Cuts of beef

Schematic representation of the beef parts

The cuts of beef are named and cut differently depending on the region and country, but also according to tradition and epoch. In general, it is understood to mean the skeletal muscles with adhering or stored fat, connective tissue as well as stored smaller other components of domestic cattle , commonly known as beef . The meat of young cattle is called veal and the cuts are not always identified identically.

regulate

In Germany, the rules of the German Agricultural Society for cutting generally apply . At the same time, the German Nutrition Society has also drawn up rules that differ in terms of their designation and layout. In the GDR , separate TGLs were created for meat cutting. There are also rules of the traditional butcher's trade .

Beef head

Headboards are not used as food apart from beef tongue and mouth meat .

Rough breakdown

In general, cattle are split lengthways when slaughtered in German-speaking countries. This creates two symmetrical halves, each divided into a forequarter and a hindquarters, which is known as "parting". This separation usually occurs between the sixth and seventh rib . In the past, this separation was made on the back ribs, with the development of higher quality beef use, the back is cut longer. The forequarters are divided into the neck, shield and shoulder, the hindquarter into a club, back and lobes.

In the Viennese kitchen an independent pattern had developed, which continues in common parlance, even if in trade only rarely proceeded according to the division of Vienna . A mixed form has developed in the craft sector that offers high-quality pieces of meat according to tradition, while other parts are cut to size as standard. The cutting in the German-speaking area differs significantly from the US-American cutting. That is why names for meat parts are only roughly comparable. However, from tradition there are overlaps with the cut in the French and British regions.

Forequarter

In Germany, according to the DLG , the neck is generally referred to as a beef comb (1), it is also the neck and, just like in Switzerland, beef neck is common. In Austria the cut differs from the graphic, because there the front is cut together from the neck and part of the chest.

On the spine is in Germany between 1st and 8th thoracic vertebra the false rib  (4) separated. This part is sometimes referred to as the high rib , especially when part 5 is not detached from the roast beef, but the back is split into two parts. In Austria this piece is referred to as the rear trigger . In Switzerland it is customary to set the cut at the 11th thoracic vertebrae, so that a part of the high rib as Hohrücken for sirloin belongs. The other part is called the covered back .

The tensioning rib or cross rib (2) is located underneath . In the GDR, bone thinning (8) was also referred to as such, but was given the addition of fore and hind quarters to distinguish it. In Switzerland this piece is referred to as a feather piece , and sometimes the covered feather piece is cut separately. In Austria, this piece is not part of the standard cutting , the fat Meisel and the reed lid behind it are cut from the corresponding meat part .

In Germany, the remaining part is called brisket (3). Currently it is divided into sternum , mid-breast and after- breast . In Switzerland these parts are called the tip of the breast , the core of the breast and the breast . In Austria, the part below the “rear trigger” is called the chest.

Fore leg

In general, it is assigned to the forequarter, but the first time it is cut, it is separated from the rest, as it mainly consists of higher-quality muscle meat. In Germany the Vorderhesse (14) is cut off as a piece of meat, in Switzerland and Austria it is left on the leg and only separated from it in the fine division.

In Germany, a distinction when Rinderbug (10) (also shoulder or bovine sheet general), the blade pieces , the acting field Eckel and the thickness Bugstück . The rest of the bow was called Rohrbug in the GDR , while the false fillet is also known as the false sirloin like the real fillet.

In Austria, a distinction is beef shoulder in thickness shoulder , Schulterscherzel , Lean Meisel , Bugscherzel , Wadschinken and Pratzl .

In Switzerland it is divided into shoulder with thigh , bow , shoulder fillet , thick shoulder , shoulder cap and shoulder point .

Saddle of beef

It is not possible at this point to show all the cuts and designations. Sometimes technical terms in trade and colloquial language are used synonymously, sometimes other meat parts are incorrectly referred to. In general, a distinction is made between the preparation as a whole piece (often referred to as roast beef or roast beef) or in slices of different cuts, generally referred to as steak .

The piece between the 9th and 11th thoracic vertebrae is commonly referred to as the high rib  (5), high rib was common in the GDR . In Austria it is known as roast beef . This is followed by the roast beef  (6) up to the 6th lumbar vertebra , called Beiried in Austria . Underneath, on the inside of the body, lies the fillet of beef  (7), called roast lung in Austria . All three cuts together are known in Switzerland as the kidney , and there they are divided into roast beef, fillet and loin.

The cattle flower (13) is assigned to the back or the leg, depending on how it is cut. Often referred to as the hip (or a modification thereof such as Huft or hip section hereinafter), the body region between the upper portion is meant the femur and the upper edge of the basin, including the hip joints with adherent meat. With a different cut, a similar section in Switzerland is called a stump with a corner piece .

The tail is generally not used as a food. Only as an oxtail is it a well-known ingredient for a soup of the same name.

Beef rag

In Germany, the lobe is the lower part of the back quarter to the anus . In Switzerland this corresponds to the Lempen with Dicker Lempen and Dünner Lempen . The separation to the back can vary depending on the tradition and stature of the animal.

The bone thinning (8) was also called the tension rib in the GDR. In Austria, the section is divided into an upper and a lower piece. The upper part is divided into a palisade plate with a dwarf , the trimmed rib and the leg meat . Below is the Kügerl .

In the GDR a distinction was made between the Dünnung (9) and the Schliem (12), which corresponded to an older German tradition. Currently, both parts are referred to together as meat thinning .

Hind leg

In Germany the leg of beef is usually cut with the flower / hip piece, as this rests on the other meat parts. In the GDR, in contrast to the current cutting, the sacrum was often not removed during dissection . In addition to the upper shell , the tail piece (also lower shell ), the nut or ball is defined as a meat part. In Austria they are called Knöpfel or Schlögel and are divided into Hüferscherzel , Hüferschwanzel , Nuss, Tafelspitz , Tafelstück , Weißes Scherzel , Bowl and Wadschinken . In Switzerland, which is Stotzen in hock , nut, Huft, corner piece, Unterspälte with leg and proposal separately.

literature

• Richard Hering: Herings Lexicon of the Kitchen . Internationally recognized reference work for modern and classic cuisine. Ed .: F. Jürgen Herrmann. 24th, expanded edition. Pfanneberg , Haan-Gruiten 2009, ISBN 978-3-8057-0587-5 (first edition: 1907).
• Gerald Rimbach, Jennifer Möhring, Helmut F. Erbersdobler: Food product knowledge for beginners. Gabler Wissenschaftsverlage, 2010, ISBN 978-3-642-04485-4 , p. 76.
• Meat processing. Raw materials, equipment and processes for cutting meat and for producing and preserving meat products. 4th, improved edition. Fachbuchverlag, Leipzig 1978, license number 114.210 / 76/78.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Principles for meat and meat products . ( Memento of the original from March 17, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Fleischerhandwerk.de (PDF; 294 kB)