Primal cut

Common card · No. 300974

A primal cut or primal is a piece of meat initially separated from the carcass of an animal during butchering. Examples of primals include the round, loin, rib, and chuck for beef and the loin and belly for pork. In modern industrial meat-packing, slaughterhouses break down the dressed carcass into sides and quarters, and then into large primal cuts, which are defined by natural seams and bone structures. These are often further divided into sub-primal cuts, which are distributed to retailers in vacuum packs. Retail butchers then cut the meat up into retail cuts, which may be individual portions, such as steaks or chops, or larger pieces, such as roasts, which are divided into individual portions after cooking. Different countries and cultures make these cuts in different ways, and primal cuts also differ between type of carcass. The British, American and French primal cuts all differ in some respects. For example, rump steak in British and Commonwealth English is commonly called sirloin...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Cassell & Company, No restrictions