A primal cut or primal is a piece of meat initially separated from the carcass of an animal during butchering. Examples of primals include the round, loin, rib, and chuck for beef and the loin and belly for pork.
In modern industrial meat-packing, slaughterhouses break down the dressed carcass into sides and quarters, and then into large primal cuts, which are defined by natural seams and bone structures. (cf. URMIS)
These are often further divided into sub-primal cuts, which are distributed to retailers in vacuum packs. Retail butchers then cut the meat up into retail cuts, which may be individual portions, such as steaks or chops, or larger pieces, such as roasts, which are divided into individual portions after cooking.
Different countries and cultures make these cuts in different ways, and primal cuts also differ between type of carcass. The British, American and French primal cuts all differ in some respects. For example, rump steak in British and Commonwealth English is commonly called sirloin in American English. British sirloin is called porterhouse by Americans."Food and Cooking in American and British English", by Susan Stempleski, Medical Magazine, Macmillan Dictionaries, February 2004 Another notable example is fatback, which in Europe is an important primal cut of pork, but in North America is regarded as trimmings to be used in sausage or rendered into lard. The primal cuts may be sold complete or cut further.
The distinct term prime cut is sometimes used to describe cuts considered to be of better quality; for example in the US Department of Agriculture meat grading systems, most use prime to indicate top quality.
US primal cuts
The names of U.S. primal cuts are defined in the Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS).
Beef Beef primal cuts:
Major Round Loin Rib ChuckAlso known as: chingolo (Spanish), Scotch tender, boneless chuck roll, mock tender steak, and chuck tender steak; see
Minor Plate Brisket Foreshank
Veal Veal primal cuts: Legs Loin Hotel rack Square cut chuck/shoulder
Pork Pork primal cuts:
Ham Loin Boston butt Picnic Belly with spare ribs
Lamb Lamb primal cuts:
Leg Loin Rack Chuck
National variations
See also
Cuts of beef Cuts of lamb Cut of pork
References
External links