Meat Cuts of Beef (United States and Brazil)

A simple and useful guide for meat cuts, featuring beef cuts charts for the United States and Brazil. In addition, you'll find out what cuts are best for wet and dry cooking, American primal cuts of beef, Brazilian cuts of meat, and how to find those same cuts in the United States.

Table of Contents

1 General Butchering Technique
2 American Primal Cuts of Beef
3 A Guide to Beef Cuts
4 Best Cuts of Meat for Dry Cooking
5 Best Meat Cuts for Wet Cooking
6 Most Tender Cuts of Beef
7 Most Tough Meat Cuts
8 Beef Cuts Chart
9 Other Cuts of Beef You Can Find in Brazil
10 Favorite American and Brazilian Meat Dishes

General Butchering Technique

To create quarters, beef is split along the axis of symmetry into two halves, then across into front and back. Butchers know them as the forequarters and the hindquarters. The U.S and Canada use the same basic butchering technique and naming system, but the process can vary from country to country.

American Primal Cuts of Beef

American primal cuts are divided into two categories: forequarters cuts and hindquarters cuts.

Forequarter Cuts

Chuck: The chuck comes from the shoulder region of the cow, which is where we get certain roasts like pot roast, clod steaks, chuck steaks, flat-iron steak, boneless short ribs, Denver steak, and beef stew. The chuck is often ground for hamburger. It tends to be tough, for which reason it is best when cooked longer in wet heat to make the meat tender.
Rib: This is located in the middle section of the cow and its cuts are best grilled or smoked-- except for prime rib, which requires low and slow cooking. The rib is where we get prime rib, ribeye steaks, and part of the short ribs.
Plate: This is below the rib and between the foreshank and the flank. This is the other source of tender, bone-in short ribs, which differs from the boneless short ribs from the chuck. The plate is also used for roast -- and the skirt steak is great for foods like fajitas and ropa vieja. The rest of the plate is usually ground because it is a low-cost and tough cut of meat.
Brisket: This comes from the chest of the cow and makes pastrami and corned beef, and is great for barbecuing. It’s has a lot of marbling and is tough, requiring low and slow cooking.
Shank: This is one of the toughest cuts of meat, so it mostly makes stews and soups that are slow-cooked because it comes from both the forearm and foreleg of the cow.

Hindquarter Cuts

Short Loin: This is behind the rib section. From the short loin, we get the T-bone and Porterhouse steaks, which are cut bone-in, or strip steak. A strip steak is known as the New York Strip if cut without the bone or Kansas City Strip with the bone in. As you can see, it is where some of the more tender and more expensive cuts of beef come from. Apply dry heat to cook them!
Sirloin: Located behind the short loin, the sirloin is less tender than the short loin but more flavorful. It is often divided into top sirloin and bottom sirloin. This section is where tri-tip comes from.
Tenderloin: This lies under the sirloin! The tenderloin is the most tender cut of beef. Use it whole or cut into filet mignon, tenderloin steaks, and roasts used for recipes like beef Wellington. The tenderloin can also be a part of T-bone and Porterhouse steaks.
Round: This lies above the hind shank. The round is a lean cut of beef that is somewhat tough, as it is lower in fat, with less marbling. Some typical cuts from the round are top round, round steak, eye of round, and bottom round steaks and roasts. The rump cap is part of the top section of the round where picanha comes from.
Flank: This is found behind the plate and below the short loin. Use the flank, which is lean, for flank steak (either to make London Broil or as an alternative to skirt steak) or ground beef. Flank steaks are very tough and require marinades when grilling, such as for carne asada. But it is mainly good for wet cooking methods to tenderize and improve the flavor of the meat.

