What are the different cuts of meat for?
The one rule that explains every cut — how hard the muscle worked — and what to do with each as a result.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 15 min
- Read
- 2 min
Short answer
Hard-working muscles are tough, cheap and full of connective tissue, so they need long slow wet cooking. Lazy muscles are tender, expensive and lean, so they need fast hot dry cooking. That single rule covers almost every cut.
Butchery names vary but the principle does not. Legs, shoulders and necks work constantly and are full of collagen; loins and fillets do very little and are tender but lean. Matching method to cut is most of what makes meat good.
Step by step
- Work out how hard the muscle worked.Legs, shoulders, shins, necks and cheeks work hard. Loin, fillet, rib and breast do not. Everything follows from this.
- Cook hard-working cuts long, low and wet.Braise, stew, slow-roast or pot-roast for two to four hours. The collagen turns to gelatine and the meat becomes tender and rich.
- Cook lazy cuts fast, hot and dry.Grill, fry or roast quickly. They have nothing to break down, so long cooking only dries them out.
- Use the cheap cuts for the best results.Shin, cheek, oxtail, lamb neck, pork shoulder and chicken thigh all cost less and taste better than the premium cuts when cooked properly.
- Match beef cuts to method.Fillet and sirloin: fast. Brisket, shin, chuck and short rib: slow. Rump and bavette: fast but slice thinly across the grain.
- Match pork and lamb the same way.Pork shoulder and belly: slow. Pork loin and chops: fast, and easy to overcook. Lamb shoulder and shank: slow. Lamb chops and rack: fast.
- Prefer chicken thighs for most cooking.More fat and connective tissue than breast, so a much wider margin for error and more flavour. Breast suits fast cooking and poaching.
- Ask the butcher.Tell them the dish rather than the cut. It is the cheapest cooking advice available and it is usually better than a recipe's assumption.
Tips
- Slicing across the grain shortens the muscle fibres and makes any cut noticeably more tender. It matters most on the cheaper ones.
- Fat is flavour and insurance against drying. A well-marbled cheaper cut usually beats a lean expensive one.
- Buying a whole chicken and jointing it yourself costs far less than buying the parts, and gives you a carcass for stock.
Questions people ask
Why is my slow-cooked meat tough?
Either it was a lean cut with no connective tissue to break down, or it has not cooked for long enough. Tough after two hours usually means give it another one.
Which cuts are best value?
The hard-working ones — shin, cheek, shoulder, brisket, thigh. They cost less and reward slow cooking with more flavour than premium cuts.