Poultry Neck

The Neck of a Chicken is typically counted among the giblets even though it is technically not an offal cut. In most cases, it is removed from the Chicken before cooking, since it has very little meat as compared to the ratio of bones in it.

Poultry Back

Breast
Chicken breast must be the most versatile meat. It is a white meat with very little fat and it is the perfect cut to slice up in stir-fries, marinate and grill, pan-fry or oven roast, filled with your favourite filling. Chicken breasts can also be baked or poached and used in salad, sandwiches or shredded and put into soups.

Tenderloin
Tenderloins are a good option too. They are slightly more tender than the whole breast and are great crumbed and baked, or quickly chargrilled and tossed in a hot salad.

Poultry Tenderloin

Inner fillet
Although called Tenderloin, this cut comes the muscle that runs on each side of the soft breastbone. Similar to the Chicken Breast, this portion comprises white meat and is a lean cut.

Poultry Breast

Breast
Chicken breast must be the most versatile meat. It is a white meat with very little fat and it is the perfect cut to slice up in stir-fries, marinate and grill, pan-fry or oven roast, filled with your favourite filling. Chicken breasts can also be baked or poached and used in salad, sandwiches or shredded and put into soups.

Tenderloin
Tenderloins are a good option too. They are slightly more tender than the whole breast and are great crumbed and baked, or quickly chargrilled and tossed in a hot salad.

Poultry Wing

Chicken wings, are absolutely fantastic to eat! They come on the bone and when roasted, grilled or barbecued, their skin becomes crispy and delicious. They’re higher in fat than breast meat, with a similar fat content to thighs and drumsticks.

Poultry Thigh

Arguably the tastiest part of the chicken, thighs are little parcels of tender, juicy meat from the top of the bird’s leg. You can buy them bone in, or bone out, and with the skin on or off. The meat is darker and firmer than the white breast meat and needs slightly longer to cook.

Poultry Tail

Being one of the least exercised parts of a Chicken’s body, the Tail is identified by the presence of connective tissues as well as fat. The meat from the Tail is a darker shade of pink, which indicates that it contains myoglobin. It is rare to find this portion in retail but it is used in certain delicacies.

Poultry Drumette

The first segment (meatier part) of a chicken wing, closest to the body.

Poultry Leg

Legs
Instead of dividing the legs into drumsticks and thighs, try leaving them whole, then roasting them in the oven or grilling them on the barbecue.

Drumstick
These are the chicken’s shins. Like wings, they come on the bone and are cheap and easy to cook. They’re also a big barbecue favourite.

Beef Head

Ox Cheek
As the name suggests this cut is the hardworking cheek muscle of cows. It is a budget cut that will reward being cooked long and slow to make it tender. The many connective fibres will break down to form a thick gravy. It absorbs the flavours of braising liquid such as wine or ale well. Cooked it has a texture similar to brisket.

Clod
This is an economical cut that is flavourful but a less tender meat. It is cut from the middle of the shoulder and usually sold as stewing steak or used in burgers. Suitable for slow cooking in stews.

Beef Chuck

Chuck & Blade
This cut is often sold as Braising Steak. A little more tender than stewing steak. Use in casseroles, stews and to braise. Also Blade steak sometimes known as “Flatiron Steak” as it has a shape similar to that of an old-fashioned flat iron

Chuck steak
Quite often sold as braising steak, chuck comes from around the shoulders and is often sold pre-diced to be used in certain dishes. The shoulders are one of the hardest working parts of the animal, so chuck can be quite tough if not cooked correctly. However, this also makes it one of the most economical, widely available cuts out there.

Onglet
Also called hanger steak, onglet has only recently become known about in the UK but is now appearing on menus and in shops – before then it was often pocketed by the butcher. Taken from the cow’s lower belly, it has been enjoyed in France for years thanks to its intense meaty flavour and satisfyingly chewy texture. It’s possible that onglet wasn’t popular in the past as it can become very tough if not cooked correctly.

Beef Rib

Fore Rib
Sold “Boned and rolled”, “French trimmed” or “On the bone”. Has good marbling throughout the flesh and with excellent fat cover on the outside making for a superb roast. Can also be cut into steaks ”Ribeyes” for grilling, frying or BBQ. The last few ribs before the sirloin are known as wing rib.

Rib-eye steak
Rib-eye is fast becoming one of the most popular steaks around thanks to its incredibly rich, beefy flavour. It is cut from just above the ribs, an area which does little work and makes rib-eye exceptionally tender. There are also ribbons of fat found throughout the meat, adding plenty of flavour, and an ‘eye’ of fat in the centre, which needs to be rendered down during cooking. While every person has their own preferences on how rare or well-done they like their steak, with rib-eye it’s generally suggested to cook it until medium at the least, as this gives the fat time to render down and baste the meat.

