Beef Glossary
Beef Glossary, compiled by the Tuke's over the years!

  • Barron of Beef Whole rack of ribs, both sides. Sadly no longer possible to buy in UK as regulations require the removal of the spine, but fair to say that this is a mighty piece of beef to do justice! Roast. 
  • Bavette An extra-ordinary french cut taken from one or more of three places, depending on the region. Course grained with a bit meaty flavour. Incredibly tender if eaten rare but turns tough if cooked anything more. MarkAskew, Exec chef at Gordon Ramsay group, was kind enough to describe one of ours as the best bit of beef he'd ever tasted! 
  • BladeForequarter, top of leg. Tends to be used in this form most by restaurants, who bubble it down to make a fantastic flakey casserole /stock / pie Braise/ Potroast. 
  •  Boiling Beef Very ends of ribs, underside of belly. Looks a bit like spare ribs, with equal chunks of bone, lean and fat. Fabulous flavour if braised really slowly. A good cut if you have a range-cooker and you're so cold you're not sure you dare take your wellies off incase your toes stay behin.   Braise/Soup. 
  • Bottom Rump. Lump of meat that sits at the top of the rear leg, adjoining the topside and silverside. Also known as fleshy end (see below).  
  • Braising Steak A leaner version of a stewing cut, placed in a covered pan within a thick gravy and bubble for 2-4 hours. Rich and exciting, beautifully tender and  yet a very cost effective way of feeding hungry people.  Blade (Scot), or Fleshy End (Eng), Shin, Daubes  
  • Brisket. Between Forelegs to 9th rib (Scot), a bit shorter in England. This is one seriously under-rated cut, probably because it looks a bit fatty.  Don't worry about it, all you need to do is buy a bit of rolled brisket, which is the cheapest piece of "joined-up" beef you can get, shove it in a pot with some red wine, potatoe slices, carrots& chalottes for 2-3 hours and "Bingo!" . Massive flavour, wonderful flakey texture and, best of all, virtually impossible to ruin.  
  • Bullet Steak. Dutch cut, symbolising a good quality steak, but not as good as striploin, fillet or ribeye. Tight in grain with a full flavour, usually served blue but we think is better rare. we take it from the lower buttock.  
  • Butler's Steak. See Flat-Iron Steak below. 
  • Chateau Briand. Sirloin on-the-bone with fillet still attached to other side. The Smartest of all roasts and charged accordingly.  Take extreme care when cooking as it's hideously difficult to get both the fillet side and the sirloin side cooked to perfection.  Also known as Undercut or Sirloin Undercut.  
  • Cheek. It's been jolly difficult to get these in the UK up until very recently as the regulations here state the vets have to make to make three incissions around the cheek to check the carcass is safe. Unless done carefully, these render them unsellable. Very tender, flakey meat, quite a gentle flavour 
  • Chuck. Braising steak around Blade. An English cut, can also be used in casseroles. 
  • Clod. Cheaper stewing cut with quite a few sinews. It saves a lot of sweat if you buy it already diced, as most of the sinews will have been removed. Also known as stewing steak (Eng), neck, Stewing Beef (Scot). To my mind, slow cookers were invented for diced stewing - bit of beef, bit of veg, sprinkling of seasoning and topped up with water/beer/wine; hit the on-button and enjoy on your return. 
  • Cote de Boeuf .Single rib of beef taken from the larger end of the rib cage.  
  • Cowboy Steak. South American name for Skirt. I'm told they used to put it under their saddles and used the enzymes to break it down a bit. No idea if it's true or not, but it makes a good story… Daubes  A form of braising but with real class. Thick slabs of beef, bubbled for several hours  and served with a really thick gravy - gorgeous! 
  • False Fillet.  A square-ish cut, looks very like a fillet; not quite as tender but with a bigger flavour. To me, this is one cracker of a cut! If you ever see it off a grass-reared beast buy it, as you'll seldom find a more ubiquitous cut at such a reasonable price. Fried, grilled, slow-roasted, pot-roasted, BBQd, what ever takes your fancy. A top cut for beef-wellington-on-a-budget! 
  • Feather Steak. Long thin steak with sinews that make it look like a feather, tastes a bit brisketty. Best marinated (for my tatstes in lime & e.g. herbs) for 30mins in advance of cooking & grilling. This is a superb steak for BBQs. 
  • Fillet. Undercut of sirloin, a long, very tender "tube", subtle in flavour. Unfortunately you only get 5-6kg of fillet per 650kg beast (liveweight), hence being heavy on price. 
  • Fillet Mignon. Muscle within the rump (popeseye). Small, tender  and surprisingly light in flavour. 
  • Flank (Eng)Underside of beast.  Overlaps the Brisket (scots) at the front end  & Skirt (Eng)) at the back. 
  • Flash Fry (Scot) Thin slices steak also known as minute steak. Whack into a seriously hot pan for 30 seconds a side (hence the name) and allow to rest. Great in a bun with some relish or cut into strips and stir-fried.Careful about overcooking as it can go tough very quickly. 
