There are eight primal cuts, and one rule that tells you how to cook all of them. The map below shows where each one sits.
Cuts and Comparisons
Bavette vs Flank Steak: What Is the Difference?
They look almost identical on the counter and they are not the same cut. One is sirloin, one is belly, and it shows in the fat.
Cuts and Comparisons
Beef Tips vs Stew Meat: What Is the Difference?
They look identical in the package and they are not interchangeable. Cooking one as though it were the other is how you get either rubber or mush.
Cuts and Comparisons
Bone-In or Boneless: Does the Bone Matter?
Bone-in steaks cost more per pound of edible meat. Here is what you actually get for it.
Cuts and Comparisons
Brisket vs Short Ribs: Which Should You Cook?
Both come off the front half of the animal and both need hours. One needs twelve of them and one needs four.
Cuts and Comparisons
Chorizo vs Italian Sausage: What Is the Difference?
Both are pork sausage. The pork is the same. What separates them is a handful of spices, and that handful decides what you can cook with it.
Cuts and Comparisons
Chuck Eye vs Ribeye: Is It Really the Poor Man's Ribeye?
Chuck eye is sold as the poor man's ribeye and for once the nickname is close to accurate. Here is exactly how close.
Cuts and Comparisons
Denver Steak vs Chuck Eye: What Is the Difference?
Both are chuck cuts that behave like loin cuts. They are not the same muscle, and one of them is a ribeye in everything but name.
Cuts and Comparisons
Denver Steak vs Flat Iron: What Is the Difference?
Both are chuck cuts, which is surprising, because chuck is where the tough roasts come from. These two are the exceptions.
Cuts and Comparisons
Farm Beef vs Grocery Store Beef: What Is Actually Different
Supermarket beef is not bad beef. The differences are real, but they are narrower and more specific than most farm websites will tell you.
Cuts and Comparisons
Filet Tips vs Filet Mignon: What Is the Difference?
Filet tips come off the same tenderloin as filet mignon. The difference is geometry and price, and the geometry is why the price moves.
Cuts and Comparisons
Picanha vs Top Sirloin: What Is the Difference?
They come off the same primal, one directly on top of the other. The fat cap is on one of them and not the other.
Cuts and Comparisons
Picanha vs Tri-Tip: What Is the Difference?
Both are sirloin cuts with devoted followings. The difference is a fat cap, and it changes how you cook each one.
Cuts and Comparisons
Short Ribs vs Chuck Short Rib: What Is the Difference?
Both get sold as short ribs. They come from different primals and they do not behave the same in a pot.
Cuts and Comparisons
Signature Dry-Aged or Proper Meats: Which Should You Buy?
Two ranges, the same cuts, different prices. The difference is one process, and whether it is worth it depends on how you cook.
Cuts and Comparisons
Sirloin vs Ribeye: Which Steak Should You Buy?
The most common steak decision there is, and it comes down to how much fat you want and how carefully you intend to cook.
Cuts and Comparisons
Standing Rib Roast vs Prime Rib: Are They the Same?
They are the same roast. The confusion is that the word prime also means a USDA grade, and a prime rib is very often not USDA Prime.
Cuts and Comparisons
What Is Vaca Vieja Beef?
Almost all beef sold in this country comes from young animals. Vaca vieja does not, and the difference is not subtle.
Cuts and Comparisons
Beef Cuts Explained: A Complete Guide
There are forty or fifty cuts on a beef and most people can name six. You do not need to memorize the rest.
Cuts and Comparisons
Beef Tenderloin vs Filet Mignon: What Is the Difference?
This is a naming question rather than a beef question, and it has a clean answer. The tenderloin is a long muscle that runs along the spine. Filet mignon is a steak cut from it.
