NAMES AND USES OF CUTS

38. So that a still better idea may be formed of the pieces into which a side of beef may be cut, reference should be made to Fig. 5. The heavy line through the center shows where the side is divided in order to cut it into the fore and hind quarters. As will be observed, the fore quarter includes the chuck, prime ribs, and whole plate, and the hind quarter, the loin and the round, each of these large pieces being indicated by a different color.

To make these large pieces of a size suitable for sale to the consumer, the butcher cuts each one of them into still smaller pieces, all of which are indicated in the illustration. The names of these cuts, together with their respective uses, and the names of the beef organs and their uses, are given in Table II.

TABLE II
CUTS OBTAINED FROM A SIDE OF BEEF AND THEIR USES

NAME OF
LARGE PIECE
NAME OF CUTUSES OF CUTS
ChuckNeckSoups, broths, stews
Shoulder clodSoups, broths, stews, boiling, corning
Ribs (11th, 12th, and 13th)Brown stews, braizing, poor roasts
Ribs (9th and 10th)Braizing, roasts
ShoulderSoups, stews, corning, roast
Cross-ribsRoast
BrisketSoups, stews, corning
ShinSoups
Prime RibsRibs (1st to 8th, inclusive)Roasts
Whole PlatePlateSoups, stews, corning
NavelSoups, stews, corning
LoinShort steakSteaks, roasts
Porterhouse cutsSteaks, roasts
Hip-bone steakSteaks, roasts
Flat-bone steakSteaks, roasts
Round-bone steakSteaks, roasts
SirloinSteaks
Top sirloinRoasts
FlankRolled steak, braizing, boiling
TenderloinRoast
RoundRumpRoasts, corning
Upper roundSteaks, roasts
Lower roundSteaks, pot roasts, stews
VeinStews, soups
ShankSoups
Beef OrgansLiverBroiling, frying
HeartBaking, braizing
TongueBoiling, baking, braizing
TailSoup

39. As will be observed from Fig. 5, the ribs are numbered in the opposite direction from the way in which they are ordinarily counted; that is, the first rib in a cut of beef is the one farthest from the head and the thirteenth is the one just back of the neck. The first and second ribs are called the back ribs; the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, the middle ribs. To prepare the ribs for sale, they are usually cut into pieces that contain two ribs, the first and second ribs being known as the first cut, the third and fourth as the second cut, etc. After being sawed across, the rib bones are either left in to make a standing rib roast or taken out and the meat then rolled and fastened together with skewers to make a rolled roast. Skewers, which are long wooden or metal pins that may be pushed through meat to fasten it together, will be found useful to the housewife in preparing many cuts of meat for cooking. They may usually be obtained at a meat market or a hardware store.

40. Certain of the organs of beef are utilized to a considerable extent, so that while they cannot be shown in Fig. 5, they are included in Table II. The heart and the tongue are valuable both because they are economical and because they add variety to the meat diet of the family. The tongue, either smoked or fresh, may be boiled and then served hot, or it may be pickled in vinegar and served cold. The heart may be prepared in the same way, or it may be stuffed and then baked. The tail of beef makes excellent soup and is much used for this purpose.


COOKING OF BEEF