Beef Cuts Explained: How to Recognize the 11 Most Common Cuts

Walk into a butcher shop or flip through a supplier catalogue, and the names come fast: chuck, rib, sirloin, brisket, shank. They all come from the same animal, but they cook very differently. Pick the wrong cut and a dish that should be tender turns tough — or a cut meant for slow braising gets ruined on a hot grill.

This guide breaks down the 11 most common beef cuts: where each one sits on the animal, what it tastes like, and how to cook it. Every cut is listed in English, French and Chinese, so it works whether you’re ordering from a local supplier, reading a French menu in Montreal, or talking to a Chinese-speaking supplier. We also made a 61-second video that walks through all 11 cuts on the animal — watch it below.

From the front — built for slow cooking

Chuck (Épaule / 牛肩肉) — The shoulder. Firm and well-exercised, with good marbling. Best for braising, stewing and ground beef. It’s the workhorse cut: affordable, flavourful, and forgiving if you cook it low and slow.

Brisket (Poitrine / 牛腩) — The chest. Layers of fat and lean meat. Best for braising and red-braising. A classic in Chinese cooking — think braised beef brisket with daikon, or the brisket in a bowl of beef noodle soup.

From the middle — the grilling cuts

Rib (Côte / 牛肋肉) — The rib section, ribs 6–12. Richly marbled, the best cut for grilling and roasting. This is where the ribeye comes from: the “eye” (眼肉) is the tender centre of the rib, the most prized steak on the animal.

Short Loin (Aloyau / 短腰肉) — Behind the rib. Tender and juicy. This is where strip loin (西冷) and T-bone steaks come from.

Sirloin (Surlonge / 沙朗) — Lean with a strip of fat. Good for grilling, pan-searing and hot pot (thin-sliced). A versatile, mid-priced steak cut.

Tenderloin (Filet / 牛柳) — The most tender and leanest cut on the animal (菲力). Best seared quickly. Don’t overcook it, or it dries out. The priciest cut per kilo, so use it where tenderness matters most.

Plate (Plat de côtes / 牛腹肉) — The belly. Sinewy and fatty. Best for soups and braising. It’s the cut behind a good bowl of beef noodle soup (牛腩面).

From the rear — lean and firm

Round (Culotte / 后腿肉) — The hind leg. Lean and firm. Best for braising, stewing and slicing thin, for sandwiches, stir-fry or cold cuts.

Flank (Bavette / 侧腹肉) — The side belly. Chewy, with a strong beefy flavour. Best for quick stir-fry and grilling. Slice it thin against the grain.

From the legs — all about the sinew

Fore Shank (Jarret avant / 前腱) — The front leg. Full of sinew; the meat turns tender once braised. Best for braising and soy-braised beef (酱牛肉).

Hind Shank (Jarret arrière / 后腱) — The hind leg. Also sinewy. Best for soups and braised dishes.

At a glance

How to pick the right cut

Match the cut to the cooking method. Grilling? Rib, short loin, sirloin, tenderloin. Braising or stewing? Chuck, brisket, round, shank. Hot pot? Thin-sliced sirloin or flank. Stir-fry? Flank or round, sliced thin.

Don’t pay steak prices for a braising cut, or vice versa. Tenderloin is the most expensive; chuck and shank are among the most affordable, and they deliver more flavour when cooked the right way.

If you run a restaurant in Montreal and buy ingredients by the case, see our foodservice range. We supply restaurants, bubble-tea shops and retailers across the city — browse our wholesale catalogue. Beef shows up across Chinese cooking, from hot pot to red-braised brisket — see our Chinese food ingredients.

Watch the video

Watch the 61-second video below. It walks through all 11 cuts on the animal, with the name of each cut in French, English and Chinese.

Questions about sourcing ingredients for your restaurant? Contact Lordford Inc. at (514) 381-9898 or order@lordford.ca. We’re at 8315 pl. de Lorraine, Anjou, Montréal.