Meat cuts

Beef brisket

Czech cuisine

The breast of beef with the breastbone – well-marbled meat for boiling, Czech tomato sauce and barbecue.

Beef cheeks (ox cheek)

Czech cuisine

The chewing muscles of beef – lean but full of connective tissue; long braising makes them silky and tender.

Beef neck

Czech cuisine

Marbled meat from the neck of beef, coarse-grained and sinewy – for braising, boiling and mincing.

Beef ribs (short ribs)

Czech cuisine

Forequarter ribs with the meat between them – well-marbled, for slow grilling, braising and rich stock.

Beef round (US) / topside and silverside (UK)

Czech cuisine

The hind leg of beef, split into lean muscles – the usual cut for svíčková, beef roulades and steak tartare.

Beef shin (UK) / shank (US)

Czech cuisine

Sinewy muscle from the lower legs of beef, below the shoulder and the round – the classic goulash cut.

Beef shoulder (chuck, clod)

Czech cuisine

The upper foreleg of beef around the blade bone – meat for goulash, braises, beef bourguignon and false tenderloin.

Beef tenderloin (fillet)

International

The most tender beef cut – a barely used muscle beneath the lumbar spine, source of filet mignon and chateaubriand.

Doneness

From rare to well done: the doneness of a steak is best judged by the core temperature of the meat.

Dry aging

Aging unpackaged beef in a cooler: the meat loses water, concentrates its flavour and forms a crust on the surface.

Flank steak

International

A flat, lean steak from the abdominal wall with coarse grain and full flavour – for marinades, the grill and thin slices.

Hanger steak

International

A thick muscle from the lumbar part of the diaphragm near the kidneys – the French onglet with bold flavour and coarse grain.

Leg of pork

Czech cuisine

The hind leg of the pork side, divided into muscles – lean meat for schnitzels, roasts and quick pan dishes.

Marbling

Intramuscular fat in fine streaks, used to grade beef quality in the United States and in Japan.

Meat aging

Controlled cold storage of meat in which the muscle's own enzymes make it more tender and change its flavour.

Oxtail

Czech cuisine

The tail of beef, on the bone and rich in gelatine – the base of very strong stocks and braised dishes.

Pork belly

Czech cuisine

The fatty underside of the pork side with ribs and rind – for roasting, rolled roasts, stuffed belly and ribs.

Pork collar (neck)

Czech cuisine

The marbled neck of the pork side, between the head and the loin – juicy for roasting, grilling and richer schnitzels.

Pork hock (shank)

Czech cuisine

The front and hind hock of the pork side, on the bone with rind – for roasting, boiling, smoking and brawn.

Pork loin (chops)

Czech cuisine

The back of the pork side with the long back muscle – lean meat for chops, schnitzels and whole roasts.

Pork shoulder

Czech cuisine

The upper foreleg of the pig around the blade bone – all-round meat for roasts, goulash and vepřo knedlo zelo.

Pork tenderloin (UK: fillet)

Czech cuisine

A small, completely lean muscle on the inside of the loin – for medallions and quick pan dishes.

Ribeye

International

A marbled cut from the front of the back behind the shoulder – ribeye and entrecôte, bone-in côte de bœuf and tomahawk.

Rump

International

A separate muscle group of the beef leg, from the rump where the loin meets the leg – for large steaks, roast beef and braising.

Skirt steak

International

A long, flat cut from the diaphragm and abdominal wall with coarse grain – the meat for arrachera and fajitas.

Striploin (New York strip)

International

A leaner steak cut from the rear of the back with a fat edge – strip, sirloin and the German Rumpsteak.

T-bone and porterhouse steak

International

A steak on a T-shaped bone: striploin on one side, tenderloin on the other, whose width decides the name.

Wet aging

Aging beef in vacuum packaging: the meat becomes tender without drying out or forming a crust, with much higher yield.