Meat is basically muscle, and depending on what part of the animal it comes from it will cook and taste differently. According to government guidelines, a serving qualifies as "extra lean" if it has less than 5g total fat, 2g or less saturated fat and less than 95mg cholesterol per 3.5 oz. serving. A serving qualifies as "lean" if it has less than 10g total fat, 4.5g or less saturated fat and less than 95mg cholesterol per 3.5 oz. serving.

A basic rule of thumb for choosing lean cuts are the lables 'round' and 'loin.' USDA 'select' the least amount of marbling; with 'choice' being the next leanest grade.

----CHUCK----

The CHUCK section comes from the shoulder and neck of the beef, and it yields some of the most flavorful and economical cuts of meat. The chuck is a a heavily exercised area that contains a great deal of connective tissue, including collagen. Collagen melts during cooking, making the meat very flavorful. The downside is that these cuts tend to be tough and fatty, and they have more than their fair share of bone and gristle. Cuts from this area benefit from slow, wet cooking methods like stewing, braising or pot-roasting. Your choices from this area include:

** Blade Roast - an inexpensive cut which lies next to the ribs; more tender than most chuck; makes an excellent pot roast. Alternatively, the roast can be cut into a rib-eye steak, with meat above and below the bone excellent for stir-fry dishes) ** Chuck roast ** Arm roast ** Cubed or tenderized steaks ** Stew or stir-fry meat ** Ground chuck ** Chuck Steak (a good choice for kabobs if well marinated)

----RIB----

Tender and flavorful ribs can be cooked any number of ways. Most recipes call for ribs to be roasted, sauteed, pan-fried, broiled, or grilled. Meat from the rib section tends to be tender and well marbled with the fat that makes steaks and roasts juicy and flavorful. (Note: Prime rib is not named after the quality grade "USDA Prime." Rather, its name reflects the fact that it constitutes the majority of this primal cut.) Rib steaks and roasts are sometimes called "prime rib" even when the meat isn't good enough to be graded "prime" by the USDA. It's best not to marinate rib cuts. Other choices include:

** Rib Roast — known as a standing rib roast (bone left in), or without the bone for convenient slicing. Excellent when dry roasted. ** Rib Steak — also cut from the rib section, these tender steaks can be purchased bone-in or as boneless rib-eye.

----LOIN----

The (short) LOIN yields the most tender and expensive cuts of beef--but not the most flavorful. The choicest portion is the TENDERLOIN (a muscle that runs along either side of the spine), which is exquisitely tender and lean. It often considered the most tender cut of beef; responds well to sauces, meaning the meat does not overpower the flavor of the sauce. It can be cut as the whole strip, or into individual steaks for FILET MIGNON (the most tender and one of the most expensive). The average steer or heifer provides no more than 4-6 pounds of filet.

The NY STRIP or DELMONICO is is cut from the strip loin, a large muscle that also does little work. It is one of the highest quality cuts, a great grilling steak, and very expensive. The TOP LOIN and SIRLOIN aren't as tender, but they're a bit more flavorful and less expensive. Cuts from the loin require very little work to taste great. Indeed, steak-lovers consider it almost a crime to marinate them, or to cook them beyond medium rare! More:

T-BONE is cut from the middle section of the short loin is similar to the porterhouse steak, but has a smaller piece of the tenderloin; it is usually grilled or broiled). The PORTERHOUSE is a combination of two steaks - NY Strip and Filet Mignon; it is similar to the T-bone steak, however the tenderloin muscle is much larger and an extra muscle is located in the center of the porterhouse steak. The SIRLOIN cut lies between the tender short loin and the much tougher round. Sirloin is cut into staeks or roasts.

----FLANK----

The FLANK lies below the loin. This meat is lean, muscular and very flavorful. It's also known as flank steak, London broil, skirt steak, hanger steak, brisket, and short ribs. It can also be used for kabobs. The SHORT PLATE is best used for stew meat. The SKIRT STEAK is the diaphragm muscle (which lies between the abdomen and chest cavity). It's a long, flat piece of meat that's flavorful but rather tough. The skirt steak has become popular because of its use in the Southwestern dish, fajitas ("little belts" or "sashes" in Spanish). They are usually marinated and braised over low heat.

----ROUND----

The ROUND is the term for the rear end of the cow. Those muscles are well exercised, so round cuts tends to be a bit tougher and leaner than cuts from the loin. Round cuts do well if they're cooked with moist heat, and thin cuts can be also be roasted. Cuts include:

** Top Round ** — this is the most tender part of the round; it can be prepared as pot roast or cut into thick steaks for braised dishes. ** BOTTOM ROUND roast: From the animal’s hind leg, the bottom round is a large muscle which is often butchered into more reasonably sized roasts, making them look a bit “squared off.” There is also often a layer of fat covering the top—don’t trim it. It helps moisturize the meat during roasting. In general, this roast is beefy tasting and more tender than most cuts tested. ** Rump Roast ** — lays below the bottom round. It’s oddly shaped and a bit gristly.

----BEEF BRISKET----

The BEEF BRISKET is a boneless cut from the breast section, the underside of the forequarter. It is available fresh and corned. Fresh and corned beef brisket cuts include whole brisket, point half/point cut brisket, flat half/flat cut and middle cut. The point half is sometimes called thick cut. The flat half, often referred to as first cut or thin cut, is less fatty and therefore more desirable.