A guide to the different cuts of beef

Brisket

Some of the most richly marbled meat is on the chest area of the cow, beneath the neck and between the shoulders where the meat is full of rich flavour. A working part of the animal which has a great deal of movement during the cow’s lifetime, brisket cuts are rich and fatty, making them perfect for being slow-roasted for meltingly tender beef that’s similar to pulled pork.

Brisket is usually sold boned and rolled as a full joint, but it’s recently gained popularity in the UK due to its association with pit-smoking and barbecues. Brisket can also be used to make beef and pastrami and it can be turned into mince because the fat prevents it from drying out when cooking.

We include brisket as a roasting joint in our Pasture Beef Box.

Plate: Skirt & hanger/onglet

On the front belly of the cow and below the ribs is an area known as the plate or short plate. This area of the cow contains several cuts including short ribs, hangar steak or onglet and skirt steak. Cuts from this area are quite fatty and tough and they are also quite thin, coming with a tough membrane which should be removed before cooking. While these may pose a challenge for an inexperienced chef, these cuts also contain a lot of flavour which can be released if the steak is cooked very quickly in a pan or very slowly in a liquid.

Skirt steaks served on their own should be sliced against the grain and cooked over as high a heat as possible. Skirt steaks are often used in Mexican dishes because they lend themselves well to spicy and zesty marinades and they’re also great for barbecuing. Because they make excellent gravy, skirt steaks are also used in Cornish pasties.

Hanger steak or onglet has traditionally been used in French cuisine but the cut is gaining popularity in the UK. This is partly because it’s great for barbecuing, with the smoke complementing the flavour of the beef perfectly. With an intense, meaty flavour and a chewy texture, the meat should be cut against the grain to make it as tender as possible and it’s best served quite rare or slow-cooked or marinaded.

We include hanger steak in our Offal Box.

But, with tenderloin constituting just 8% of the meat which can be cut from a cow, fillet is a precious meat that’s worthy of a special occasion. Fillet should be cooked over incredibly high heat as quickly as possible to prevent the meat from drying out, but larger pieces can be used to make dishes such as beef Wellington which can be cooked in the oven for a longer period.

Sirloin steak has an excellent balance of fat and tenderness and it is often sold as a rolled or boned joint, ready for roasting whole. Sirloin steaks should be cooked in a similar way to rib-eye steaks to allow the fat to render and melt into the rest of the meat. If you’re roasting a whole joint, you should ensure that a thick cap of fat remains on top of the meat to prevent it drying out when cooking.

Fillet steak and sirloin steak is included in our twelve piece Steak Box.

Just above the leg, the silverside area is often used to make salt beef or corned beef, or it can be roasted as a whole joint or cut into minute steaks. A lean cut with relatively little marbling, a joint of silverside can be kept moist and tender through regular basting or being partly submerged in liquid to prevent it drying out.

The topside is found on the inner thigh and it almost always comes with a layer of fat secured to it which will infuse the beef with moisture and flavour as it cooks. The meat itself is relatively lean so it can be served rare while remaining tender, making it ideal as an ‘easy to carve’ roast.

These cuts are included as roasting joints in our Pasture Beef Box.

Rump steak is included in our twelve piece Steak Box.

Offal

Offal includes the organ meats of a cow including the heart, liver, kidney, stomach and tongue as well as the tail. While many think of these cuts as being unappetising, they are rapidly gaining popularity as nutritious, inexpensive and delicious.

The inner organs of a cow are high in iron and contain more nutrients than most muscle meat and they are full of flavour.

The sale of offal is an important part of our endeavour to use as much of each of our cows as possible so that nothing goes to waste.

If you’ve never tried offal before, you’ll be amazed at what you’ve been missing out on, give our offal box a try today.

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