Cuts and Basic Butchery
Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 2
Chapter 7 · Cuts and Basic Butchery
Skill goal
Buy a larger piece of beef and cut it into what you need, safely and with little waste.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
A big piece of beef costs less per kilo than portions, and it gives you several meals once you cut it up yourself. Tender cuts from the back (sirloin, fillet, rump) are for quick cooking; tougher cuts from the legs and front (chuck, shin, brisket) are for slow cooking. Look at the grain, the lines of muscle fibre, because you cut across it for slicing and with the natural seams between muscles for cubing. For the cuts in more detail, see Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 1, chapter 1.
You don't need a butcher's kit: a sharp chef's or boning knife, a large board that doesn't slip, string, and a scale are enough. Chill the meat well first, because cold beef is firmer and easier to cut. For knife grips and safety, see Cooking Skills: Knife Skills 1.
The method
- Chill the beef well for firm, clean cuts, and put a damp cloth under the board so it doesn't slip.
- Use a sharp knife and long, smooth strokes, not sawing.
- Trim the silverskin, the shiny, tough membrane, which doesn't soften in cooking. Slide the knife flat under it.
- Cut along the seams between muscles to separate a big piece into smaller ones.
- Weigh before and after to see how much is waste, and keep the trimmings for stock or mince.
| Job | Cut | Tool | Time (approximate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trim and tie a joint | Topside or sirloin joint | Knife and string | 15 minutes |
| Cube for stews | Chuck | Chef's knife | 20 minutes |
| Slice steaks | Whole sirloin | Long sharp knife | 20 minutes |
| Grind mince | Chuck and short rib | Food processor or mincer | 20 minutes |
Sharp knives, raw beef and freezing
Sharp knives: a sharp knife is safer than a blunt one because it needs less force. Cut away from your body, steady the board with a damp cloth under it, curl your fingertips on the meat, and never try to catch a falling knife. Wash knives by hand, one at a time, and never leave one in the washing-up water.Raw beef: keep raw beef on its own board and plate, away from food that won't be cooked. Wash your hands, boards, knives and surfaces in hot soapy water afterwards, never put cooked food back on a plate that held raw meat, and store raw beef on the bottom shelf of the fridge.
Freezing and defrosting: freeze beef in flat, labelled bags with the date, for up to about 3 months (general guidance). Defrost it in the fridge on a plate on the bottom shelf, never on the worktop, and cook it within about a day of defrosting.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Trimming and tying a joint
A joint of topside or sirloin sold untied can be uneven and cook badly. Trimming it and tying it with string every few centimetres gives it an even shape, so it cooks evenly and slices neatly. Roast it as in Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 1, chapter 4.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 1.2 kg topside or sirloin joint
- 3 metres of butcher's string
- 1 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
- 1 tsp flaked sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Chill the joint, then slide a sharp knife flat under any silverskin and trim it away in long strokes. Leave a thin layer of fat, about 5 mm, which keeps the joint moist.
- Fold any thin end under to make an even thickness. Cut lengths of string and tie the joint every 3 to 4 cm, pulling each knot snug but not so tight that it cuts in.
- Rub with the oil, salt and pepper. Roast following Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 1, chapter 4, and remove the string before slicing.
Sharp knife and raw beef
Sharp knives: a sharp knife is safer than a blunt one because it needs less force. Cut away from your body, steady the board with a damp cloth under it, curl your fingertips on the meat, and never try to catch a falling knife. Wash knives by hand, one at a time, and never leave one in the washing-up water.Raw beef: keep raw beef on its own board and plate, away from food that won't be cooked. Wash your hands, boards, knives and surfaces in hot soapy water afterwards, never put cooked food back on a plate that held raw meat, and store raw beef on the bottom shelf of the fridge.
Resting: rest a roast for 20 minutes under foil before carving.
Level 2 · Stews
Cubing chuck for stews
Ready-cubed stewing beef is often uneven and full of gristle. Cutting your own from a piece of chuck lets you trim the tough bits and make every cube the same size, so they all cook at the same speed.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 1.2 kg piece of chuck
- 4 freezer bags
- 1 marker pen, for labels
- Chill the chuck. Find the natural seams, the thin lines of white connective tissue between muscles, and cut along them to separate the piece into 3 or 4 smaller muscles.
- Trim away the thick gristle and any hard fat, leaving the small threads of connective tissue, which melt in slow cooking. Cut each muscle into slices, then strips, then cubes of 3 to 4 cm.
- Weigh the cubes into four portions of about 250 g, put each in a labelled bag with the date, flatten and freeze. Keep the trimmings for stock.
Sharp knife and freezing
Sharp knives: a sharp knife is safer than a blunt one because it needs less force. Cut away from your body, steady the board with a damp cloth under it, curl your fingertips on the meat, and never try to catch a falling knife. Wash knives by hand, one at a time, and never leave one in the washing-up water.Raw beef: keep raw beef on its own board and plate, away from food that won't be cooked. Wash your hands, boards, knives and surfaces in hot soapy water afterwards, never put cooked food back on a plate that held raw meat, and store raw beef on the bottom shelf of the fridge.
Freezing and defrosting: freeze beef in flat, labelled bags with the date, for up to about 3 months (general guidance). Defrost it in the fridge on a plate on the bottom shelf, never on the worktop, and cook it within about a day of defrosting.
Level 2 · Steaks
Slicing steaks from a whole sirloin
A whole trimmed sirloin (or striploin) is cheaper than buying steaks and lets you choose the thickness. Check that it is trimmed, then cut steaks of an even 3 cm across the muscle.
Ingredients (4 steaks)
- 1.2 kg whole trimmed sirloin or striploin
- 1 sheet of baking parchment, cut into squares
- 1 tray, for freezing
- Chill the sirloin. Trim any remaining silverskin from the top, and trim the fat cap to about 5 mm.
