Beef cuts guide: Which cut to use for every dish

A guide to beef: Which cut to choose and how to cook it

Depending on the dish you want to prepare, there is always a specific cut of beef that will bring out the very best of its flavor and texture. Some cuts are ideal for slow braising in a pot, others for juicy grilled steaks, and others for rich, deeply flavored sauces. In the guide below, you will find the most popular cuts of beef, their characteristics, and the ideal cooking methods for each.

Head – Tongue – Cheeks

These are cuts packed with flavor, with plenty of fat and a deep, rich taste.

Cooking suggestions

• Head: Roasted whole in the oven, wrapped in parchment paper with aromatic herbs. It needs long, slow cooking and is considered one of the most flavorful traditional dishes.
• Tongue: Excellent for oven cooking, even when stuffed.
• Cheeks: Rich in collagen and fat, they make an exceptional youvetsi, and are perfectly suited to a covered roasting pan or low oven with wine and aromatics.

Neck

The neck is a fairly fatty but very tender cut, with rich flavor.

Cooking suggestions

Ideal for ground beef, especially for meatloaf, thanks to its fat content. It also works beautifully in soups, tomato-based stews with pasta, youvetsi, and as grilled neck chops on the barbecue.

Chuck Eye – Neck End

A tender cut close to the bone, with enough fat to add intense flavor to your dish.

Cooking suggestions

Best suited for the pot. It makes an excellent boiled dish, tomato stew, soup, or youvetsi. It is also ideal for ground beef.

Top Blade (Kapaki)

A tender cut of beef with a relatively low fat content.

Cooking suggestions

It suits almost every cooking method: boiled, stifado, tomato stew, youvetsi, lemon-braised, braised, and grilled.

Shoulder (Spala)

The shoulder is one of the most popular cuts of beef, as it combines tenderness, rich flavor, and a generous amount of collagen.

It includes cuts such as:

• shoulder clod (chteni spalas)
• shoulder eye (noua spalas)
• shoulder shank (pontikia spalas)
• vasilopoula or spalomita (top blade)

The spalomita is considered one of the most prized and sought-after cuts of beef.

Cooking suggestions

The shoulder makes excellent ground beef, youvetsi, stifado, tomato stew, lemon-braised dishes, and wine-braised dishes. It can also be cooked in a covered roasting pan, as a pot roast, or stuffed in the oven.

Brisket – Short Ribs – Plate (Sidirodromos)

These are fattier cuts, with rich flavor and plenty of connective tissue.
Cooking suggestions

They are ideal for ground beef, soups, tomato stews, stifado, stuffed oven dishes, and meatloaf.

Plate (Sidirodromos)

The sidirodromos is an economical but particularly flavorful cut, with plenty of bone and a small amount of meat. It is best suited to braising and slow cooking.

Beef Top Blade

Located close to the rib steaks, it is ideal both for ground beef and for slow-cooked pot dishes.

Sirloin (Kontra)

The sirloin (kontra) is a flavorful cut, with or without the bone. When left attached to the bone, it is known as T-Bone steak.
Cooking suggestions

Ideal for oven roasting, braising, or grilling when cut into slices.

Tenderloin (Fileto)

The most tender and prized cut of beef, and also the most expensive.
Cooking suggestions

Ideal for the grill, sauté, and quick cooking methods that preserve its juicy texture.

Beef Leg

Top Sirloin (Kiloto)

The upper part of the hip, with plenty of flavor and a moderate amount of fat.
Cooking suggestions

Suitable for ground beef, tomato stew, pot roast, and the grill when cut into slices or skewered as souvlaki.

Top Round (Trans)

The inner section of the thigh. It is tender but relatively lean.
Cooking suggestions

Ideal for schnitzel, ground beef, oven-baked meatloaf, tomato stew, and pot roast.

Eye of Round (Noua)

Located at the back of the thigh and usually cooked whole.
Cooking suggestions

It is particularly well suited to lemon-braised dishes and pot roast.

Bottom Round (Strongylo)

Located at the front of the thigh and rich in collagen.
Cooking suggestions

Ideal for the pot and for recipes with rich sauces.

Shank – Hind Shank (Kotsi – Pontiki)

A tender cut with plenty of collagen that beautifully thickens sauces.
Cooking suggestions

It suits lemon-braised dishes, tomato stews, and slow cooking.

Osso Buco

The shank cut into slices.
Cooking suggestions.

Ideal for tomato stew or wine-braised dishes, while its bone produces excellent stocks.

Hind Shank (Pontiki)

Lean meat with a great deal of collagen.
Cooking suggestions

It is excellent boiled, in soup, lemon-braised, and as pot roast.

Oxtail

An economical but particularly flavorful cut that requires long, slow cooking.
Cooking suggestions

It is ideal for tomato-based or wine-braised recipes.

Flank – Belly (Lapa – Koilia)

A cut with plenty of fat and rich connective tissue.
Cooking suggestions

Ideal for ground beef, meatloaf, soups, stifado, tomato-based pasta dishes, yiahni, and youvetsi.

Rib Steak – Steaks – Rib Eye

Among the most flavorful cuts of beef, thanks to the characteristic fat “marbling”.

Rib Steak (Spalompriozoles)

These are the first ribs of the back.
Cooking suggestions

Ideal for the grill, oven, and wine-braised recipes.

Rib Eye

The fillet of the rib steak, exceptionally juicy and tender.
Cooking suggestions

It is cooked whole in the oven or braised, while thick slices are best grilled over high heat so they develop a crispy crust and retain their juices.

Fat Content of Beef

The fat content varies significantly from cut to cut and influences both the flavor and the cooking method.

Cuts with low fat content

• Tenderloin
• Bottom Round
• Sirloin

Cuts with moderate fat content

• Top Round
• Eye of Round
• Shoulder

Cuts with high fat content

• Neck
• Brisket
• Short Ribs
• Flank

Conclusion

Choosing the right cut of beef can make a significant difference in the final outcome of your recipe. From the tender tenderloin to the collagen-rich cheeks and osso buco, every cut has its own distinct flavor and ideal cooking method. By selecting the appropriate piece for each recipe, you can always enjoy juicy, flavorful, and perfectly cooked beef.