Prior to reaching the supermarkets and the consumer, a carcass is divided into nine cuts.
These cuts, called primal cuts (or wholesale cuts), are still used to some extent, in food service, because they:
*Are small enough to be manageable in many food service kitchen
*Are still large enough to allow a variety of cuts for different uses or needs
*Are easier to utilize completely than quarters or halves
Primal could give a restaurant a custom cuts, outside the norm and to create unique presentations.
Each primal are fabricated, or cut up and trimmed, several ways. Primal cuts are always the starting point or smaller cuts.
Recognition of cuts needs to be developed at two levels – the primal cuts and the retail cuts. The primal cuts are the first cuts made on each half of the carcass.
The National Live Stock and Meat Board developed the terminology for the primal
Cuts:
Chuck
Rib
Short loin
Sirloin
Round Tip
Flank
Short plate
Brisket
Foreshank
Rib, short loin and sirloin wholesale cuts lie along the back of the animal and are usually the most tender and expensive.
Although less tender, chuck (shoulder area) and round (rump area) wholesale cuts provide many popular retail cuts.
Primal cuts of beef
