Meats Category

Meats
abruzzo sausage
abruzzese sausage
This a dry sausage from the abruzzo region of central Italy.
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alligator
alligator
Alligator meat is lean and mild and people say it tastes like a combination of pork, chicken, and rabbit. The best meat comes from the tail.
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Alpino salami
Alpino salami
This is an Italian-style salami.
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andouille, Cajun andouille, Louisiana andouille
andouille
This is a spicy smoked Cajun sausage that's used in jambalaya and gumbo. Don't confuse it with andouillette, a French sausage that's made from tripe.
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andouillette
andouillette
This tripe sausage has an unpleasant aroma and an assertive flavor, but while it's definitely not a crowd-pleaser, it's acquired something of a cult following. Larger sausages are called French andouille.
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antelope, American antelope, prairie antelope, pronghorn
antelope
Antelope are related to goats, but the meat resembles strongly-flavored venison.
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Ardennes ham
Ardennes ham
This is an air-dried ham that's similar to prosciutto.
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bacon, American bacon, fresh bacon, pork belly, side pork, streaky bacon
bacon
Bacon is a very fatty slab taken from the underside of a pig. The bacon sold in markets is usually cured and smoked, but it's also possible to buy uncured fresh bacon = pork belly = side pork. Smoked bacon is often fried and served with eggs or in sandwiches, or it's sometimes wrapped around lean meats to keep them moist while they're cooking.
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bacon bits, imitation
bacon bits, imitation
This is soy protein that's flavored to taste like bacon. It's cheaper and lower in fat than real bacon.
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banger
banger
Bangers are a mild British pork sausage.
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basturma, basterma, bastirma, pasterma, pastirma
basturma
This Armenian specialty consists of beef that's marinated in spices and air-dried.
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bauerschinken
bauerschinken
The name means farmer's ham.
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bauerwurst, bauernwurst
bauerwurst
This is a chunky German farmer's sausage that's often grilled and served on a bun or cooked with sauerkraut.
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Bayonne ham, jambon Bayonne
Bayonne ham
This boneless French ham is similar to prosciutto.
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bear
Compared with beef, bear is high in protein and low in fat and calories. Make sure you cook it thoroughly--it's possible to contract trichinosis from undercooked bear meat.
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beef 7-bone pot roast
This is a tough cut of meat, so it's usually braised or cooked in liquid to tenderize it. A steak from this roast is called a 7-bone steak.
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beef 7-bone steak, 7-bone steak, center chuck steak
beef 7-bone steak
This is an economical steak cut from a 7-bone pot roast. It's rather tough, so your best bet is to braise it. If you insist on grilling or broiling it, be sure to marinate it overnight to make it as tender as possible.
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beef arm roast, arm chuck roast, arm pot roast, arm roast, chuck arm roast
beef arm roast
This is just a butcher's blade away from the shoulder roast, and the main difference between the two is that the arm roast has a round bone in it and is slightly more tender. You can use this for a pot roast, or cut it up for stew meat, but it's too tough to cook with dry heat. A steak cut from this roast is called an arm steak.
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beef arm steak, arm chuck steak, arm steak, arm Swiss steak, round bone steak
beef arm steak
This is a steak cut from an arm roast. It's too tough to grill or broil, but it's very tasty if you braise it.
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beef back ribs, back ribs, barbecue beef ribs, rib bones, Texas ribs
beef back ribs
These aren't very meaty, but the ribs are long and fun to eat. They come in slabs containing several ribs. Grill the whole slab, then cut them into individual ribs when you serve them. Allow 1/2 to 1 pound per person.
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beef blade roast, blade chuck roast, blade pot roast, blade roast
beef blade roast
This makes a good pot roast, but it's too tough to cook using dry heat
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beef bones, beef bones, beef soup bones
beef bones
These are usually boiled with other ingredients to make a flavorful soup base. The meatier the better.
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beef bottom round, bottom round
beef bottom round
The bottom round is usually divided into two smaller cuts: the bottom round roast and the rump roast.
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beef bottom round roast, bottom round roast
beef bottom round roast
These roasts are cut from the bottom round. Some people roast them in the oven, but they're a bit tough and work better as pot roasts.
