Beef Retail Cut Identification Guide
A beef retail cut identification guide that helps cooks and sellers learn the main cuts, where they come from and how they are sold. Print it and keep it handy where the work gets done.
Download free PDF1 page, US Letter, prints clean in black and white
GuideBeef CattleFree PDF
The steps on this page
- Learn the main sections of the carcass
- Match cuts to the section they come from
- Note common names and alternates
- Learn how cuts are labeled
- Group cuts by how they cook best
- Compare tender and tougher cuts
- Match cuts to meat case displays
- Practice with a cut chart
How to use this guide
Read the steps once through before you start, then keep the page nearby while you work. Use the notes lines to add what your own setup needs.
Where to check the details
This sheet is a general template, so confirm specifics with your own manuals, labels and local rules. For current official guidance, start with USDA AMS and USDA FSIS.
For more in this area, see the beef cattle guides. Between chores, farm.FM has farm humor, including Washington Orders Cheap Beef; Stores Forget, and ranching farm stories.