  • Flat Iron Steak. An American cut from the shoulder blade, so called because it looks like a flat iron. Good barbequed. Unfortunately only 2-3lbs of flat iron per side.  Also known as Butler's Steak. Taken out of the shoulder blade, so benefits from 10mins rest after cooking. Increasingly taken from the blade, giving it a slightly soapy texture, tremendous tenderness and a pleasant, gentle flavour. 
  • Fleshy End. Two-mucle slab of meat at the top of the rear leg that can be rolled and roasted, pot roasted (better), or sliced and braised. Also known as bottom rump. 
  • Frying Steak. General term to clarify the difference between a fast cooking steak and a slow cooking (braising) one. 
  • Frying Steak (Borders) Local term in Scottish Borders for rump / popeseye steak. 
  • Full Face Rump .Large rump steak, taken across the full face (not halved),  but not as thick as a porterhouse. 
  •   Gaucho Steak. As per cowboy steak.  Its strength of flavour and tenderness means it doesn't need hanging to get the best out of it, in fact it beomes gamey quite quickly - hence the gauchos being able to cook it up on the spot  by way of a perk. 
  • Gertjan Steak. Scottish cut named after a Dutch master butcher, who gave us the idea. Tight grained with a gentle but distinct flavour that works beautifully rare-medium rare. Becomes tough if taken through to medium (pink). The one steak where we agree with our friend Derek that sous vide is a great way of cooking it. 
  • Goose Skirt. Thin strip of meat that runs from point where the two sides of the rib cage close in at the front back in to the heart. A butchers perk as it's usually treated as offal by the abbatoirs, yet a really good bit of meat. 
  • G rieve SteakSteak with big flavour and tight grain, taken from just above rear knee. Fascinating as required bite without being chewy. 
  • Hanger SteakAn American cut taken from the (goose) skirt, approx 1 foot long, 4" wide and and 1" thick. Quite coarse, strong in flavour. Also known as Cowboy or Gaucho steak 
  • Hatchet SteakA single steak from the fore-rib, still on the bone but with the flap removed so that the bone stands proud and partly bare, a bit like the handle of a hatchet. 
  • Heugh-bone steakA 2" (5cm) x 14" long thick slice of rump with fat on that you roast.  If you're a growing lad, I defy you to look at that thing without thinking of "surrounding" it with two slices of bread and going for broke. 
  • Jacob's LadderVery ends of ribs, underside of belly. Looks a bit like spare ribs, cut as individuals with equal chunks of bone, lean and fat. Also known as thin runner and short ribs. 
  • Jarret SteakSmall but tender steak taken from above the front knee. Has an almost smokey flavour. 
  • KidneyCan't think of a better description than a Clump of wee brown nodules, all joined together around a lump of white fat, which you cut away. 
  • LMC (Leg of Mutton cut) Triangular slice of beef from over the blade that's rolled to make a very pleasant pot roast,(S. Eng & Yorkshire).  
  • LoinTrade name for a whole sirloin or striploin (see below), particularly if it's still incorporated in the rear quarter or choice cuts. 
  • Merlin/MerlenSteak taken from the forequarter with light flavour and hints of silverside. 
  • Steak MinceOff cuts of beef of a medium to low fatty nature put through a fine dicing machine (frequently twice).  The higher the lean beef content of mince, the less it will shrink (ours is 96%, so shrinks ~20% less than normal mince). 
  • Minute Steak  (Eng) Thin-sliced steak also known as flash fry (see above). 
  • NeckCheaper stewing cut with quite a fewOnglet French cut taken from within the skirt. Course in texture with a strong flavour that verges on gamey. Served rare. 
  • Osso BuccoCross sectional slices of shin with the bone and marrow still in. Look spectacular when cooked and taste terrific.  
  • OxtailTop of Tail  
  • OystersFor me, the best steak of all. There are only Two 3/4lb (400g) oyster shaped steaks per beast. Taken out of the shoulder, it takes a skilled butcher not to put the knife straight through them. Best described as "ribeye - with attitude".  
  • Popseye (Eng - Dorset) Smaller solid (not rolled) joint of silverside, triangular in profile, also known as salmon cut. 
  • Popseye (Scotland) Steak, slightly tougher than sirloin but full of flavour (also known as frying steak (Borders) or  Rump steak). 
  • Porterhouse Steak  There seem to be multiple definitions of a porterhouse with one common theme - they're all HUGE! Two most popular definitions are a 32 Oz (~1kg) rump (Heugh-bone steak) or a double T-bone, taken from further down the sirloin & fillet where it's bigger. 
  • Rib RoastFront end of rib cage. Fattier than sirloin roast, particularly on naturally reared beasts, but looks quite spectacular and taste superb hot & cold. 4 ribs in Scotland, 5 ribs in England. 
