Beef-Buying Guide: What To Buy When You Can't Find The Right Cut

"Beef: It's what's for dinner." The popular slogan from the '90s assumes that we're having beef for dinner, but more often than not we frustratingly can't find the cut we want at the supermarket. Whether you eat beef quite often or just here and there, the task of buying beef can be quite confusing, especially when you're not familiar with the countless cuts. But there's no need to become schooled in butchery to navigate the meat counter. All you have to know is that every cut has its best cooking method, and that every cut has a good substitute. We've put together a handy guide on the most popular cuts with substitution tips (see below). Once you recognize the most common cuts, it'll be easier to choose the right one for the recipe you're making.

For more detail on all the possible cuts of beef, see this beef chart.

Which cut of beef do you buy most often? Leave a comment.

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Comments

[Targetdog]

06:07 PM on 03/25/2012

This is why I love my crock pot. Take the cheapest, toughest cut of meat and slooooow cook it for 8+ hours and you are guarenteed a great meal!

[Targetdog]

06:06 PM on 03/25/2012

I eat lots of flank because it's cheap! I use a dry rub on it then grill it and use it on Taco Night!!!

[Warren Yuill]

08:48 PM on 03/23/2012

I grill my steaks.
If it cant be grilled without getting tough....cut it for stew.
If it's too tough for stew grind it up.
I've been buying my beef by the side for years and hanging it for 4 weeks and having it cut to order.
If it's a tough cut, it's gonna make for some tasty burgers.
Feed cows grass.

[fixrfix]

08:05 PM on 03/23/2012

Ok, the pictures are really nice, but whoever wrote this article ............ well, they should have just stuck to the nice pictures. I bred, raised ,and marketed beef for 20 years, majored in meat science in college, and have owned and operated my own steak house for 28 years. The pictures are great, but if you actually want to know ANYTHING about beef, ask your butcher or a rancher who raises it.

[Cowpuncher25]

06:54 PM on 03/23/2012

If by chance you raise your own beef, there is no worring about what they have been feed... Mine only get the best grass & hay when finishing them... I have about 15 people stand in line of my 1/2 of beef, & they only go down when they are ready..... Mixed breeds give a better meat.... The old Dairy cow Holistine is so lean if you just had it, you would need to add some Crisco to make it cook.... So my cow man has mixes & now I have 2 Brangus steers..... Will be just dandys when the time comes.....

[joellen835]

02:46 PM on 03/23/2012

I worked parttime in a custom meat shop for 7 years and having seen "real" beef (without the now infamous pink slime and meat glue), I appreciate the real thing. I also know how easy it is to grind good hamburger. Now, when I go to the store, I find myself wondering if the stuff I'm buying is an honest cut of beef, or something held together with "crap". I'm so tempted to resurrect my meat grinder attachment for my mixer and start making my own hamburger. Unless a store can guarantee me that what they're selling lacks the above mentioned junk, that's what I plan to do. Good hamburger always has some fat in it, and that way, a person can adjust the amount of fat they want. Simply grind the meat/fat through twice, and you'll have real hamburger, and best of all, you'll know what's in it. Lots of people we used to cut meat for preferred we use the "tougher" cuts be put into their hamburger, where toughness doesn't matter in the end product.

[amy300]

01:15 PM on 03/23/2012

It is spelled "Tenderloin" not "Tendelroin." Go ahead, lay off another copy editor...

[Popopnano]

01:09 PM on 03/23/2012

Rib Eye is not a substitute for beef loin. Don't get me wrong, I prefer rib eye but the tenderloin is extremely lean and the rib eye is very fatty. They are polar opposites. If I wanted a lean and tender cut of beef, I would not pick up a rib eye.

[Shelby J Craw]

02:28 PM on 03/23/2012

I buy PorterHouse Steaks from Publix Supermarket cut to order, and I use Lawhorn Seasoning on them.

[saultydog42]

12:13 PM on 03/23/2012

The reason most people cant cook steak is, nothing other than SALTnever never salt steak or any other meat until its ready to eat, SALT toughens meat, Sugar makes other things tender like corn on the cob, 2 teaspoons of sugar to the water makes corn a lot more tender and to add to it, add a cup of whole milk to the water along with the sugar. Pan frying steak can be as delicious as grill cooked. If you have a cast iron skillet use it for thats the tastiest way to pan fry a steak, turn the stove eye on high and heat the dry skillet until a drop of water dropped in it will dance instead of just splattering and drying, when the skillet gets hot, drop the steak in and let it fry for one minute, turn it onto a different spot in the skillet, do this 2 times then reduce the heat to medium until the desired wellness put a patty of butter on top of the steak on both sides and melt each sidewhile rubbing it in, then salt and let stand a m. If you like a little juice on your meat, take a glass of water and add a tablespoon of corn starch to the water and mix well, heat the skillet with the steak dripping, add salt to the drippings and add the starch water to it and cook until it thickens, add a little more water to the desired thickness.

[mhaws03]

01:40 PM on 03/23/2012

Not salting beef before cooking because it makes it tough is an old wives tale. Refer to Lobels guide for cooking steaks.

[saultydog42]

03:37 PM on 03/23/2012

I refer to experience.

[howcome2]

02:18 PM on 03/23/2012

If you want your steak tender you must fry it in margarine & onions. Then add spices last.

[saultydog42]

03:39 PM on 03/23/2012

marjarine is bad for you and it burns, so, you have to slow cook it and everyone knows that slow cooking steak will make shoe leather out of it

[wallymundo]

12:10 PM on 03/23/2012

One thing that is not mentioned is pressure cooking. We cut the toughest, least desireable meat into steak portions, then pressure cook an hour or more, depending on how tender you want the meat, then pan fry with grilled onion/peppers/potatoes. The results are very satisfing.
An added plus, gravy can be made from the pressure cooking water or beef soup or stew with potatoes and veggies, seasoned to taste. Needless to say the our pressure cooker has saved money and expanded our dinner choices.

[Canefighter]

11:12 AM on 03/23/2012

We prefer a Sirloin on the grill. For roasting, a standing rib roast. With the rib roast, when it is done we cut the boneless part off and have that for dinner, we then freeze the rib part. When we use the bone we coat it with BBQ sauce and slow roast it at a low temp till soaked in and hot, makes some great ribs. Dang, now I am hungry.

[PlayedMostFoul]

10:09 AM on 03/22/2012

Substitute a grilled eye of round steak for beef tenderloin...really? GTFOH.

[SBinF]

11:54 AM on 03/22/2012

When I'm out of Cognac I just put a little Boone's Farm in my drink. Can't tell the difference...

[MuchMadness]

09:27 PM on 03/22/2012

Yeah, those substitutions are a hoot. Apparently the round is so versatile that it can be substituted for any other part of the animal. Hey, the story just said substitutions. It didn't say the suggestions were GOOD substitutions.