beef cuts

Every country has its own way of butchering. This chart may help you know what’s what at a French boucherie (the lighter the colour on the diagram, the choicer the cut).

1. Basses côtes: silverside or chuck steak

2. Côtes, entrecôtes: rib steak

3. Faux-filet: similar to sirloin

4. Filet: fillet, a quality beefsteak. The filet mignon (tournedos) is taken from the tip of the filet.

5. Rumsteck: rumpsteak

6. Rond de gîte: lean muscle, topside, or round in the USA; used for roast beef

7. Tende de tranche, poire, merlan: lean pieces. The tende de trache is good for roasting; poire and merlan are good for fondue or cooking in a wok.

8. Gîte à la noix: topside, thick flank steak, a cut often ground up for steak haché.

9. Araignée: fatty ‘spider steak’. There is also a ‘fausse araignée that looks the same and is recommended for a fondue Bourguignonne.

10. Plat de tranche, rond de tranche, mouvant: pieces to fry or grill

11. Bavette d'aloyau: loin

12. Hampe: skirt, described as a ‘butcher’s cut’ (morceaux du boucher—bits the butcher sets aside for special clients who appreciate it most)— a muscle that does little work, so very tender, good for the grill.

13. Onglet: hanger steak

14. Aiguillette baronne: long conical piece with a bit of fat, usually braised, fried or grilled; it toughens at high heat

15. Bavette de flanchet: flank steak

16. Plat de côtes: spare ribs

17. Macreuse à bifteck: often used for steak haché

18. Paleron: shoulder, good for braising. Also generally the part used to make steak à hacher – used for steak tartare.

19. Jumeau à bifteck: good for grilling or frying

20. Jumeau à pot-au-feu: like brisket, for soups and stews

21. Macreuse à pot-au-feu: like brisket

22. Queue: oxtail

23. Gîte: back shank, usually cut into chunks as bourguignon. Needs three to four hours to stew

24. Flanchet: the abdomen muscles, very good for flavouring a beef bouillon.

25. Tendron, milieu de poitrine: for stews such as boeuf bourguignon, pot au feu or ragoûts

26. Gros bout de poitrine: brisket. Because of its tough, connective tissue it is best slow cooked; it’s often used to make corned beef.

27. Collier: the neck, similar to gîte

28. Plat de joue: cheeks; deboned for a tête de veau

29. Langue: tongue; also goes into tête de veau, along with pieces of the snout.