Beef Short Loin

Sirloin steak
Sitting somewhere between rump and fillet in terms of taste and texture, sirloin steak has the perfect balance of fat and tenderness. It comes from between the fillet and the rib, and is also sometimes sold as a rolled and boned joint, ready for roasting whole. Sirloin steaks should be cooked in a similar way to rib-eye, allowing the fat to melt into the meat and to prevent chewy gristle. If roasting the joint whole, make sure there is a nice thick cap of fat on top of the meat to prevent it drying out, and regular basting during the cooking process helps keep everything tender.

Beef Sirloin

This is typically sold boned and rolled. A prime cut which is suitable for a classic sunday roast. Sirloin Steak comes from the same area but cut into steaks such as “T”-bone, Porterhouse and Entrecote. Prime cuts which are suitable for grilling, frying, stir-fries and barbecuing.

Beef Tenderloin

Tenderloin / Fillet
Probably the most prized cut of beef, the fillet is very tender and very lean, as a steak it is suitable for quick cooking under the grill or frying. Larger pieces are used for dishes such as Beef Wellington. Other names for cuts of fillet include Filet Mignon, Tenderloin, Tournedos and Chateaubriand.

A fillet steak should be cooked over incredibly high heat as quickly as possible, to prevent the meat drying out. However, larger pieces of fillet are used to make dishes such as beef Wellington and chateaubriand, which are cooked in the oven for longer.

Beef Top Sirloin

Top sirloin is a cut of beef from the primal loin or subprimal sirloin. Top sirloin steaks differ from sirloin steaks in that the bone and the tenderloin and bottom round muscles have been removed; the remaining major muscles are the gluteus medius and biceps femoris (top sirloin cap steak).

Beef Bottom Sirloin

Bottom sirloin The sirloin primal is home to popular cuts such as the Sirloin steak, the Tri-tip, and also the Sirloin Bavette. This primal is divided into the top sirloin butt and bottom sirloin butt. Bavette comes from the inside portion of the diaphragm from the bottom sirloin.

Beef Rump

Rump
Another classic steak cut, rump is at the opposite end of the spectrum to fillet. What it lacks for in tenderness, however, it more than makes up for in flavour. Cut from the backside of the cow, it’s a muscle that’s used quite a bit during the animal’s life, which means it’s tougher than other ‘prime’ steaks. However, it is still tender enough to be fried quickly and served rare (if desired). Rump steaks are also a good choice when making kebabs or skewers, as it takes on marinades very well and can hold its own against stronger flavours. It can also be sliced very thinly and used in stir-fries or Asian dishes, which require very fast and hot cooking.

Oxtail
One of the most, flavoursome and inexpensive cuts of beef . Oxtail is most often sold cut into individual vertebra. Long and slow braising will release their excellent rich flavour.

Beef Round

Topside
Topside is quite similar to silverside and comes from the inner thigh of the cow. It is sold as a roasting joint and almost always has a layer of fat secured to it which will baste the meat while cooking. Because of the low fat content in the meat itself, topside can be roasted and served rare whilst remaining nice and tender. Known as an ‘easy to carve’ roast, topside is incredibly simple to cook and serve. It also doesn’t require low and slow cooking, so is perfect for a Sunday dinner when you haven’t got time to spend all day in the kitchen.

Silverside
Just above the leg is the silverside, so-called because of the thin, silvery tissue covering one side of the joint. It is often used to make salt beef or corned beef, roasted as a whole joint in the oven or sliced into minute steaks. It has very little marbling and overall is quite a lean cut. If roasting whole, silverside should be regularly basted or partly-submerged in liquid to prevent it drying out. It is sometimes sold with an added cap of fat tied around it, which keeps it moist and adds flavour.

Beef Shin

Shin
One of the cheapest cuts of beef available, shin comes from (as you can probably guess) the foreleg of the cow. Until recently shin was usually sold as generic ‘stewing steak’, but chefs and butchers are now understanding how to make the most of the cut. It requires long, slow braising, as there are thick ribbons of tissue and gristle running throughout the meat, but once these break down the meat falls apart in the mouth. Shin is particularly well-suited to stews as it creates a wonderfully flavourful sauce if cooked in liquid. The meat almost melts into the liquid to become rich and sticky, with plenty of savoury beefiness.

