When choosing beef, look for meat that is marbled with thin strands of creamy coloured fat, which gives it much more flavour. Any fat whether yellow or white, should have a firm texture.
Beef can vary in colour depending on age and breed of the animal from which it was taken. In general, however, darker meat has been hung longer, which makes it more tender and gives a better flavour.
Beef cuts from the fore-quarters of the animal tend to be tougher and cheaper than those from the hind-quarters.
Fore Ribs
Also called ribs, rib roast and chine. Prime quality meat suitable for roasting, available on the bone or boned and rolled. Rib steaks taken from this cut can be grilled or fried.
Shin
Very lean, tough meat with a lot of gristle and sinew. It's excellent flavour is brought out with long, slow cooking now. It can also be used to make soup and is often sold as mince.
Top Ribs
Make up part of the middle ribs. It has less bone than the fore ribs. Medium quality meat that needs slow, moist cooking.
Chuck & Blade
Also called the shoulder. Lean, medium quality meat that needs a slow, moist cooking method such as braising or stewing. It is sold in joints, thick slices or cubes, as braising steak or stewing steak.
Back Ribs
With the top ribs, make up the middle ribs. Medium quality meat suitable for braising, pot roasting or slow roasting. Usually sold partially boned and rolled.
Neck
Usually sold minced or cubed. Rather tough meat with much gristle, it needs long, moist cooking such as stewing.
Hind-quarter cuts of beef are usually more tender than forequarter cuts. They are often cooked by roasting, grilling or frying.
If you have a lean cut of beef that you wish to roast, cover meat with a thin piece of pork or bacon fat, this helps to improve the flavour and keep the meat succulent during cooking. If you don't want to eat it, remove the fat before serving.
Aitchbone
Also called tag end. It is coarse-grained meat with an excellent rich flavour. Slow roast at a low or medium temperature. The joint contains a large bone which makes it difficult to carve, so it's best boned before cooking.
Silverside
Lean, coarse-grained meat suitable for pot roasting, braising or for boiled beef. It is traditionally used to make salt beef.
Leg
Also called shin. Lean meat with a good flavour. Usually sold boned and cut up for stewing and other long slow cooing methods.
Sirloin
Top quality meat that is tender and full of flavour. It is the best choice for a joint. It can be roasted on the bone or boned and rolled, but the bone actually conducts heat really well, helping to cook the meat evenly. The joint may also include the fillet.
Sirloin Steak
Also called entrecôte. Tender steaks without the bone, ideal for frying or grilling.
T-bone Steak
Cut from the thick end of the sirloin. Large steak with a T-shaped bone. Without the bone the steak is known as a porterhouse steak. Fry or grill.
Rump
Good quality steak with a full flavour, although not as tender as fillet. Fry or grill.
Thin Flank
Coarse-grained, boneless cut that is rather fatty. the flesh is usually rather tough, so it needs slow, moist cooking methods such as pot roasting, braising or stewing. It is often sold as mince.
Prime Rib
Also called wing rib. A top quality roasting joint and one of the more expensive. It has more fat than other cuts and consists of the three ribs bones at the end of the sirloin. It can be roasted on the bone or bones and rolled.
Top Rump
Also called thick flank, this piece of beef is taken from the round. This is a good quality, lean, coarse-grained joint with a good flavour. Sold bones and rolled. Can be slightly tough, so must be hung.
Suitable for roasting or braising, it is also one of the best cuts for pot roasting (slow cook in pot with a tightly fitted lid using a small amount of liquid).
Fillet
The best quality and most expensive cut of meat. Taken from the back of the animal, this is a very tender strip of lean, boneless meat that lies beneath the sirloin.
Usually cut into thick, round steaks for frying or grilling. Chateaubriand is a thick steak taken from the middle of the fillet.
As there is little fat on a large piece of fillet, it needs to be barded with bacon or pork fat to keep it moist during cooking.
Whether roasting or frying, it is best cooked quickly at a relatively high temperature.
Skirt
Boneless and long, flat band from the lower flank, or diaphragm. This cut has rather a Lott of gristle, so is best stewed in casseroles or minced.
Topside
Very lean, boneless meat taken from the hind-quarters. Usually roasted or pot roasted. For the best flavour, insert slivers of garlic or coat with freshly ground black pepper before cooking.
Steaks cut from the topside are best cooked by braising. Thin slices of topside are used to make beef olives. They are rolled around stuffings and then braised.
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