Best Beef Cuts Guide (Print)

A practical guide to choosing quality beef cuts suited for different cooking styles and dishes.

# What You Need:

→ Beef Cuts

01 - Chuck: Flavorful, well-marbled shoulder cut ideal for braising, stews, pot roast, or grinding.
02 - Rib: Tender, richly marbled rib section suited for ribeye steaks, prime rib roast, grilling, or roasting.
03 - Short Loin: Very tender area containing T-bone and porterhouse steaks, perfect for grilling, pan-searing, or broiling.
04 - Sirloin: Leaner back cut, flavorful for sirloin steaks, grilling, and stir-fries.
05 - Round: Lean, moderately tough rear leg cut used in roasts, London broil, slow cooking, and deli roast beef.
06 - Brisket: Tough and fatty but tenderizes with slow cooking; suited for barbecue, braising, smoking, or corned beef.
07 - Shank: Very tough leg cut rich in connective tissue, ideal for soups, stews, osso buco, and slow braising.
08 - Flank: Lean, long-grained, and flavorful cut best for marinating, grilling, stir-fries, and fajitas.
09 - Plate: Fatty and flavorful belly cut used for short ribs, skirt steak, fajitas, and braising.

# How to Make:

01 - Review each beef cut description to identify the best option for your cooking method and desired dish.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You'll finally stop second-guessing yourself at the meat counter and pick exactly what you need
  • Your braised dishes will taste incredible because you're using cuts that actually want to become tender
  • Grilled steaks will have that perfect crust and juicy center you've been chasing
  • You'll save money by matching the cut to the cooking method instead of buying expensive premium cuts for slow cooking
02 -
  • The toughest cuts become the most tender with slow, moist cooking. I learned this the hard way when I finally stopped forcing skirt steak into a slow cooker.
  • Cutting against the grain makes the biggest difference with lean, long-grained cuts. Learn the direction of the muscle fibers before you slice.
  • Temperature matters more than time. A meat thermometer is the best $15 you'll ever spend in the kitchen.
03 -
  • The most tender steaks need the least done to them, high heat and a quick sear is all they want
  • The toughest cuts are actually the most flavorful because of all that connective tissue and fat, you just need time and moisture to unlock it

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