Beef Flank

Thick Flank
This joint is also known as Top Rump good for slow roasting as a joint or braised in pieces. Also sold as “stir fry” strips or flash fry steak. These can also be called flank steak

Thin Flank
Meat from this area is often known as “Skirt”. Skirt steak is a thin, long cut of beef from around the diaphragm, also known as “Hanger steak” (or “Onglet” in France). It has plenty of fat marbling which makes it moist and flavoursome. Bavette is the French name for a flank steak from this section. These steaks can be recognised by quite a coarse ridged grain. Due to its positioning on the animal these muscles do relatively little work and are therefore quite tender. This cut is often used in Mexican recipes such as Fajitas. Good for grilling, frying or the BBQ. It should be served cut into slices across the grain to make it as tender as possible.

Beef Plate

Flank steak
A relatively long and flat cut, flank steak is used in a variety of dishes including London broil and as an alternative to the traditional skirt steak in fajitas. It can be grilled, pan-fried, broiled, or braised for increased tenderness. Grain (meat fibre) is very apparent in flank steaks, as it comes from a well-exercised part of the cow, and many chefs cut across the grain to make the meat more tender. It is frequently used in Asian cuisine, often sold in Chinese markets as "stir-fry beef", and is served in French cuisine as an at most medium-rare steak.

Hanger steak
A hanger steak, also known as butcher's steak or hanging tenderloin, is a cut of beef steak prized for its flavor. This cut is taken from the plate, which is the upper belly of the animal. In the past it was sometimes known as "butcher's steak", because butchers would often keep it for themselves rather than offer it for sale. This is because the general populace believed this to be a crude cut of meat, although it is actually one of the most tender.

Beef Brisket

Beef brisket comes from the chest area between the shoulders of the cow, which means it’s a working part of the animal and moves around quite a bit during its lifetime. It also has a large amount of fat which is marbled throughout and adds bags of flavour to the meat. It is usually sold boned and rolled as a full joint, and the high amount of fat and connective tissue means it needs to be slow-cooked to render it all down.

Beef Neck

This cut is generally sold as stewing steak. Long and slow cooking will release a good flavour and produce tasty gravy or sauce.

Pork Head

Pigs heads are making a slow come back, but mostly in high end restaurants that likely to offer rare and unusual foods. The cuts used are ears and cheeks.

Pork Shoulder

Shoulder
Pork Shoulder meat is more fatty than pork leg meat and produces very tender and succulent roasting joints. Slowly roasted for hours it becomes meltingly tender. The whole bone in shoulder is too big for most households, but boned and rolled Pork Shoulder joints with a layer of scored skin for the crackling are easy to prepare and carve. Other uses for pork shoulder are diced shoulder meat for casseroles. The bony end of the shoulder without the Trotter is the Ham Hock or Hough, inexpensive and either smoked or unsmoked. They require long slow braising until all the sinew and other tissue have melted into a richly flavoured, gelatinous liquor.

Collar/Neck End
The neck end or collar sits above the shoulder and can be divided into the spare rib (not to be confused with the spare ribs that are so popular on the barbecue) and the blade. It is slightly fatty and most often used cured for bacon or inexpensive diced or minced pork. A spare rib roast is an economical cut that benefits from slow cooking.

Pork Loin

The long back of the pig is the loin, providing the leanest meat and the most popular pork cuts. The whole loin bone in and the rind on makes a good roasting joint, but is too long for most domestic ovens. The Pork rack is the rib end of the loin which will fit into most domestic ovens. Pork Chops are cut from the bone in loin. The boned and rolled Loin is easily cut into smaller pieces and makes excellent roasting joints. The scored rind protects the lean meat from drying out when cooking and provides the wonderful crackling. Pork Loin Steaks are cut from the boneless middle loin, as are the Butterfly Steaks, which are Loin Steaks cut to double thickness and then partially cut through the centre and opened out. The tenderloin or Fillet is the leanest and most tender meat. It dries out quickly and should not be overcooked. Luxurious Pork Medallions, cut from the eye of the loin, are lean and firm and cooked in minutes.

Pork Spare Rib

A staple of American diner-style cooking, and popular in Chinese cuisine, spare ribs come from the upper part of the shoulder. They’re sweet and succulent thanks to a good amount of marbled fat. Try them cooked as a rack of ribs (depending on the size of the pig, they tend to come in rows of four or five), split into individual ribs, slow-cooked, or flash-grilled on a barbecue.

Pork Belly

Almost as long as the loin, the belly provides rich and fatty meat. A boned and rolled Belly joint, roasted slowly over several hours until the fat has melted away, lubricating the meat in the process and producing the best crackling, is delightful. At the shoulder end of the belly sit the ribs. The rib sheets can be cooked as whole racks or cut between the bones into individual meaty spare ribs, which are full of flavour, good value for money and always popular for barbecues. Cured pork belly makes streaky bacon, smoked or unsmoked or Virginia cured and the Italian version, Pancetta.