  • Ribeye Slices of the eye (meaty bit) of the rib roast. Looks fatty but tastes amazing! Also known as the butcher's fillet, has become very popular recently. 
  • Round SteakThe tubular muscle within the shoulder,  well marbled with a lovely meaty flaour that grows as you chew. Too loose a grain for anything other than slow cooking. 
  • Rump (Scot Borders) Beef with lower density of sinews but too tough to eat without thorough, slow, cooking. Taken from top of rear leg. Known as Braising steak in England & Stewing steak in further North. 
  • Rump SteakSteak, also known as Top rump, frying steak or Popeseye). Can be pretty tough on occassions, but if you see a nice bit of beef that's been slow grown (see buying advice at top of page), it won't be. Furthermore it'll have a fabulous full flavour with a sweet fat that's crisp and enjoyable. Provides amazing value for money. My personal favourite. 
  • Salmon cut  Tobalrone shaped piece of silverside which, when seen whole looks a salmon. Our's produces a flavour that lasts a good 5 mins in the mouth and eats well cold. Quite forgiving if you run a little late too, unlike the better known Topside. Also known as Popeseye if you live in Dorset.  
  • ShinUpper leg, sold either on or off the bone. Bubbled away for hours, it's  wonderfully rich & meaty.  
  • Short RibsSee Jacob's ladder above 
  • S ilversideComes in two forms. Rolled up and tied or in a "toblarone" shaped piece (Salmon cut/Pope's Eye). The former's best pot-roasted, the latter slow-roasted (see above). 
  • SirloinRear end of rib cage, also known as loin or striploin (trade name). Legend has it that one was so enjoyed by George III(?) that he knighted it - hence Sir Loin. Most commonly found as very tender, very pleasent steaks off the bone. Personally I think they're better roasted still on the bone, though they don't look as spectacular as a Rib Roast, which is taller. N.B.  One rib shorter in England than Scotland. 
  • Skirt(Eng) As Skirt (scot), also underside of beast towards back-end. Also known as hind quarter Flank. 
  • Skirt(Scot) Darker, rough-edged bit of braising steak that goes from between the ribs up into the body. Tender with quite a strong flavour. 
  • Spale BoneTop of foreleg covering the shoudler blade. Also known as Spoul. Tastey, but I prefer the brisket when it comes to pot roasts, I think the flavour's more interesting 
  • . Spare Ribs Tips of the ribs with the meat still attached between the ribs, not taken out for use as mince. 
  • S paulTop of foreleg covering the shoulder, also known as Spale bone (see above). 
  • SpiderFrench delicacy taken from the knuckle joint, so called as it looks like there's a white spider sitting on it from above. 
  • Steak-in-a-piece(Scot) Solid lump of  rump (frying) steak, roasted with the fat on. Takes quite a large oven if you're going the whole hog - and some hungry friends! Scaled down is also known as a Heugh-Bone steak. 
  • Stewing Beef(Scot) Beef with high density of sinews from neck & whithers. Also known as neck/clod & stewing steak in England. 
  • Stewing steak(Eng) See stewing beef above. 
  • Stewing steak (Scot)Beef with lower density of sinews but too tough to eat without thorough slow, cooking. Taken from top of rear leg. Known as Braising steak in England. 
  • Striploin Trade name for a whole sirloin, normally trimmed down and ready to slice into steaks. 
  • T-Bone SteakA cross section of the Chateau Briand. The bone is shaped like a T, with the fillet one side and the sirloin the other. 
  • Thick RibA lean frying steak from the fore shoulder. Similar flavour to rump a wee bit tougher. It takes me 3-5 chews, but the flavour grows as you chew, making it great steak for people who like e.g. a pepper sauce with their beef. 
  • Thick RunnerSee Thick Rib above Treat as rump steak but remove the fat. Fry/grill 
  • Thin RibSee Boiling Beef above. Also known as Jacob's Ladder when in a piece. Boil (scot), much better Braised. 
  • TongueLooks a lot better cooked & peeled than when its raw. Subtle flavour with a fine grained texture & can be eaten hot or cold, Usually bought pickled, which saves you several days of preperation.  It's fallen out of fashion simply for being what it is, which means it's perfect for anyone looking for a tasty meal on a tight budget. Boil , peel, braise then slice. 
  • TopsideRolled roast, often smaller at one end than the other. Very popular as a Sunday roast as it's reasonably priced and easy to carve. Best with a covering of fat and either slow roasted (150 deg C for 25 mins/lb) or pot roasted (cooked higher it shrinks more and dries out). Definitely one which improves with basting and, if you can, using the oven with the fan off. roast (slow), pot-roast. 
  • UndercutRoast rib of sirloin with fillet still attached to the underside of the bone.   A very expensive bit of beef but looks fantastic. See also Chateau Briand. Roast very carefully sinews. Also known as stewing steak (Eng), Clod, Stewing Beef (Scot). 
  • OffalLiver, heart, lungs, skirt, tongue etc. paragraph
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