the steer
Every cut of the cow Tap a cut. Cooks first.
Steer Hog
Figures are for a whole animal — a typical 1,200 lb steer that dresses around 750 lb hanging and lands 450–500 lb in the freezer. Half a cow is half these counts. Fabrication choices (T-bone vs strip + filet) trade one cut for another; you do not get both from the same loin.
Cuts of the steer Chuck Rib Short loin Sirloin Round Brisket Plate Flank Shank Shank Chuck Rib Short loin Sirloin Round Brisket Plate Flank Shank Tap a primal — or the list under the chart — then a pin for the steak
Start on the steer Typical 1,200 lb live → ~750 lb hanging → 450–500 lb in the freezer.
Chuck 26% Smoke, braise, or grind. Flat iron and Denver are the weeknight exceptions — treat those like steak. Rib 9% Grill, reverse-sear, or roast. Light smoke on a prime rib — this is perfume, not bark. Short loin 8% High heat, or reverse-sear anything over 1½ inches. Do not braise a strip. Sirloin 9% Grill and reverse-sear. Tip roasts can roast; the flap wants a hot grate and a thin slice. Round 22% Roast rare and slice thin, braise, cube, or grind. A thick round steak treated like a ribeye will disappoint. Brisket 5% Low and slow to probe-tender, 200–205°F. Corned beef and pastrami are the same cut, cured. Plate 6% Smoke or braise the ribs. Skirts and hanger want a ripping grate and a short timer. Flank 3% Marinate or salt, grill hot, pull medium-rare, slice across the grain. Always across. Shank 4% Braise, osso buco, or stock. There is no steak in a shank. The whole animal Every retail cut we track, how many you generally get, and how often it actually shows up in a case. Tap a line to pin it on the chart.
Cook through a half-cow — the order that keeps scarce cuts from becoming grind.
Chuck 26% Chuck roast 2 chucks · 6–8 roasts, or 16–20 blade steaks 3–4 roasts, or 8–10 steaks Common Chuck-eye steak 2 small rolls · about 8–12 steaks 4–6 steaks Uncommon Flat iron 2 (one per shoulder) 1 steak, 8–12 oz Uncommon Denver steak 2 · about 1–1½ lb each 1 steak Scarce in the case Petite tender 2 · 8–12 oz each 1 Scarce in the case Mock tender 2 1 small roast Common Ranch steak 2 clods · several steaks per clod 2–4 steaks Uncommon Cross-rib roast 2–4 roasts 1–2 roasts Common Ground chuck 80–120 lb of grind from the whole carcass, much of it chuck 40–60 lb if you take a typical mix Common Beef cheek 2 1 Scarce in the case Tongue 1 Shared One per steer
Rib 9% Ribeye 2 ribeye rolls · about 24–32 steaks at 1 inch 12–16 steaks, or one 7-bone roast instead Common Prime rib 2 rib primals (typically 7-bone each) 1 roast, 3–4 bone for a smaller table Common Beef back ribs 2 racks 1 rack Common Ribeye cap 2 caps 1 cap, often rolled and tied Scarce in the case
Short loin 8% NY strip 2 strip loins · about 20–28 steaks at 1 inch 10–14 strips — or T-bones instead, not in addition Common Tenderloin 2 tenderloins · about 12–16 filets, or 2 center-cut roasts 1 tenderloin, 6–8 filets Uncommon T-bone If cut this way: ~16–20 T-bones, at the expense of boneless strip and filet 6–8 T-bones plus 4–6 porterhouses is a common sheet Common Porterhouse 8–12 if the loins are cut this way 4–6 Uncommon
Sirloin 9% Top sirloin 2 butts · about 12–20 steaks 6–10 steaks Common Tri-tip 2 1 roast, 1½–3 lb Uncommon Picanha 2 1 cap, 2–3 lb Uncommon Sirloin flap 2 1 flap Uncommon
Round 22% Top round 2 1 large roast, or several steaks Common Bottom round 2 1 roast Common Eye of round 2 1 small roast Common Sirloin tip 2 1 roast or a pile of kebab meat Common
Brisket 5% Packer brisket 2 (one per side), 8–16 lb each depending on the animal 1 packer Common Brisket flat 2 flats if separated 1 Common Brisket point 2 points 1 Uncommon
Plate 6% Plate short ribs 2 plates · typically two 3-bone racks, plus chuck short ribs from up front 1 plate rack Uncommon Outside skirt 2 1 Scarce in the case Inside skirt 2 1 Uncommon Hanger steak 1 You share it — or the other half-cow owner does One per steer
Flank 3% Flank steak 2 (one per side) 1 steak, 1–2 lb Uncommon
Shank 4% Foreshank 2 1 Common Hindshank 2 1 Common Oxtail 1 Shared — there is only one tail One per steer half-cow counts are typical, not a promise from the plant.