"Best" cuts of beef

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AT5760

AT5760

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We'll be getting either 1/4 or 1/2 of a cow later this year and will be splitting it with my brother-in-law and his family. The local butcher that will be doing it is pretty flexible, so I am wondering if there is anything "special" that it would be good to ask for. When it comes to beef, I usually braise, grill, or smoke it. I definitely want the cheeks, and I doubt they'll fight me for the tongue, but beyond that I'm looking for suggestions of what folks would get if given the choice - and why. Thanks.
 
IMO get the hanger, skirt (inner & outer) and flank to name a few but it depends on which "1/4" you get. These cuts have great flavor and are quite versatile in use ... my $0.02 ... should be able to get bones at the same time for reasonable costs and have them split a few marrow bones to roast for marrow toast goodness ...

See here for some ideas/thoughts but obviously Google is your friend;

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanger_steak
https://www.thespruceeats.com/butcher-favorite-cuts-2313276
https://www.thespruceeats.com/flat-iron-steak-for-the-grill-336349
https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-skirt-steak-995253
http://www.johnnyprimesteaks.com/meat-information/meat-102/
 
Front quarter is where they flavor is!
  • Shanks for braising (osso buco, korean, jamaican, S. American... popular cut all over the world because it's cheap and unctuous!)
  • Brisket (smoked!).
  • Chuck is versatile--bigger sizes for roasts, cube for stewing (chili!). Chuck gets no love, but I like chuck a lot. You can cut shoulder steaks (I think they're called "Flat iron" now)--basically, it's just chuck cut so that the big nerve running through the middle is gone--super tender but very flavorful.
  • Rib roast, cut some rib eyes
Rear quarter is the fancy stuff (Sirloin), flank is good, but you're stuck with a whole lot of Round.
 
Hanger FTW. Shanks are good and not sought after.

Some that may not "count" against your portion include the aforementioned cheeks, oxtail, neck. I'm not a fan or offal but the heart, liver, thyroid will probably be off the table.
 
Try an negotiate to break it down in 1/3 nose to tail, literally - aim for the front of the cow: whole chuck, brisket, and some of the rib cuts - Literally

otherwise -
tooth and nails for the hanger, skirt, flap, oxtail, short ribs, brisket, and of course some decent steaks off the rib.
 
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But, but, but, most people involved in such a split are only interested in steaks, roast and burger. The less common bits have little to no value to them. A little burger bartering may be in order.
 
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Shank, Chuck or most of the Shoulder cut is tasty. Hanger, Skirt, Top Sirloin or Rump Cap (Picanha), Rib Eye, Short Ribs, Tongue, Cheek, Oxtail, Cow's feet (Beef Paya or Feet Tendon) etc. As for Offals, I like Tripe, sometimes Heart and Beef Lung (It's Illegal in States for stupid reasons) I would Avoid any Round or Hind cut because they are tough and does not have a lot of flavours. Cow's brain is tasty but not for everyone, it has kinda jello-like texture but very savoury.
 
when I’ve done splits with people, most don’t like short ribs... so I’ve gotten extras of those. But, most home grown beef I’ve gotten doesn’t have very meat on the shirt ribs, so it’s a bit of work to make a nice meal.

like others, go for hanger, skirt, brisket, and flap. most people want the steaks and can’t handle the large cuts, so maybe you can offer a trade of those for the larger cuts. Then ask for the bones and the other stuff to be ground and you’ll end up with more beef in your share.
 
daveb said:
But, but, but, most people involved in such a split are only interested in steaks, roast and burger. The less common bits have little to no value to them. A little burger bartering may be in order.
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True. I once helped butcher 9 pigs. We hired a mobile butcher. He did most of the work. He yelled, anyone want the odds bits? I asked for kidney and liver. And a pig head. He took everything to his shop. Upon pickup, I got ALL the odd bits. All the organs and 9 pig heads.
I called my Philippine coworker and he sent up the “bat signal”. I got rid of it all.
I got the craziest meals delivered to me for weeks in thanks.
 
Assuming it's Angus or an Angus cross I'd say ask about these:

Denver aka Boneless Short Rib -- Ask for this one whole. You can cut it into steaks, but I'd recommend smoking it like brisket. Also makes great stew or if you must... grind.

Bavette aka Sirloin Flap, Vacío -- Better than skirt steak. Awesome grilled and good for feeding multiple people since the ends are thinner than the middle. This way some people can get mid-well and you can have the mid-rare or medium meat from the center.

Hindshank -- These are really cool looking if your butcher will keep it whole and french the bone about an inch. Sometimes people call these "Volcano Shanks" or "Volcano Osso Buco." Cross cut shanks are also great, but a whole shank is an awesome '****-off' cut. I also prefer the hindshank to the foreshank. It is more uniform and meatier.

Picanha aka Top Sirloin Cap -- Awesome for the grill whole. Render the fat cap for a while and flip to finish to mid-rare. Slice for your guests. Can also be cut to make "culotte" steaks.

Tri Tip -- As people mentioned, you can smoke these whole. They can also be cut against the grain to make nice "Newport" steaks.

Beef Heart -- Try it ground and in ragout. Nice lean meat.

Teres Major -- If your butcher's willing to seam this out of the shoulder, you should take it. A pretty tender steak for two. They're like if beef tenderloin had flavor. I prefer them grilled.

Obviously, some of these are repetitive, and I like other people's suggestions, but this is what I'd try to prioritize.
 
i thought the point of this thread was to discuss the fair split of a cow.?

you cannot drop a list of artisanal cuts like Mise listed and say, "and the other guy gets both Rumps". :D
 
M
mise_en_place said:
Assuming it's Angus or an Angus cross I'd say ask about these:



Beef Heart -- Try it ground and in ragout. Nice lean meat.



Obviously, some of these are repetitive, and I like other people's suggestions, but this is what I'd try to prioritize.
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i am gonna try this!! is the the only meat in the ragout? or a supplemental meat.?
 
Hanger is good with a good marinade. My favorites are rib eye (for obvious reasons) and coulotte - its got a thick fat cap that you want to score, render, and allot to get crispy. Then you roast it to rare and allow to rest to med rare. The most important thing is to cut across the grain here it'll be super tender with a lot of flavor.
 
I love the gelatinous cuts- cheek, shank (leg), brisket, chuck, ribs and tail for the way they make a braise syrupy and flavoursome.

Oyster blade (I think this is the supraspinatus) has a tendon running down the middle but the flesh itself is tender.

Skirt has a lot of flavour but it's hard to get (I think the restaurants snap it up). Actually, it might be a good time to get some now. I've never learned how to cook it properly.
 
Nemo said:
I love the gelatinous cuts- cheek, shank (leg), brisket, chuck, ribs and tail for the way they make a braise syrupy and flavoursome.

Oyster blade (I think this is the supraspinatus) has a tendon running down the middle but the flesh itself is tender.

Skirt has a lot of flavour but it's hard to get (I think the restaurants snap it up). Actually, it might be a good time to get some now. I've never learned how to cook it properly.
Click to expand...
Clean, marinate, grill over high heat
 
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