UK and US beef cuts

Two ways to cut a sideThe cuts on the animal

Both charts show the same side of beef. British butchers cut it into many smaller named joints; American butchers first divide it into eight large primal cuts and then cut those into retail cuts. The lines are approximate: every chart, and every butcher, draws them a little differently. Tap a name to jump to its row in the table.

UK: butchers’ cuts

US: primal cuts

The US chuck runs back to the 5th rib and the US rib section covers ribs 6 to 12 (USDA meat purchase specifications), so the American chuck takes in meat that a British butcher sells as neck, clod, chuck and blade and thick rib.

Same word, different steakThe names that trip people up

• Sirloin is not sirloinUK sirloin = US New York strip

  A British sirloin steak is the American New York strip (or strip steak, strip loin). In a US shop or steakhouse, ask for strip if you want the steak a British cook calls sirloin.

• US sirloin is close to UK rumpUS top sirloin ≈ UK rump

  The American sirloin is further back, at the hip. A top sirloin steak is the nearest thing to a British rump steak. Americans divide the hip a little differently, so the match is close rather than exact.

• Topside, silverside and the roundUS “round” = UK topside + silverside + thick flank

  The whole hind leg is the round in the US. Topside is top (inside) round, silverside is bottom (outside) round with the eye of round, and thick flank is the knuckle. Confusingly, the US also calls the knuckle sirloin tip, and may call bottom round a rump roast: neither comes from the sirloin or the rump.

• Brisket, salt beef and corned beefUK salt beef = US corned beef

  Brisket is brisket on both sides of the Atlantic. British butchers usually sell it boned and rolled; US shops sell the leaner flat and the fattier point. Cured in brine, it is salt beef in the UK and corned beef in the US, where a tin of British-style corned beef would be “canned corned beef”.

• Chuck is bigger in the USUS chuck = UK neck + clod + chuck and blade, and more

  In the UK, chuck and blade is a joint from the top of the shoulder. In the US, chuck is the whole shoulder section: it includes the neck, the clod and the first five ribs. A US chuck roast is the cut for pot roast; in the UK you would ask for a chuck, blade or brisket joint for braising.

• Fillet, filet mignon and T-bonesUK fillet = US tenderloin

  Fillet is tenderloin in the US, and its steaks are filet mignon. A US porterhouse is a T-bone with a wide piece of fillet (USDA: at least 3.2 cm, 1¼ in); British butchers often call any large T-bone a porterhouse.

Every cut, both namesUK and US beef cuts: the table

Numbers match the UK diagram. Where a US name covers more (or less) than the British cut, the closest match is given first. For how long to cook each steak, see Steak doneness: bleu to well done; for the pan, griddle and barbecue methods, see Perfect Steak.

At the butcher’s counterWhich cut for which job

Tender cuts from the back (the parts that do little work) suit quick, dry heat. Hard-working cuts from the shoulder, legs and belly are full of connective tissue, which needs long, gentle, moist cooking to melt into tenderness.

Short notesLamb: UK and US names

Lamb is cut in much the same way on both sides of the Atlantic, so most names match. The differences are at the ends of the back: the British best end is the American rack, and the British chump is the sirloin end of the US leg. Goat is cut like lamb; see our cuts of goat.

Short notesPork: UK and US names

The pork names that confuse people are about the shoulder and bacon. A British spare rib joint comes from the shoulder (the US Boston butt), while spare ribs are the rack of ribs from the belly side. British streaky bacon is what Americans simply call bacon. For hams and gammon, see our types of ham.