“What cuts of beef will I get if I order a quarter, half, or whole cow?” is one of the questions we get asked most often by people who want to buy a lot of farm-fresh beef.
That’s a great question. You know that a steer is more than just steaks because you asked that question.
We hope to tell you more about each cut of beef and where to find the best ones in this post and video. Plus, we will discuss exactly what cuts you get if you order a quarter, half or whole beef.
For beef lovers few things beat the flavor and satisfaction of a perfectly cooked steak or roast. And when it comes to premium cuts packed with tenderness and rich flavor the hindquarter is the place to look. This section of the cow contains a bounty of sought-after steaks and roasts.
But what exactly can you find in a hindquarter of beef? Let’s explore the array of cuts that come from this delicious part of the cow.
An Overview of the Beef Hindquarter
The hindquarter refers to the rear of the cow, opposite the forequarter. It contains the loin, flank, and round primal cuts. With an average hanging weight around 150 pounds, the hindquarter makes up about half of a beef carcass.
Due to its generous marbling and tender muscle structure, the hindquarter is prized for premium cuts like filet mignon and T-bone steak. It contains more high-value steaks than the forequarter. When fabricated, a hindquarter yields approximately 95 pounds of packaged cuts for your freezer.
The Loin – Home of Luxurious Steaks
The loin section of the hindquarter contains some of the most desirable and tender steaks. This is where you’ll find:
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Tenderloin – Extremely tender, this is used for filet mignon steaks.
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Strip loin – Features the New York strip steak along with T-bone and porterhouse steaks
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Sirloin – Lean and flavorful steaks like the pinbone and flat iron steak come from here.
With its heavy marbling and fine grain, the loin gives us the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth steaks that beef has to offer.
The Round – Lean and Versatile
Moving to the back of the cow, the round primal contains lean, moderately tender cuts from the rear leg. Cuts from the round include:
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Top round – A flat, rectangular cut often used for roasts.
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Bottom round – Known for roasts like eye of round and rump roast.
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Tip – Shaped like a small football and used for cube steak or stew meat.
While not as tender as the loin, round cuts are flavorful in their own right. Their leanness also makes them great for roasts, kabobs, stir fries, and other dishes.
The Flank – Big on Flavor
Finally, the flank primal lies below the loin on the cow’s underside. This area provides cuts like:
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Flank steak – Tasty grilled or broiled, often used for fajitas.
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Skirt steak – Thinly cut with intense beefy flavor.
While flank cuts are fibrous, their big beef flavor shines when sliced properly across the grain. They take well to marinades too.
Don’t Overlook the Brisket and Shank
In addition to the main primal cuts above, the hindquarter also contains the brisket and shank.
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Brisket – Packed with connective tissue, brisket needs low and slow cooking to break down its fibers. Smoking brisket results in tender, pull-apart barbecue.
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Shank – Like brisket, this tough cut needs moist cooking methods to unlock its full flavor and become fork tender.
Premium Steaks: Filet Mignon and New York Strip
Now let’s spotlight two of the most prized hindquarter cuts – filet mignon and New York strip.
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Filet mignon – Cut from the tenderloin, filet mignon delivers supreme tenderness and buttery smooth texture. It’s considered the king of steaks.
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New York strip – With its signature ridge of fat, the New York strip delivers rich, beefy flavor with a firm, satisfying chew.
Best cooked quickly over high dry heat, these cuts exemplify the hindquarter’s luxurious eating experience. They’re often reserved for special occasions and upscale dining.
Tips for Cooking Hindquarter Cuts
To enjoy these cuts at their full potential, use the right cooking methods:
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Grill or pan sear tender cuts like filet, strip, and sirloin.
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Slow roast round cuts like eye of round and rump roast.
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Braise brisket and shank until fall-apart tender.
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Marinate and slice flank steak against the grain.
With the proper preparation, hindquarter cuts will deliver the juiciest, most flavorful beef eating experience.
An Abundance of Premium Cuts
The hindquarter truly is a beef lover’s dream. This section of the cow delivers an abundance of delectable steaks and roasts that are tender, juicy, and bursting with flavor.
