Israeli beef cuts explained; no more freezing hands.

Finally! After all the guessing and examining and asking and hand-freezing while trying to figure out, I just received an email with a few ways to figure out the Israeli meat-cut system.

A Yahoo group called Israel Food compiled a list as seen below. The blogger at Israel Easy took it a step further here. And finally, for Hebrew speakers, this interactive cow diagram put together by Ynet is a great education. More cow diagrams below.

Israel Food’s guide to Israeli beef cuts:

#1 in Hebrew: Entrecote, Steak Ayin, Vered Hatzela.
Ynet says for steaks and roast beef.
JP says suitable for roasting and grilling.
Known in the U.S. as rib and in the U.K. as forerib.

#2 in Hebrew: Rifaan, Tzlaot.
Ynet says for cooking in sauce, roasting in a net, for cholent and for grinding.
The JP says suitable for slow-roasting, e.g. pot roast and braising.
Known in the U.S. and U.K. as chuck or blade, in France as basse-cote.
Make great goulash with this cut.

#3 in Hebrew: Brust, Chazeh.
Ynet says for pot roast, oven roast, soup, goulash and pickled meat (corned beef?).
The JP says it’s the favorite cut for salt/corned beef, known as brisket or front poitrine.
Cheap here, lean and delicious after being roasted in a slow oven for a few hours.

#4 in Hebrew: Katef, Katef Mercazi.
Ynet says for pot roast, cooking in sauce, goulash and grinding.
The JP says pot roast and braising, known as rib or back rib in the U.S. and U.K.
Plates de cote to the French.

#5 in Hebrew: Tzli, Tzli Katef.
Ynet says for pot roast, cooking in sauce.
The JP says the same as for #4.
This is a great piece for slow roasting at low temp.

#6 in Hebrew: Falshe, Fillet Medumeh.
Ynet says for pot roast and cooking in sauce.
The JP says nothing but that it’s good for the same as #4 and #5.

#7 in Hebrew: Polo (folo?), Shrir Hazroa or simply Shrir
Ynet says for goulash, soup, cholent; with a bone -osso bucco.
The JP just says suitable for soup.

#8 Shoulder Calachel

#9 in Hebrew: Shpundra, Kashtit. (top rib)
Ynet says for cholent, goulash and soup; with a bone – assado and spare ribs.
The JP says for using in soups or boiling, known variously as flank, poitrine or short plate.

#10 in Hebrew: Tzavar.
Ynet says for goulash, soup and grinding.
The JP says suitable for soup.

#11 in Hebrew: Sinta, Moten.
Ynet says for roast beef and steaks.
The JP says suitable for roasting and grilling.
Known in the U.S. and U.K. as sirloin or porterhouse and in France as contre-fillet.

#12 in Hebrew: Fillet.
Ynet says for steaks and carpaccio.
The JP says simply “hard to find”, suitable for roasting and grilling.

#13 in Hebrew: Shaitel, Kanaf Haoketz.
Ynet says for shnitzel, steak, skewering and oven roasting.
The JP says suitable for roasting and grilling.
JP says cuts 13/16a are known in the U.S. are the round, in the U.K. as rump and in France as romsteak.

#14 in Hebrew: Katchke, Ozit (sp?).
Ynet says for goulash, pot roast and grinding.
The JP clumps together 14, 15 and 16 and says suitable for braising.

#15 in Hebrew: Chuck, Yarcha.
Ynet says for pot roast.
JP says suitable for braising.

#16 in Hebrew: Kaf.
JP says suitable for braising.
Ynet says for steak, shnitzel and roast.

#17 in Hebrew: Plada, Kislayim (sp?).
Ynet says for rolada, goulash and grinding.

#18 in Hebrew: Poli, Shrir Achori.
Ynet says for goulash, soup and cholent.

#19 in Hebrew: Weisbraten, Rosh Yarcha.
Ynets says for pot roast.

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