Know your Cuts
1. Leg
Ham comes from the hind leg and has usually either been cured or smoked prior to purchase. Fresh, uncured ham is a melt-in-your-mouth treat when it's cooked low and slow. There's a slew of other bone-in and boneless options, from specialty cuts like prosciutto and serrano to both the popular city ham and its saltier, chewier cousin, country ham. No matter how you slice it, ham makes a tasty meal.
Cuts From The Leg
2. Loin
One of the most tender and lean cuts of pork, the loin is cut right from the back. At the meat counter, you will find it sliced wide and flat, and sold both as boneless and bone-in. Best grilled or roasted, pork loin is an easy way to get a juicy, tasty cut of meat for dinner any night of the week. Try it in chops, as a roast or tenderloin, or as country style ribs.
Cuts From The Loin
3. Butt
Pork butt, also called the Boston butt or the shoulder butt, actually comes from the front shoulder. Often thicker and marbled with fat throughout, this cut is a little more substantial than the pork picnic, which it's often confused with. Try pulled pork with the butt because it holds up well when slow cooked and delivers meat that falls off the bone. Other cuts you'll find from the pork butt include the boneless blade roast, bone-in blade roast, blade steak, and country-style ribs.
Cuts From The Butt
4. Picnic
Pork picnic goes by several names: shoulder picnic, pork shoulder, picnic shoulder, picnic ham, even picnic hocks. They are all variations on basically the same cut. The picnic is not to be confused with the pork butt, a thicker cut that is higher up the shoulder. Whatever you call it, pork picnic is great roasted, slow cooked, or smoked, and sliced like ham.
Cuts From The Picnic
5. Side
The side consists of two basic parts: the belly and the ribs. If you are going for great taste, bet on pork belly. This nostalgic and versatile cut is packed with flavor-adding fat. This is where bacon comes from after it has been cured and salted, but it can also be cooked fresh, either braised or roasted. Whether it's the centerpiece of your dish, or used a key ingredient or decadent appetizer, bellies are extremely versatile and flavorful, making any occasion special.
Pork Ribs come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and each is tasty in their own way. Backribs come from the blade section of the loin and are the smallest and most tender of the rib cuts. Spareribs, to include St Louis style sparerib, come from the belly section, with larger bones surrounded by more fat and flavor. A little less meaty than other cuts, their bigger size helps bring bigger taste. Whichever kind you go for, cook with a dry or wet rub to enhance the flavor.
Cuts From The Side
1. Chuck
The chuck primal comes from the shoulder area and yields cuts known for their rich, beefy flavor. Packed with muscle, chuck requires a little longer cook time, but it's high fat content and affordable price make it a tasty and accessible option. Available in a variety of roasts, chuck is traditionally braised or turned into ground beef, but the recent rise in popularity of flat iron steak has brought a new audience and appreciation for this humble cut.
2. Brisket
The brisket primal comes from the animal's breast area and is the perfect cut to cook low and slow. Braising, smoking and roasting are all good ways to make sure your brisket comes out tender and juicy. Try it in a long-simmering roasting pot, a slow cooker, or smoked all day.
Cuts From The Brisket
3. Shank
The primal cut known as the shank is a portion of the animal's leg – and as such, it's pretty packed with muscle and tendon. To get it tender, braise the meat low and slow, like in an osso buco, a traditional Italian dish made with cross-cut shanks, vegetables and broth.
Cuts From The Shank
4. Ribs
The rib primal is situated under the front section of the backbone and is packed with some of the most popular beef cuts. The ribeye steak and the prime rib roast both come from this tender and flavorful primal.
Cuts From The Ribs
5. Plate
Right under the ribs is the plate primal cut, sometimes referred to as short plate or long plate, depending on, well, its length. It's a somewhat fatty area, making the short ribs and skirt steaks cut from this part of the animal tender and flavorful. For a quick and delicious entrée, make fajitas with inside skirt steak. In minutes, cooks of every skill level can make a simple, tasty meal.
Cuts From The Plate
6. Short Loin
Directly under the backbone is the loin primal cut, home to some of the most tender and desirable cuts of meat. It's where you find the tenderloin, strip steak, T-bone steak and porterhouse steak. Each of these cuts is great cooked on the dry heat of the grill or broiled. For a rich and smoothly textured piece of beef, you can't go wrong with the short loin.
Cuts From The Short Loin
7. Flank
Located just below the loin, the flank primal is a delicious, affordable alternative cut. Flank steak is best when marinated and then grilled quickly at a high temperature. When serving, make sure to slice against the grain to ensure the most tender eating experience.
Cuts From The Flank
8. Top Sirloin
A versatile and flavorful cut, the Top Sirloin Steak is best for grilling. It can be cut and served as a steak or cut into smaller portions for kabobs. The Top Sirloin Steak carries an intense depth of flavor similar to a roast but cooks easy and quick like a steak. Top Sirloin Steaks are easy to prepare and are generally more affordable than other cuts which gained it the reputation as the "weeknight steak."
Bottom Sirloin
Known for leaner cuts of meat like the Tri-Tip and Sirloin Bavette, cuts from the Bottom Sirloin are best for roasting or grilling. This cut is often ground up to make burgers or thinly sliced for fajitas and barbecue.
Cuts From The Top/Bottom Sirloin
9. Tenderloin
Found within the loin, beef tenderloin is among the most tender cuts of beef. Extending from the short loin into the sirloin, the filet mignon and chateaubriand come from the tenderloin cut. Due to the tenderness of the meat, beef tenderloin is great when cooked using dry-heat methods such as grilling or broiling.
10. Sirloin
The sirloin primal hosts a variety of cuts, but it's first separated into the top sirloin and bottom sirloin. From this primal, you'll find cuts that are great for roasting or grilling like the tri-tip and sirloin bavette. For a delicious, juicy meal with any sirloin, marinate before cooking to retain moisture and add a kick of flavor.
Cuts From The Sirloin
11. Round
If you want a roast, choose the round primal cut. The round is made up of the rump and hind legs of the animal. It is lean, inexpensive and delicious when slowly roasted. Round roasts are typically divided into three main sections: the top round, bottom round and the knuckle, also known as the sirloin tip. No matter which cut you land on, set some time aside to bring the natural flavors into a juicy, rich dish.