From luxurious filet mignon to robust New York strips, flavorful sirloin to versatile round cuts, the hindquarter offers premium options for every taste and budget. Even tougher brisket and shank shine when prepared properly.
For your next memorable steak dinner or pot roast, turn to the cornucopia of delicious cuts found in a beef hindquarter. You’ll enjoy the very best beef has to offer. Happy grilling!
What if I purchase a whole cow?
There are a lot more ways to cut a whole beef because you won’t have to share with anyone else. You’ll also get the parts that belong to a single animal, like the tongue and heart, if you want them. We walk you through all of your options if you decide to purchase a whole steer.
Where beef cuts come from:
Since you probably don’t want to carry around a beef cuts chart in your pocket, here’s what you need to know about each of the cuts:
Meat from the chuck primal cut is from the cow’s shoulder. Cows use their shoulder a lot, so it’s a tougher cut of beef. But it’s also a very tasty cut, and butchers cut it in a lot of different ways, so you have a lot of choices at the store.
Ground chuck (hamburger), flat-iron steak, chuck short ribs, shoulder tender medallions, chuck pot roast, blade roast, boneless chuck short ribs, stew meat, country style ribs, and top blade steak are some of the cuts you might see.
You should choose chuck beef when you want lots of flavor, but need to be cost conscious too.
The brisket is the steer’s breast. Chefs know that if you tenderize beef brisket with a marinade or rub and cook it low and slow, it will melt in your mouth. Don’t let the fact that it’s usually tough and full of fat fool you. Brisket is primarily used for barbecue, corned beef or pastrami.
The shank is located at the animal’s forearm in front of the brisket. It is one of the toughest cuts. Osso Buco is one of the most famous dishes made from the shank. To make the meat more tender, it needs to be braised. Make stews and soups with the shank.
The cow’s ribs and backbone make up the ribs. Thirteen pairs of ribs make up the rib cage, but only the last six to twelve are in the core. The others are in the chuck cut. Ribs have lots of flavor and marbling. There are different cuts of ribs, such as Delmonico steak, boneless ribeye roast, cowboy steak, ribeye steaks, and beef short ribs. Choose ribs when you want a tender cut of beef with extra marbling.
The Prime Rib Roast is another popular (and pricey) cut in this section. It is also called the Prime Rib, Ribeye Roast, Holiday Roast, Rib Roast, or Standing Rib Roast. It’s the king of roasts due to its size and marbling. It can be found with both boneless and bone-in options. The prime rib comes from the best part of the animal’s rib, between rib bones seven and 11. This area has a very thick cap of marble. Prime rib is an expensive cut of beef, but it’s not complicated to make. Here’s our favorite Prime Rib Roast with Garlic Herb Butter recipe.
The other place to get short ribs is from the beef plate, also called the short plate. It’s found near the abdomen. It is fattier. You’ll love how this cut turns out in fajitas, pastrami, skirt steak, Philadelphia steak, and short ribs.
The loin is where the most expensive cuts of beef come from. This muscle is at the top of the steer, right behind the rib. Because it isn’t used much, it’s very tender and tasty. The loin has two parts: shortloin and sirloin.
You can get filet mignon, tenderloin steak, T-bone, Porterhouse steaks, strip steak, New York Strip, and KC Strip from the shortloin.
The sirloin area is a little less tender than the shortloin, but it’s also more flavorful. The sirloin area is where cuts like sirloin steak, center cut sirloin steak, top sirloin steak, bottom sirloin, ball tip steak, Tri-Tip Roast, and Tri-Tip Steak come from.
The round is a lean and inexpensive cut. It’s found at the cow’s rump and hind legs, so it’s sometimes tough. When you’re at the store, you’ll often see round sold as ground beef. There are also round steak, eye of round, tip steak, tip roast, top round steak, and bottom round roasts that are often used.
The flank is located below the loin. It has no bones, and is very flavorful but also very tough. The grocery store used to have it cheaper, but that has begun to change because flank steaks are known for being lean. Since consumers want lean meat more than ever before, it’s increased flank steak’s popularity and price. Popular flank cuts are flank steak and London broil.
Cutting a BEEF – HIND QUARTER
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