A Certified Angus® tenderloin, larded with a strip of bacon. Photo courtesy of RockyMountainSteaks.com.

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June 2005
Updated March 2008

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Beef

Beef Glossary & Beef Cut Diagram

Page 3:  F, G, H

When looking up cuts of meat, it’s helpful to refer to the beef cut diagram, courtesy of the National Cattleman’s Beef Association. If you enjoy this Beef Glossary, we have a food glossary for almost every category of food.

Click on the letter of the alphabet in this bar to get to a term
without having to scroll manually; letters other than F, G & H
will take you to the appropriate page of the glossary.

a  b  c  d  e  f  g  h  i  j  k  l  m  n  o  p  q  r  s  t  u  v  w  x  y  z

FILET MIGNON The most expensive cut of beef comes from the small end of the tenderloin. Boneless, it is ideally 2-1/2 inches thick (although it is sliced thinner) and 1-1/2 to 3 inches in diameter. Because this area of the animal is not weight-bearing, the connective tissue is not toughened by exercise. This results in extremely tender meat, the most tender of all beef cuts. It is lightly marbled and mild flavored compared to other cuts. The term “filet mignon” is a French derivative, the literal meaning is small (mignon) bone-less meat (filet). On restaurant menus it is called Filet Mignon, Tournedos, Medallions, Filet de Boeuf and Tenderloin Steak. Chateaubriand is the center, thickest cut from the tenderloin, and a specific preparation.

Filet Mignon from Blackwing.com, an organic purveyor. Read our review of their outstanding bison.

FLANK STEAK or LONDON BROIL

The long, triangular-shaped muscle from the fibrous underside of a flank of beef. A traditional preparation is marinated, broiled rare and sliced thin against the grain of the beef (London Broil is a misnomer, as the dish did not originate in London). Flank steaks, along with sirloin steaks, have a robust, beefy flavor, but they are substantially tougher. Thus, they are generally marinated or cooked using a moist method such as braising. They also can be rolled and stuffed, then baked in the oven or cooked in a crock pot.
Photo courtesy of GlacierBeef.com.

FLATIRON STEAK

A relatively new cut from the shoulder, a major barrier to prior enjoyment was the large band of connective tissue running down the center of the steak. This led people to assume that the cut in general must be tough. Removing the connective tissue leads to a steak that is often described as having both the tenderness of a rib eye or strip steak while still having the earthy flavor of a sirloin or skirt steak. Most people marinate the cut.

FREEZER BURN

The discoloration and dehydration of the flesh in freezer-stored meats. This is due to the loss of moisture and oxidation (resulting from exposure to air).

Marbling in beef.  Photo courtesy of
Morguefile.

GRADE

A USDA designation that indicates quality or yield of meat. See Quality Grading and Yield Grading.

GRASS-FED vs. GRAIN-FED BEEF

Grass fed cattle are free-range, pastured animals that graze on grass for most of the year, except during cold winter months when they are fed hay and grain (better animals are corn-fed, lesser animals eat cheaper feed mixes). The feed has an impact on the flavor of the meat: Grass-fed beef looks, smells and tastes slightly different from grain-fed beef. It has less fat, so needs to be cooked more carefully. Less fat also means less marbling, so it is downgraded by USDA standards, which work in favor of marbling. Grain-feed beef has a nuttier flavor based on the corn. Before World War II, virtually all cattle grazed on grass. Postwar agribusiness, aided by federal subsidies, produced huge surpluses of corn, which found its way into animal feed. In addition to about half the fat of grain-fed beef, grass-fed beef has Omega 3 fatty acids (grain-fed doesn’t) and significant amounts of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a potent anti-cancer agent.

GROUND BEEF or HAMBURGER

This is beef that has been ground or finely chopped. That which is labeled generic “ground beef” or “hamburger” is generally the trimmings of the cheapest cuts, such as brisket and shank. These cuts can be up to 30% fat, which will have the greatest shrinkage. The next level up is ground chuck at 15% to 20% fat, generally considered to be the best balance of flavor and shrinkage. The leanest meats, ground round or sirloin, are best eaten rare or medium rare because they don’t have enough fat content to keep from drying out with further cooking. Ground beef is used for meatballs, meat loaf, meat sauces, hamburger and other dishes. By the way, hamburger was popular among the Russian Tartars, who shredded the tougher cuts of beef and gave us the name for Steak Tartare. They introduced the dish to Germany before the 14th century. The Germans added spices and the dish, served both cooked and raw, became popular among people of limited means. In Hamburg, it became known as “Hamburg steak,” and came to the U.S. in the 1880s with the German immigration, where it became a “hamburger steak” and finally a “hamburger.” It also traveled to England, where Dr. J. H. Salisbury, a hearty beef eater, championed the shredding of all foods to improve digestibility (see Salisbury steak). The arrival of the bun is not known for certain, although some sources say that by the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, the hamburger was already a sandwich.

HANGER STEAK or BISTRO STEAK or BUTCHER’S TENDERLOIN

A cut from near the center of the diaphragm, hanger steak is flavorful and very tender towards the edges, but sinewy in the middle. It is best marinated and grilled or broiled, and served rare or medium-rare to avoid toughness. It is called hanger because it “hangs” from the diaphragm of the steer. There is only one hanger steak per animal and the entire cut typically weighs just 1 to 1.5 pounds. It is also known as “butcher’s steak” because butchers would often keep it for themselves rather than offer it for sale. In France it is called onglet, in Italian lombatello, and in Spanish solomillo de pulmon. In the United States, it has only recently become popular; formerly, it was not separated as an individual cut but sold as part of the flank.

HERITAGE BEEF

Beef from purebred and cross-bred livestock from rare and endangered species. The steers are raised on open pastures on family farms. For more information, visit HeritageFoodsUSA.com, a company that was formed to save heritage breeds by serving as a conduit between small farms and consumers and wholesale accounts.
Not your everyday cattle: The photo at left shows Fountain Prairie Highland beef, a heritage breed raised on a the Priske family farm in Wisconsin.

HIGH QUALITY

Each grade of beef represents a level of quality. High quality indicates that the beef has characteristics that indicate maximum palatability for the consumer (flavor and tenderness).

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© Copyright 2005- 2008 Lifestyle Direct, Inc. Some definitions were provided by the Cattlemen's Beef Board  and are © Copyright 2005 Cattlemen’s Beef Board. All rights reserved. Images are the copyright of their respective owners.