1. First cut of ribs.
2. Porter-house steak or sirloin roast
3. Flat-boned sirloin steak or roast.
4,5,6. /(a) Large sirloin (a) steaks or roasts
7. Aichbone.
8. (and 4b and 5b) Rump steak.
9. (and 13e) Round steak.
10. Best part of vein
11. Poorer part of vein.
12. (d) Leg of beef.
13. (e) Flank.
The hind quarter consists of the loin, rump, round, tenderloin or
fillet of beef, leg and flank. The loin is usually cut into roasts and
steaks; the roasts are called sirloin roasts and the steaks sirloin or
porter-house steaks. In the loin is found the tenderloin; and a small
piece of it (about two and a half pounds in a large animal) runs back
into the rump. In Boston this is often sold under the name of the
short fillet, but the New York and Philadelphia marketmen do not cut
it. Plate No. 2 shows the fillet.
[Illustration: PLATE NO. 2. SHORT FILLET.]
Next the loin comes the rump, from which are cut steaks, roasts and
pieces for stewing, braising, a la mode and soups. Next the rump comes
the round, from which are cut steaks, pieces for a la mode, stewing,
braising and soups. The flank is cut from the loin, and used for
corning, stewing and as a roll of beef.
Plate No. 4 represents a loin as cut in Boston and Philadelphia, and
it and No. 3 represent one as cut in New York, if the two parts be
imagined joined at the point A. No. 4 also shows the inside of the
loin, where the tenderloin lies.
The sirloin is cut in all sizes, from eight to twenty pounds, to suit
the purchaser. The end next the ribs gives the smallest pieces, which
are best for a small family. The tenderloin in this cut is not as
large as in the first and second. In cutting sirloin steaks or roasts,
dealers vary as to the amount of flank they leave on. There should be
little, if any, as that is not a part for roasting or broiling. When
it is all cut off the price of the sirloin is of course very much more
than when a part is left on, but though the cost is increased eight or
ten cents a pound, it is economy to pay this rather than take what you
do not want.
[Illustration: PLATE NO. 3. RUMP, SHOWING END WHICH JOINS ROUND.]
[Illustration: PLATE NO. 4. LOIN. THE LOWER END JOINS RIBS.]
Porter-House Steaks.
Every part of the sirloin, and a part of the rump, is named porter-
house steak in various localities. In New York the second cut of the
sirloin is considered the choice one for these steaks. The rump steak,
when cut with the tenderloin in it, is also called porter-house steak.
The original porter-house steaks came from the small end of the loin.
Sirloin Steaks.
Sirloin steaks are cut from all parts of the loin, beginning with the
small end and finishing with the rump. In New York the rump steaks are
also known as sirloin. In some places they do not cut tenderloin with
sirloin. One slice of sirloin from a good-sized animal will weigh
about two and a half pounds. If the flank, bone and fat were removed,
there would remain about a pound of clear, tender, juicy meat There
being, therefore, considerable waste to this steak, it will always be
expensive as compared with one from a rump or round. But many persons
care only for this kind, as it has a flavor peculiar to itself; and
they will buy it regardless of economy. Plate No. 5 shows a second cut
of the sirloin, with the shape of a sirloin or small porter-house
steak. The only part that is really eatable as a steak is from the
base to the point A, the remainder being flank.
[Illustration: Plate No. 5. SIRLOIN ROAST--SECOND CUT.]
[Illustration: Plate No. 7. SHORT RUMP STEAK.]
[Illustration: Plate No. 6. LONG RUMP STEAK.]
Rump Steak.
What in Boston and Philadelphia is called rump steak is in New York
named sirloin. There are three methods of cutting a rump steak; two of
these give a very fine steak, the third almost the poorest kind. The
first two are to cut across the grain of the meat, and thus obtain,
when the beeve is a good one, really the best steaks in the animal.
Plates Nos. 6 and 7 represent these steaks. No. 6 is a long rump
steak, very fine; and No. 7 a short rump, also excellent. In both of
these there is a piece of tenderloin. In New York, No. 6 is sirloin
without bone, and No. 7 sirloin. There is yet another slice of rump
that is of a superior quality. It is cut from the back of the rump,
and there is no tenderloin in it. Plate No. 8 shows a rump steak cut
with the grain of the meat; that is, cut lengthwise. It comes much
cheaper than the others, but is so poor that it should never be
bought. It will curl up when broiled, and will be tough and dry.
[Illustration; Plate No. 8. RUMP STEAK WITH THE GRAIN.]
[Illustration: Plate No. 9. BACK OF THE RUMP.]
[Illustration: PLATE NO. 10. AITCHBONE.]
[Illustration: PLATE NO. 11. ROUND OF BEEF.]
Some marketmen will not cut rump steak by the first two methods,
because it spoils the rump for cutting into roasts, and also leaves a
great deal of bone and some tough meat on hand. The price per pound
for a rump steak cut with the grain is ten cents less than for that
cut across, and yet dealers do not find it profitable to sell steak
cut the latter way. Plate No. 9 shows the back of the rump, which is
used for steaks and to roast. The steaks are juicy and tender, but do
not contain any tenderloin.
Round Steaks.
Plate No. 11 shows the round of beef with the aitch bone taken off; a,
a, a, a, is the top of the round, b, b, b, b, the under part, where
the aitchbone has been cut off, and c, c, c, c, the vein. Plate No. 10
is this aitchbone, which is first cut from the round, and then the
steaks are taken off.
The best steak begins with the third slice. The top and under part of
the round are often cut in one slice. The top is tender and the under
part tough. When both are together the steak sells for fifteen or
sixteen cents per pound; when separate, the top is twenty or more and
the under part from ten to twelve. If it is all to be used as a steak,
the better way is to buy the top alone; but if you wish to make a stew
one day and have a steak another, it is cheaper to buy both parts
together. Round steak is not, of course, as tender as tenderloin,
sirloin or rump, but it has a far richer and higher flavor than any of
the others. It should be cut thick, and be cooked rare over a quick
fire. Steaks are cut from the vein in the round and from the shoulder
in the fore quarter. They are of about the same quality as those from
the round.
Tenderloin Steak.
This is cut from the tenderloin, and costs from twenty-five cents to a
dollar per pound. It is very soft and tender, but has hardly any
flavor, and is not half as nutritious as one from a round or rump.
Quality and Cost.
We will now consider the various kinds of steak, as to their cost and
nutritive qualities. The prices given are not those of all sections of
the country, but they will be helpful to the purchaser, as showing the
ratio which each bears to the other.
Top of the round, the most nutritious, 18 to 25 cents.