American butchery is defined by the USDA primal divisions standardised in 1968 — eight primals on beef, four on pork — designed for industrial processing as much as home cooking. The vocabulary is shaped by a culture of grilling, smoking, and barbecue: tri-tip from Santa Maria, Texas brisket and Kansas City burnt ends, ribeye and New York strip on the steakhouse menu, and the regional barbecue traditions of the South.
Names cross over from Argentine, Mexican, and Korean traditions in regional American cooking — picanha at Brazilian-American churrascarias, galbi at Korean BBQ joints, arrachera and suadero at fonditas across the Southwest. The 'innovation cuts' movement of the 2000s — flat iron, Denver, chuck eye — produced the most active period of new butcher's nomenclature in any modern tradition. American cut names are globally recognised through restaurant culture, chain steakhouses, and the influence of US barbecue worldwide.
Quick question
Beef, pork and lamb as United States butchers divide them. Tap a primal to see the cuts named in American English.
Select a primal to see its cuts
Select a primal to see its cuts
Select a primal to see its cuts
United States cuts your local butcher may not carry, from sellers that ship.
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