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. Examples of some of the primal cuts of beef are the chuck, rib, loin, round, and brisket/flank. For pork, some of the primal cuts are shoulder, loin, leg/ham, and side/belly. Each primal cut is generally cut into smaller, specific cuts for commercial use, which are then referred to as sub-primal cuts.