Sub-Primal Cuts

Refers to the smaller cuts of meat obtained from the larger primal cuts of an animal. For example, a beef chuck primal cut can be divided into the arm section and the blade section and from these sub-primals are cut the smaller market ready roasts and steaks. The leg primal from a lamb may be cooked whole or it can be divided into the sirloin half and the shank half sub-primals, which can also be cooked whole or cut further into individual steaks or chops. A butt half and shank half are sub-primal cuts of the leg primal cut of pork and they can be cut into smaller cuts, such as fresh ham roast, ham, fresh ham steak, and center ham slices.