About beef
Beef Cuts: Ukrainian, English and Brazilian Names
Ribeye, striploin, tenderloin, eye round, tongue, cheeks, trimmings: their English and Brazilian spec names. Plus chain on/off, Swiss cut, CL and IQF.
MYASYA team3 min readupdated
Table of names
English names follow international trade practice; Brazilian ones are those usually found on labels and in export specifications. Trimming specs differ from plant to plant, so the final guide is the cut weight on the product page.
Ribeye
- Trade name
- Ribeye, Cube Roll
- Brazil
- contrafilé de costela
- Part of the carcass
- Rib section of the back
- Used for
- Steaks, a steakhouse classic
Striploin
- Trade name
- Striploin, NY Strip
- Brazil
- contrafilé
- Part of the carcass
- Loin, behind the ribs
- Used for
- New York steak, even portions
Filet mignon
- Trade name
- Tenderloin
- Brazil
- filé mignon
- Part of the carcass
- Under the spine
- Used for
- Mignon, chateaubriand, tartare
Eye round
- Trade name
- Eye of Round
- Brazil
- lagarto
- Part of the carcass
- Hind leg
- Used for
- Roast beef, thin slicing, curing
Beef tongue
- Trade name
- Beef Tongue
- Brazil
- língua
- Part of the carcass
- Head
- Used for
- Boiling, slicing, smoking
Beef cheeks
- Trade name
- Beef Cheeks
- Brazil
- bochecha
- Part of the carcass
- Head, chewing muscles
- Used for
- Long braising
Beef liver
- Trade name
- Beef Liver
- Brazil
- fígado
- Part of the carcass
- Offal
- Used for
- Pâtés, frying
Trimmings 70/30
- Trade name
- Trimmings 70/30
- Brazil
- recortes 70/30
- Part of the carcass
- Offcuts
- Used for
- Mince, sausages
Lean trim 90/10 (sangria)
- Trade name
- Lean Trim 90/10
- Brazil
- recortes 90/10
- Part of the carcass
- Lean offcuts
- Used for
- Lean base for mince
Industrial beef
- Trade name
- Industrial Beef
- Brazil
- carne industrial
- Part of the carcass
- Various parts
- Used for
- Processing
Every item in the table, with today's prices, cut weight and minimum order.To the catalogue →
Where people get confused most
Cube Roll is ribeye
Cube Roll is the name for boneless ribeye in the Australian nomenclature. In Brazilian documents it's contrafilé de costela, occasionally ancho (from Argentine terminology). With us it's the Astra ribeye (1.2-1.5 kg) and the Frigon ribeye (up to 3 kg): the trim differs, so the weight differs twofold.
Contrafilé: striploin or ribeye
Plain contrafilé is striploin: the same back muscle, but from the loin, with a fat cap along the edge. With de costela added it's the rib section, i.e. ribeye. If in doubt, look at the weight: Astra striploin is 4.5-5.5 kg, Frigon 3.5-4 kg, a ribeye is 2-3 times lighter.
Eye round is not for steak
Eye of Round (lagarto) is an even, cylindrical muscle from the hind leg. Lean, with almost no fat inside, so on high heat it's tough. It's used for roast beef, thin slicing, carpaccio and curing, and by processors as lean raw material. Ours is Astra, 1.5-2.5 kg, from 10 kg, currently made to order.
Chain on and chain off
The chain (cordão in Portuguese) is a thin strip of muscle along the tenderloin. Chain on is tenderloin with it, chain off is without. The main muscle is the same; the difference is in the trim.
Cut weight
- Chain on
- Higher
- Chain off
- Lower
Kitchen work
- Chain on
- Needs trimming
- Chain off
- Less trimming
Where the strip goes
- Chain on
- Stock, sauces, mince
- Chain off
- None
Who it suits
- Chain on
- Kitchens that make stocks and sauces
- Chain off
- Kitchens that only portion steaks
Astra filet mignon, chain on or chain off, 1.5-2.7 kg cut, from 5 kg.To the catalogue →
Specification terms
- Swiss cut: tongue without the underside and throat tissue. That's how our tongue comes: Astra 1-1.5 kg (the producer holds a halal certificate), Frigon 600-800 g.
- CL (chemical lean): the share of lean meat by lab analysis. 90 CL means 90 % lean. The 90/10 figures on a box mean the same thing but estimated by eye, so they may differ from CL by a few percent.
- IQF: each piece frozen individually, not in a block: you can take just the amount you need from the box. Applies to portion items, not whole cuts.
- Vacuum: a cut in film with no air. It doesn't dry out at −18 °C and doesn't get freezer burn. Our cuts and tongue are vacuum-packed.
- Box: a corrugated carton and the unit of shipment. We ship by Nova Poshta from a single box.
Equal parts of 70/30 trimmings and 90/10 lean trim make 80/20 mince, exactly what a smash burger needs.Recipe →