A Guide to Beef Cuts

Here is your guide to cuts of beef:

Chuck:

Cross rib chuck roast
Top blade steak
Country-style ribs
Shoulder steak

Rib:

Ribeye cap steak
(Bone-in) Ribeye roast
Ribeye filet
Back ribs

Plate and Flank:

Short ribs (bone-in)
Flank steak (from the flank)
Skirt steak (from the plate)

Beef Brisket

Brisket point
Brisket flat

Shank:

Shank crosscut

Loin, short loin, and strip loin:

Porterhouse steak
Tenderloin roast
T-bone steak
Tenderloin filet (filet mignon)

Sirloin:

Top sirloin filet
Sirloin bavette
Top sirloin steak
Tri-tip steak

Round:

Top round steak
Bottom round rump roast
Eye of round roast
Bottom round roast

Miscellaneous cuts:

Beef cheeks
Beef tongue

Best Cuts of Meat for Dry Cooking

Dry heat cooking is the best method for tender cuts of meat. This method applies high heat for short periods of time, which prevents the beef from drying out. The cooking of the meat might also then be finished with lower heat and a longer cook time.

Dry heat cooking methods for meats:

Grilling
Broiling
Pan searing
Roasting
Stir-frying
Smoking
Barbecuing

The best cuts of beef for dry cooking:

Top round steak
Sirloin steak
Top sirloin steak
T-bone steak
Porterhouse steak
Tenderloin roast
Tenderloin steak
Ribeye steak
Rib roast

Best Meat Cuts for Wet Cooking

Wet cooking methods are used for less tender cuts of meat, such as short ribs, roasts, and brisket.

Wet heat cooking methods for meats:

Braising
Stewing
Pot roasting

The best cuts of beef for wet cooking:

Top round roast
Boneless rump roast
Tip roast
Eye round roast
Bottom round roast
Shank crosscut
Corned brisket
Brisket
Short ribs
Blade roast
Cross rib roast
Arm pot roast
Boneless shoulder roast
Chuck eye roast
Back ribs
Skirt steak
Flank steak

Whether cooking in dry or wet heat, use our temperature conversion chart and calculator to convert Fahrenheit to Celsius and vice-versa!

Most Tender Cuts of Beef

The most tender cuts of beef come from areas of the cow that receive less exercise. If you really want a tender cut, look to the sirloin, tenderloin, filet mignon, T-bone steak, porterhouse, or ribeye. These are wonderful cuts, sure to give you the most tender finished product.

Most Tough Meat Cuts

Tough cuts of meat are great because they are low cost, can become tender when cooked low and slow with liquid, and are often very flavorful. Some great tougher cuts of meat are the chuck roast, brisket, rump roast, skirt steak, and the top round steak (known as London Broil). These are great cuts to try, but be sure to use a marinade or other cooking liquids.

Beef Cuts Chart

Other Cuts of Beef You Can Find in Brazil

In Brazil, you’ll find many different beef cuts. Here are the most important cuts in Brazilian cuisine and the name of the cut that corresponds to it in the U.S.:

Acém – chuck steak
Alcatra – top sirloin
Chuleta – ribeye
Contrafilé – sirloin
Costela – ribs
Cupim - hump
Filé Mignon – filet mignon or tenderloin
Lagarto – round steak
Maminha – tri-tip
Músculo - shank
Paleta – shoulder
Patinho – sirloin tip
Peito – brisket
Pescoço – neck
Picanha cut – top sirloin cap or rump cap
Ponta de Agulha – short ribs
Fraldinha – flank steak (which you can use any of these 5 steak marinade recipes to tenderize it with)
Paleta – chuck/brisket
Entranha Fina ou Diafragma -- skirt steak

Several of these cuts, such as picanha and fraldinha, make the list of traditional Brazilian foods as they play a vital part in the famous Brazilian churrasco. Here is a useful meat cuts chart of equivalents for the U.S. and Brazil:

Favorite American and Brazilian Meat Dishes

Now that you know all of the main cuts of beef, including their Portuguese names as we know them in Brazil, you’re ready to get cooking! Here are some of my favorite American and easy Brazilian recipes made with different cuts of beef:

1. Skirt Steak