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beef brisket, brisket, first cut, flat cut, flat half, front cut, point cut
beef brisket
Northerners like to use the brisket to make corned beef, but Southerners often prefer to barbecue it because they like the way the meat pulls apart into tender, juicy strands. Briskets are usually sold boneless, and often cut into two parts: the flat cut = flat half = first cut = thin cut and the fattier and cheaper point cut = point half = front cut = thick cut.
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beef chuck eye, chuck eye, chuck filet, chuck fillet, chuck tender
beef chuck eye
This is one of the more tender cuts from the chuck section, so you can cook it in liquid or roast it in the oven. A steak cut from this roast is called a chuck eye steak.
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beef chuck eye steak, beauty steak, chuck eye steak, chuck filet steak
beef chuck eye steak
This steak isn't bad, considering it's a chuck steak. In fact, it's tender enough to grill or broil, provided that you marinate it overnight first.
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beef chuck steak, chuck steak
beef chuck steak
Chuck steaks comes from the neck and shoulder of the beef, and they tend to be chewy but flavorful and inexpensive. Most of them are too tough to grill, broil, or pan-fry--it's better to braise them or cut them up as stew meat. If you must grill one, make sure you marinate it overnight first.
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beef club steak, club steak, Delmonico steaks
beef club steak
Think of this as a T-bone steak without any of the choice tenderloin muscle in it. These steaks are sometimes also called Delmonico steaks, though that name is more often used for rib-eye steaks. To add to the confusion, rib steaks are sometimes called club steaks.
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beef coulotte steak, coulotte steak, culotte steak, culottes steak
beef coulotte steak
This is a small, boneless steak cut from the sirloin. It's got good flavor, but it's a bit tougher than other steaks so you might want to marinate before cooking it.
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beef cross rib roast, beef chuck cross rib pot roast, Boston cut
beef cross rib roast
If boneless, this is sometimes called an English roll. This makes a fine pot roast, but it's too tough to roast with dry heat.
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beef cube steak, cube steak
beef cube steak
This is a relatively tough cut of meat that the butcher tenderizes by turning it almost into hamburger. In some parts of the country, a minute steak is a small, thin sirloin steak.
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beef eye round roast, eye of the round, eye round roast
beef eye round roast
This boneless roast looks like a choice tenderloin, but it's much tougher. It's best to cook it very slowly using moist heat. A steak cut from this roast is an eye round steak.
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beef eye round steak, breakfast steak, eye of round steak, eye round steak
beef eye round steak
This is a small, boneless steak cut from an eye round roast. It's tough, so it's sometimes cut into stew meat or processed into cube steak. It's also good braised, but it will require the tenderizing effects of a marinade if you want to grill or broil it. If cut thinly, this steak is sometimes called a breakfast steak = wafer steak = sandwich steak = minute steak.
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beef filet mignon, bifteck, châteaubriand, filet mignon, filet steak
beef filet mignon
These are cut from the tenderloin, and they're the most tender steaks you can buy, though not the most flavorful. American butchers usually call all tenderloin steaks filets mignons, but the French reserve the name for just the cuts at the small end of the tenderloin, which is the best part. As they move away from the filet mignon, the French call their cuts tournedos, filet steak, châteaubriand, and bifteck. American butchers confuse matters even more by sometimes calling top sirloin steaks châteaubriands. Don't marinate these steaks and don't cook them beyond medium rare.
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beef flank steak, flank steak
beef flank steak
This is a lean, flat cut that's fairly tender and extremely flavorful. Properly marinated, it's a wonderful steak to grill or broil, but don't overcook it or it will become very tough. Before serving, cut the steak into thin slices at a slant against the grain.
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beef hanger steak, butcher's steak, butcher's tenderloin, hanger steak
beef hanger steak
This is the part of the diaphragm that hangs between the last rib and the loin. It's often ground in hamburger (or butchers just take it home), but some people claim that its grainy texture and intense flavor make it a first-rate steak (if marinated first). It's better known in France than in the United States, so you'll probably have to ask your butcher to set one aside for you.
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beef heart
beef heart
Beef heart is too tough to be sautéed or grilled, but it becomes very tender and delicious if cooked slowly using moist heat. You can buy it sliced or whole.
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beef jerky
beef jerky
These chewy strips of dried beef don't need refrigeration, so they're popular snacks for hikers and travelers. The biggest drawbacks are that they're high in sodium, calories, and price.
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