- Cut straight down across the muscle with long, smooth strokes into steaks 3 cm thick, measuring if you need to. Use the thin end pieces for kebabs or a stir-fry.
- Put a square of parchment between steaks you plan to freeze, so they separate, then bag and label. Cook the others within about 2 days, as in Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 1, chapter 2.
Sharp knife and freezing
Sharp knives: a sharp knife is safer than a blunt one because it needs less force. Cut away from your body, steady the board with a damp cloth under it, curl your fingertips on the meat, and never try to catch a falling knife. Wash knives by hand, one at a time, and never leave one in the washing-up water.Raw beef: keep raw beef on its own board and plate, away from food that won't be cooked. Wash your hands, boards, knives and surfaces in hot soapy water afterwards, never put cooked food back on a plate that held raw meat, and store raw beef on the bottom shelf of the fridge.
Freezing and defrosting: freeze beef in flat, labelled bags with the date, for up to about 3 months (general guidance). Defrost it in the fridge on a plate on the bottom shelf, never on the worktop, and cook it within about a day of defrosting.
Level 3 · Mince
Grinding mince at home
Home-ground mince has a better texture than shop mince because you choose the cuts and the fat. A mix of chuck for beefy flavour and short rib for fat makes excellent burgers. The meat must be very cold, or it smears instead of cutting.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 500 g chuck, in 3 cm cubes
- 200 g boneless short rib or brisket with some fat, in 3 cm cubes
- 1 tsp flaked sea salt
- Spread the cubes on a tray and freeze for 20 to 30 minutes until firm outside but not frozen solid. Chill the processor bowl and blade too.
- Pulse the beef in two or three batches, in short bursts of 1 or 2 seconds, about 10 to 15 pulses, until coarsely ground. Stop before it turns into a paste.
- Fry a spoonful with salt to taste, then shape and cook as in Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 2, chapter 1. Cook the same day or freeze at once, and wash the equipment in hot soapy water straight away.
Home-ground mince and minced beef
Home-ground mince: mince spoils faster than a whole piece because grinding spreads bacteria through it. Keep the meat very cold, work quickly, wash the equipment in hot soapy water straight away, and cook or freeze the mince on the same day.Minced beef must be cooked through: burgers, meatballs, sausages and anything made from mince must be cooked right through: no pink inside, juices running clear, about 71°C in the centre (general guidance). A whole steak can be served rare because bacteria sit on the surface; mincing spreads them through the meat.
Sharp knives: a sharp knife is safer than a blunt one because it needs less force. Cut away from your body, steady the board with a damp cloth under it, curl your fingertips on the meat, and never try to catch a falling knife. Wash knives by hand, one at a time, and never leave one in the washing-up water.
Experiments
Experiment
Trim waste
How much goes in the bin?
- Weigh the chuck before and after trimming, and work out the percentage lost.
Look for: Often 10 to 20 percent is gristle and fat; the more you trim, the tidier the stew but the more you pay per portion. Use the trimmings for stock.
Experiment
Tying or not
Tied and loose.
- Roast two small joints, one tied and one loose, and slice both.
Look for: The tied joint is a neat, even shape that slices cleanly; the loose one flattens and cooks unevenly.
Experiment
Fresh or frozen
Firm from the freezer.
- Slice one steak when the meat is fridge-cold and one after 30 minutes in the freezer.
Look for: The firmer piece cuts cleaner, thinner slices. Chilling beef is a butcher's trick.
Experiment
Hand-cut or ground mince
Chopped, ground and shop-bought.
- Make three small patties: one hand-chopped, one from your ground mince and one from shop mince.
Look for: The hand-chopped is coarse and meaty, the home-ground is looser than shop mince, and shop mince is finest and more compact. Choose by the dish.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tied joint | ||||
| Cubed chuck | ||||
| Sirloin steaks | ||||
| Home-ground mince | ||||
| Trim waste | ||||
| Tying or not | ||||
| Fresh or frozen | ||||
| Hand-cut or ground mince |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Ragged, torn cuts | Blunt knife or sawing | Sharpen the knife and cut with long, smooth strokes |
| Meat slipping about | Board moving or beef wet | Put a damp cloth under the board and pat the beef dry |
| Tough steaks | Cut with the grain | Cut across the grain |
| Mince like a paste | Meat or bowl too warm, or over-processed | Chill everything and pulse in short bursts |
| String slipped off | Knots too loose | Tie every 3 to 4 cm and pull snug |
| Uneven stew cubes | Cutting without a plan | Separate along the seams first, then cube evenly |
Knives, raw beef and leftovers
Sharp knives: a sharp knife is safer than a blunt one because it needs less force. Cut away from your body, steady the board with a damp cloth under it, curl your fingertips on the meat, and never try to catch a falling knife. Wash knives by hand, one at a time, and never leave one in the washing-up water.Raw beef: keep raw beef on its own board and plate, away from food that won't be cooked. Wash your hands, boards, knives and surfaces in hot soapy water afterwards, never put cooked food back on a plate that held raw meat, and store raw beef on the bottom shelf of the fridge.
Leftovers: divide leftovers into shallow containers within about 1 to 2 hours, cool, then chill and eat within about 2 days (or freeze for up to about 3 months). Reheat until steaming hot all the way through, and only once.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can trim silverskin and fat from a piece of beef.
- I can tie a joint so it keeps its shape.
- I can cube chuck evenly and portion it for the freezer.
- I can slice steaks across the grain.
- I can grind mince at home safely.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Beef and Steak 2, chapter 8 is A Beef Feast: planning and serving a big beef meal.