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Meat Cute? Meat Cuts Renamed

April 8, 2013

Meat Cuts
Why so sad, Mister Cow?

Meat is getting a makeover. Meat cuts are renamed to give them more marketing flair.

As the weather gets hotter and more and more Americans’ fancy turns to thoughts of grilling, the beef and pork industries are planning on some thick and juicy changes. They’re going to rename as many as 350 different cuts of meat.

This has nothing to do with the recent horsemeat scandals at European IKEA stores and Burger Kings. Rather, the industries want to promote their products with some marketing flair while at the same time eliminating confusion over the same cut of meat having multiple, often long and confusing names.

The new names come after two years of market research by the Beef Checkoff Program and the National Pork Board. The USDA has given permission for the name changes, but it’s still up to grocery stores and retailers to decide if they want to use the new names or not. So don’t have a cow when you come across these new meat names.

Boring old name: Bone-in pork loin chop
Exciting new name: T-bone chop

Boring old name: Pork loin rib chop
Exciting new name: Ribeye chop

Boring old name: Top loin pork chops
Exciting new name: New York chops

Boring old name: Pork loin top loinchop
Exciting new name: Porterhouse chop (Porterhouse has been a beef-steak term for decades, but this is the first time it’s being using in relation to pork.)

Boring old name: Pork butt (which is actually shoulder meat)
Exciting new name: Boston roast (which means nothing)

Boring old name: Beef chuck eye boneless pot roast
Exciting new name: Denver roast (which means nothing)

Boring old name: Beef shoulder bouneless top blade steak
Exciting new name: Flat iron steak (A term that’s common in restaurants, but not so much in grocery stores.)

Boring old name: Beef loin top sirloin cubes
Exciting new name: Beef kabobs

Boring old name: Top sirloin
Exciting new name: Coulotte steak

Ironically, “top sirloin” is now the new name for what used to be called “beef loin top sirloin steak.” Who thinks a trip to the supermarket just got more confusing because meat cuts are getting new names?

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