Beef Cut Sheet Guide: What You Get, What You Give Up, and Why It Matters
- Grace
- 15 minutes ago
- 3 min read
One of the most common questions we hear from bulk beef buyers is:
"If I select this cut, do I still get that cut?"
The short answer is: not always.
Every beef animal contains a finite amount of meat. Many popular cuts come from the same section of the animal, which means choosing one option may reduce or eliminate another.
Understanding these relationships can help you make more informed decisions when filling out your cut sheet.
The Rib Section
This section produces some of the most sought-after beef cuts.
Your Options
Ribeye Steaks
Bone-In Ribeye Steaks
Prime Rib Roast
Back Ribs
The Tradeoff
The same rib section cannot become both a large Prime Rib Roast and a full supply of Ribeye Steaks.
If you choose a large Prime Rib Roast for holiday meals, you will receive fewer Ribeye Steaks. If you prefer Ribeyes throughout the year, the processor will cut more of the rib section into steaks.
The Short Loin
This section contains several premium steak cuts.
Your Options
T-Bone Steaks
Porterhouse Steaks
New York Strip Steaks
Filet Mignon
The Tradeoff
T-Bones and Porterhouses already contain both Strip Steak and Tenderloin.
The more T-Bones and Porterhouses you request, the fewer standalone New York Strips and Filet Mignons you will receive.
The Sirloin
Many customers are surprised by how many different cuts come from this area.
Your Options
Sirloin Steaks
Baseball Sirloin
Tri-Tip
Picanha
Sirloin Roast
The Tradeoff
Keeping specialty cuts such as Picanha and Tri-Tip means those muscles are not being cut into traditional sirloin steaks or roasts.
The Chuck
The chuck provides both flavorful roasts and increasingly popular steak cuts.
Your Options
Chuck Roast
Arm Roast
Chuck Steak
Flat Iron Steak
Denver Steak
Stew Meat
Ground Beef
The Tradeoff
Flat Iron and Denver Steaks come from muscles that traditionally became chuck roasts, chuck steaks, stew meat, or ground beef.
The more specialty chuck steaks you keep, the less meat remains for those other options.
The Plate and Flank
These sections contain several hidden gems.
Your Options
Skirt Steak
Flank Steak
Short Ribs
Plate Ribs
Ground Beef
The Tradeoff
Every pound retained as Skirt Steak, Flank Steak, or Short Ribs is a pound that will not become Ground Beef.
The Round
The round produces many of the traditional family cuts.
Your Options
Top Round Roast
Bottom Round Roast
Eye of Round Roast
Sirloin Tip Roast
London Broil
Cube Steak
Jerky
Ground Beef
The Tradeoff
Choosing Cube Steak, Jerky, or additional Ground Beef reduces the amount of meat available for roasts.
The Biggest Ground Beef Question
The single largest factor affecting how much Ground Beef you receive is not the size of the animal.
It is how many specialty cuts you choose to keep.
When customers retain:
Flat Iron
Denver
Flank
Skirt
Tri-Tip
Picanha
Short Ribs
they naturally receive less Ground Beef.
That is because all of those cuts come from muscles that could otherwise be added to the burger pile.
Final Thoughts
There is no right or wrong cut sheet.
Some families prefer premium steaks and specialty cuts. Others would rather maximize Ground Beef and roasts for everyday meals.
The beauty of buying bulk beef is that you get to customize your order to fit your family's needs.
Interested in reserving a whole, half, quarter, or eighth beef share?
Big Horn Mountain Farms offers Wyoming Wagyu beef raised on pasture in the shadows of the Bighorn Mountains. Reserve your share today and enjoy a freezer filled with beef customized exactly the way you want it.
If you don't know what to choose on your cut sheet, start with our Standar Selection. These are the most often requested cuts:
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