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Primal Cut
The first major division of a carcass — chuck, rib, loin, round on beef. Every steak and roast is subdivided from a primal.
View on brothh.comWhat it means
A primal cut is one of the first major sections a butcher cuts a whole carcass into. Beef has eight (chuck, rib, short loin, sirloin, round, brisket, plate, flank); pork has five (shoulder, loin, belly, ham, jowl). Retail cuts — ribeye, strip, chop — are all sub-cuts of primals.
Primals determine what ends up in your half beef: roughly 26% chuck (roasts + ground), 9% rib (ribeye, prime rib), 8% short loin (T-bone, strip, tenderloin), 9% sirloin, 24% round, 13% brisket/plate/flank, 11% shank and other.
Examples
Ribeye primal
Yields ribeye steaks, prime rib roast, back ribs
Short loin primal
Yields T-bone, porterhouse, NY strip, tenderloin
Do
- Review your butcher cut-sheet by primal — each section gives you a predictable set of cuts.
Don't
- Expect every primal in even quantity — the rib primal is only ~9% of hanging weight.
Related terms
Marbling
Intramuscular fat flecks inside a muscle — drives flavor, juiciness, and USDA quality grade.
Hanging Weight
The weight of a butchered animal after hide, head, and viscera are removed — but before cuts and trim. What most farmers price on.
Take-Home Weight
The actual packaged meat that ends up in your freezer — after the butcher cuts bone, trim, and fat from the hanging carcass.