Primal cuts

The smaller primary cuts of meat, taken from the carcass or sides of beef, pork, veal, or lamb, describing the anatomical location from where the cut originated.

Beef

Examples of some of the primal cuts of beef are:

• the chuck
• rib
• loin
• round
• brisket / flank

Pork

For pork, some of the primal cuts are:

• shoulder
• loin
• leg / ham
• side / belly.

Each primal cut is generally cut into smaller, specific cuts for commercial use, which are then referred to as sub-primal cuts.