Does anyone know where I can find a list of equivalent terms/descriptions for different cuts of meat?
A T-Bone in Australia would be a Porterhouse in the US.
Can get a bit confusing at times. I imagine that it would be similar for other countries.
wikipedia has stuff that shows the same cuts in different countries: Cut of beef - Wikipedia
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I’ve been meaning to do a translation guide at some point.
T-Bone is Aus is, as you say Porterhouse in the US.
Porterhouse in Aus is the larger side of the T-Bone and seems to be Sirloin in US.
Australian Topside is Top Round in US
Australian Rump is middle and lower round in US.
Ground beef is Minced in Australia.
Now… One thing to remember is that Australian’s use English cuts when breaking down a beast. These can differ quite a lot when it comes to something like a pig. When American’s start talking about Pork Butt an Aussie will scratch their head.
Then we get to American’s calling any rear leg of pork a ham, even in its fresh state. For Aussies if it’s fresh it’s a leg of pork, it only becomes ham once it is cured and cooked. The English have a stage in between when it is cured but not cooked and goes by the name of Gammon.
Isn’t life fun?
T-Bone and porterhouse are virtually the same thing in the US. The Porterhouse is cut from the larger end of the bone, so it has a larger tenderloin (aka: filet minion) section and can sometimes include a sirloin flap above the T shaped bone. The flap is rarely found on t-bone steaks.
The larger section of meat on the opposite side of the bone from the tenderloin is commonly sold individually as a “NY (New York) Steak”. I have no idea what that would be called in Australian. Also, I have no idea what sirloin here would be called there.
I’ve just started to notice what is normally considered Porterhouse being sold as New York Sirloin. I’m not convinced that it’s anything more than the supermarket ‘butcher’ trying to make their budget steak sound of a better quality than it is. Have noticed Cattlemen’s Rib steak appearing recently, which seems to be the T or Y bone with the vertebrae side removed. The prevalence of cooking competition television like MasterChef and such has varied the styling of cut a little. It’s also meant that my favourite cuts (the cheap ones requiring slow cooking) have sky rocketed in price.
I gather you guys don’t eat much lamb, whereas it is almost considered the national meat in Australia.
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I think pictures and a meat cut chart would do wonders here. It’s actually kind of neat seeing the other meat charts, for example when you hold a Spanish cut chart up vs the US cut chart, it’s radically different.
I’d be curious to see a picture & cut location on the cattlemen’s steak.
In the US we actually have a cut known as “sirloin steaks” and “sirloin roast” This is cut from the ass end of the short loin (the larger of the two muscles on the t-bone / porterhouse). It can be top or bottom sirloin depending on where it comes from. When I said “sirloin” earlier, that was what I was referring to.
Lamb is readily available, and most people seem to like it, but yet it just doesn’t sell like beef does here. It also carries a higher price tag, possibly artificial, but it does influence sales. Goat is available, but you often have to look around and might have to travel to get it.
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Here in Tassie I’ve noticed that a ‘New York’ cut is a “normal” cut that is 30 to 40+mm thick. No other difference.
It may be the same on the mainland.
I have to agree that it appears to be purely a marketing ploy. i.e. Generate a point of difference from the competition.
In case anyone is scratching through old threads (often relevant)
I too had this problem with the often opposite ends of US description versus the rest of the world confusion for cuts of meat, US cuts by name are often WAY different …just like ordering a coffee in Italy compared to coffee in Starbucks is almost another language!
My go to (android devices via google play) is the program “Meat translator” allowing you to input your “search country” & “translation country”
in 2021 we are on Version 2.5
NB I have no affiliation with the developer or software publisher, its jus this has been another totally lamentable neglected aspect of a worldwide product being in essence “america only” (like the temps for everything being another long term bugbear.
It is free at time of download (by myself) does contain adverts but is helpful when needed to get it right!
Hi Gus, as i moved around North America the inconsistencies in regional meat cut appellations became a source of confusion and wonderment, particularly when the same name is applied to two distinctly different cuts of meat. Does the meat translator program function for regions within countries?
It certainly made menu writing a challenge for this newcomer in a region.
The USDA once forced meat packers to cut meat strictly according to their standardized numbered designations making ordering by number reliable for the grocery and foodservice industries. However, in our current popular age of freedom and deregulation we have slipped back to the former variety in named meat cuts.
From his recent post in "Is There a Guide . . " Tony refers to his cooking a Cattleman’s Cutlet, the Australian name for a Rib Steak. Now i’ve seen both Cattleman’s Steaks and Cowboy Steaks, and they were truly at opposite ends of the steak spectrum.
I’m told that Cowboy Steaks were so called from the age of the great American cattle drives when a cowboy would wrap a tough piece of meat in a piece of oiled paper and place it beneath his saddle during a day’s ride while herding cattle. Today those cuts are typically from the hind quarter and mechanically tenderized thereby removing the cowboy and horse from the supply chain.
The American Cattleman was the entrepreneur who owned the cattle herd and gained most of the financial benefits. Cattlemen could afford to eat only the premium cuts of meat in the comfort of their ranch house.
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OK,
USA is under one banner (they are all national flag designation) sorry.
To give more insight though, it applies to these country locations individually.
Argentina
Chile
Uruguay
Peru
Brasil
Mexico
Colombia
Venezuela
USA
Espana
UK
Italia
Bolivia
Ecuador
Paraguay
Guatemala
As basic as box for…
“search country” eg UK
“Translation country” eg USA
EG using either the search box for “rump” or the scroll down variables would list…
UK… “cap of rump” >>> US “Top Sirloin Cap” (rump steak or coulotte)
&…
UK… “Tail (point) of the rump/ rump skirt” >>> Tri-tip
Hope that is a tad clearer / helpful for you.
Oh yes, it also appears only to be for BEEF, will have to scout around for more variables for pork et al.
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There is a ton of great info in this thread! Nice bump!
Yes, you’re right; different countries have their own terminology for meat cuts, which can be confusing. Here’s a list of some equivalent terms for various cuts of meat in different countries:
- T-Bone Steak (US, Canada, UK): In Australia and New Zealand, it’s called a Porterhouse steak.
- Ribeye Steak (US, Canada): In the UK and Australia, it’s often called a Scotch fillet.
- Sirloin Steak (US, UK): In Australia and New Zealand, it’s referred to as a Porterhouse steak or sometimes a New York steak.
- Filet Mignon (France, US): In the UK, it’s called fillet steak. In Australia and New Zealand, it’s eye fillet or tenderloin steak.
You can check for their legal names on Google according to their country also there are many translated names that are used for steaks in other languages , I am not sure about all of them but yes it is.