As a meat scientist, I try to be precise in referring to beef cuts. But at the same time, I must be aware of the alternative names for those cuts which may have historical, regional or marketing significance. These common names could make them more identifiable to certain folks in certain scenarios.
To be precise in the nomenclature, I gravitate to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS) as the standard in North American meat cut parameters and names. A companion piece that compiles the IMPS text and adds a pictorial guide is the more popular North American Meat Institute Meat Buyer’s Guide (MBG). These two references are the gold standards for meat cut names, but over the years I have been pleased to learn a growing collection of other names that I am thrilled to share now. Here’s a snapshot of some alternative names for our main middle-meat items.