meatcut

Meatcut refers to a piece of meat separated from a carcass during butchery for sale and culinary use. In professional practice, meat is fabricated into primal cuts, subprimal cuts, and retail cuts, with names that reflect the animal and region. The term is used across species, including beef, pork, lamb, and poultry, though the specific primals vary by species and market.

Beef has classic primal cuts such as chuck, rib, loin, and round, with subprimals like short ribs, fillets, and steaks derived from these regions. Pork primals include shoulder, loin, belly, and ham, with common retail cuts such as pork chops and pork loin roasts. Lamb is typically divided into shoulder, rack (or rib), loin, and leg. Poultry is often sold as whole birds or cut into parts such as breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and wings.

Meatcuts undergo further processing: trimming, aging (wet or dry), and sometimes grinding or mixing to create ground meat, sausages, or formed products. Retail cuts are designed for specific cooking methods; tougher cuts benefit from slow, moist cooking, while tender cuts are suitable for quick cooking.

Quality and labeling follow regulatory standards in many countries to ensure safety, species, origin, and handling. Butchers and processors use consistent naming systems to aid identification, pricing, and inventory.