Steak T-Bone Steak Tenderloin Steak

(Loin) (Loin) (Loin)

Arm Steak, Arm

Eye Steak, Ribeye Small End Steak,
Chuck Steak
Filet (Rib) Ribeye Steak (Rib)
(Chuck) 17
 Popular Retail Cuts - Beef

Cross Cut,
7-Bone Steak, Short Ribs, Skirt Steak
Shank Cross
7-Bone Chuck Plate Ribs (Plate)
Cut(Shank)
Steak (Chuck) (Plate)

Brisket Ground Beef Stew Beef Cube Steak

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Pork
 Primal Cuts(Wholesale) - Pork
• Include:
1. ham, leg
2. loin
3. shoulder (Boston) butt/picnic shoulder,
shoulder
4. side/belly

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 Shoulder (Boston) Butt/Picnic Shoulder,
Shoulder
• Is located on the upper and
lower portion of the foreleg
• Is one of the toughest cuts of
pork
• Is generally an inexpensive cut
of pork
• Can usually be cooked by any
method
• Retail Cuts Blade Boston, Blade Roast
(Shoulder)

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 Side/Belly
• Is located ventral to the loin
• Is very fatty and usually only has small
strips of lean meat
• Contains the spareribs
• Is usually cut for bacon
• Retail Cut:
BACON!

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 Loin
• Is located on both sides of the backbone
• Is the leanest, most tender and most
expensive cut of pork
• Is an expensive cut due to its quality
• Is easily overcooked because of its
leanness

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 Loin
• Retail Cuts:
– Loin Chop, Pork T-bone Chop

– Back Ribs

– Blade Chop
 Ham, Leg
• Is made up of the rump and hind leg
• Is often cured or smoked
• Is very lean and flavorful

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 Popular Retail Cuts - Pork

Back Ribs
Blade Boston, Blade Chop Cube Steak (Loin)
Blade Roast (Loin)
(Shoulder)

Sausage Links Sausage Ground Pork Spare Ribs

Patties (Side)

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 Popular Retail Cuts - Pork

Center Slice, Fresh Side Shank Loin Chop,

Leg Center (Side) Portion, Leg Pork T-bone
Slice (Ham) Shank Chop (Loin)
Portion
(Ham)

Bacon
(Side)

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 Primal Cuts - Lamb
• Leg
• Loin
• Rack
• Shoulder

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 Leg
• Is one of the most popular lamb cuts
• Is most commonly prepared whole
• Is relatively tender and can be cooked in a
variety of ways

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 Loin
• Is located between the rib and leg
• Is one of the mildest tasting cuts of lamb
• Contains portions of the backbone as well
as the loin eye muscle, tenderloin and
flank
• Is usually cooked
using a dry heat
method

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 Rack
• Is also known as the hotel rack
• Portion of the rib section of a lamb, usually
containing ribs 5 through 12, and a portion
of the backbone
• Can be grilled, broiled
or roasted

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 Shoulder
• Is one of the most versatile lamb cuts
• Includes ribs 1 through 4 and the shoulder
of the carcass
• Is fatty and contains a large number of
bones
• Is tougher than the middle meats

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 Popular Retail Cuts - Lamb

French Style Sirloin Chops Loin Roast Loin Chops

Roast (Leg) (Loin) (Loin) (Loin)

Rib Chops Rib Roast Arm Chop Square Cut

(Rib) (Rib) (Shoulder) Whole (Shoulder)

Riblets 33