Anatomy of cattle!

[Farmer Kitty]

The one on coat color doesn't mention my Blue holsteins. Just red and black.

 

[HartRice]

Is the information on here something that could be used for 4-H for a kid that is doing his beef project for the first time? Is there someone he would need to get permission from? Thanks a bunch for any help.

 

[Livestock-ID]

Excellent post of Cattle Anatomy. Great info for newbie's.

http://livestock-id.blogspot.com/2010/04/approved-usda-cattle-ear-tags-840-tags.html

 

[Cattledrawer]

Thanks for posting those! I'm in 4H so I need to study up on cattle parts..

 

[Livestock lover]

Good job!

 

[greybeard]

It's a shame so many pics were lost to Photobucket's image carnage.

I wish to add something different to it. Beef cutout.

I'm going to focus right now, on a sort of forgotten or rarely used, but flavorful, tender, and juicy cut..the top blade.
Note from the Chuck..you will see a 'triangle pot roast".
This is actually a top blade roast, a fairly tough cut, that has tough silverskin on one side, and a similarly tough connective membrane down the center that will not break down during cooking. Depending on the size and growth of the animal, it can be a fairly big cut of beef.
I've seen it prepared and sold 2 different ways as steaks.

This is what the roast will look like whole:




In my part of the world, this roast would be split down the center lengthwise or horizontally, fillet style.. with the center membrane removed and makes 2 of the best and least expensive steaks you can get. Flat iron steaks.

Sometimes, you will see these steaks sold cut the other way. Sliced against the grain. I don't care for this method. It leaves the center membrane in place, but you do get a lot of little 'petite' steaks out of it, and you'll often see these in your local grocery stores, but these are not 'flat irons' tho they are the exact same piece of beef, just cut differently.

In this case, it would be a top blade steak, with the roast cut horizontally into little steaks. In the next picture the center connective tissue that would have been filleted out for a flat iron is notated..

IF you are going to cut and cook them this way, I really suggest you trim that line of connective tissue out before cooking. Should look like this:


For those of you in North Texas, and traveling thru Atlanta tx on US 59, I suggest The Ranch Steak house. On the left if going North, right next to Travel Inn motel. They do the flat iron right and for less than $20 full meal..

 

[RollingAcres]

@greybeard What about Tri Tip? I don't see that in the chart above, wondering which part it would be? I've seen this cut of meat sold in the store before.

 

[greybeard]

TriTip comes from the sirloin primal. There are a lot of cuts from any specific area, that aren't available if another cut is chosen, and in some areas, the sirloin is simply cut into steaks, bottom and top. Not long ago, the tri tip was just ground into burger.