Pork Leg

A prime hindquarter cut that provides lean meat and is used either fresh or cured. The boned and rolled leg makes a premium roasting joint full of meaty flavours. Diced Leg and thin stir fry strips (Julienne) are excellent for stews and casseroles and leaner than diced shoulder meat. Leg Steaks or Escalopes are suitable for frying or grilling.

Pork Hock

The bony end of the shoulder without the Trotter is the Ham Hock or Hough, inexpensive and either smoked or unsmoked. They require long slow braising until all the sinew and other tissue have melted into a richly flavoured, gelatinous liquor.

Pork Trotter

Feet/Trotters
Hind Trotters are making a come back with the increased interest in cheaper meat cuts. They contain little meat, but are ideal for soups and stock.

Lamb Neck

Neck of Lamb
When cut into thick slices this bony part of the neck ( know sometimes as Scrag End) it is very tasty and good for slow cooking. Also from this section are Neck Fillets – the same muscles but taken off the bone. Stew or braise until tender. Both these cuts are often underrated and as a result inexpensive.

Scrag
An inexpensive cut from the neck end, scrag requires long, slow cooking to release its wonderful flavour and tenderise the meat. Scrag usually comes either sold on the bone, or chopped and diced for deliciously hearty stews and casseroles.

Middle Neck
Middle Neck Fillets have very good flavour and are best braised or stewed to allow the layer of fat running through it to melt away and release the beautifully sweet, rich flavours. Try your neck of lamb braised with red wine and lemon.

Lamb Shoulder

Lamb shoulder is usually sold whole or halved on the bone. This part of the animal has worked hard so is better for slow roasting to break down any fibres to be really tender, Shoulder is also sold boned and rolled for roasting or diced for casseroles, curries or stewing. Minced lamb is also taken from this section of the animal.

Lamb Best End

Best End Of Lamb Neck (Best End), Rack of Lamb
This section produces some of the most tender cuts of Lamb. Best End is the first eight ribs which are known as “The Rack”. The Rack can be cut in several ways. If the ends of the bones are exposed after the fat has been trimmed away it is termed “French Trimmed”. Two racks roasted together with the bones intertwined are known as a “Guard of Honour”.
A rack of Lamb can also be trimmed and tied into a circle to form a “Crown of Lamb” – a most impressive roast to serve at your table.

Lamb Cutlets
Cutting between the rib bones produces Lamb Cutlets. Meat from this same section taken off the bone makes a “Valentine Steak”. Both of these are good for pan frying or grilling.

Lamb Loin

Lamb Loin
This portion provides Loin Chops for grilling or frying, similarly a Barnsley Chop – which is double the size being both sides of the animal. Off the bone this section provides Noisettes or in one piece a Cannon. These are all very tender and will cook quickly.

Lamb Chump
At the lower back of the animal where the loin meets the leg is known as the Chump. From here you can get Chump Chops and Chump Steaks. As a whole piece off the bone this is called a Chump Joint. All these are good for grilling and BBQ but can also be delicious if baked slowly in the oven.

Lamb Leg

Nothing sets up a classic family Sunday roast quite like a succulent roast leg of lamb. The leg meat is not only full of rich, bold flavour, it’s also very lean. Roast your room-temperature lamb leg with chopped rosemary, lemon zest and olive oil to make a meal worth remembering.

Whole, half or boned Leg of Lamb will make a perfect roast. For grilling and frying or the BBQ Leg of lamb is often sold as Leg Steaks, stir fry strips, or cubed for kebabs. A leg of lamb that has been ‘Butterflied”’ is a boned leg opened up into a large flat piece which has a rough butterfly shape. This too can be roasted or grilled.

Lamb Hindshank

The lower leg from this section is Lamb Shank. As a harder working part of the animal this needs slow cooking or braising; full of flavour it will become very tender and fall off the bone when cooked in this way.

Lamb Flank

This is the belly area of the Lamb. This is usually sold as a rolled joint for roasting. It is a quite fatty cut but when slow cooked this melts away to leave a tender and very tasty meat. This is one of the best value, least expensive cuts.

Lamb Breast

As it’s a little tougher and fattier than other lamb cuts, the breast or flank meat is at its finest when minced. Why not try lamb mince in a hearty, wholesome shepherd’s pie this winter? Lamb breast also serves as an incredibly flavourful and rich stock base.

Lamb Foreshank

The shank is a meaty cut from the lower end of the lamb leg. Excellent for slow cooking, it’s great value. The bone running through the centre provides a lot of the flavour, releasing collagen as the joint cooks and tenderising the flesh.