Striploin comes from the loin area of the cow, which is below the rib cage. It is cut from the short loin connecting the sirloin to the prime rib. Striploin is also one-half of the T-Bone steak, with the other half being the Tenderloin.

Striploin is commonly confused as Sirloin, but they have a slight difference. Sirloin also comes from the loin area but it is found on the long loin between the Porterhouse and the hip. It is closer to the rear leg. Both Striploin and Sirloin are equally tender, with the Sirloin steak leaner and less fatty.

Similar to Sirloin, there is a creamy layer of fats at the side of the steak, which gives extra flavour to the meat

Beef shank is located at the leg portion of a cow, just above the knee. It is commonly sold as boneless beef shank. A bone-in beef shank will include a circle of leg bone.

Beef shank is also known as beef shin.

Beef shank is a tough meat cut as it is the part of muscle that is well exercised. It is also sinewy due to the high levels of connective tissue. Hence it is ideal to be cooked for a long time in low heat.

In China and Taiwan, beef shank is used for the popular beef noodle soup (niu rou mien). Here, beef shank is braised together with soy sauce, scallions, ginger and wine for a couple of hours before it is left overnight in the refrigerator. After storing overnight, the braised beef shank is used to make delicious beef noodle soup.

In Korea, bite-sized chunks of beef shank meat is used in traditional braised dish called sataejjim. Also, beef shank is a popular meat cut for braised dish such as jangjorim.

In Australia, it is commonly sold as gravy beef for bone-less shanks or as osso buco with bone-in shank.

Beef shank is also used to prepare ground beef as it is very lean with low fat content.

Short Ribs are popular meat cuts across the world. The reason for its name – Short Ribs – is that it comes from the short plate, which is also the belly area of the cow. Short ribs usually come together with the rib bones which helps to give extra flavour to the meat. Compare to other meat cuts, Short Ribs is tougher as it is the part of the cow that is heavily exercised.

Short ribs are easy to cook and economically priced. It has a lot of flavour and suitable for either braising or barbecue.

Chinese love to use Short Ribs for braising. Under slow cooking, the connective tissue is broken down, making the meat more tender. In Korea, Short Ribs are marinated in ganjang, a type of Korean soy sauce, before it is grilled in galbi style.

Leg of lamb comes from the rear-end of the animal. Specifically, it is the back leg of the lamb. It is available either as a bone-on or boneless leg lamb. With the bone, it helps to bring additional flavour to the meat.

There are little fats at the lamb legs as it is well-exercised. As the leg of lamb is usually lean, one must careful not to overcook the meat which will make it dry and tough.

A common way to cook the leg of lamb is to roast it in the oven before finishing it with barbeque fire. This will leave it with a great char taste.

Similar to the shoulder of lamb, it is great as a sharing platter during family gathering. A whole leg of lamb is perfect for a group of 4 to 6 people.

Shoulder of Lamb is a large meat cut, located around the shoulder and front leg area. This makes it very economically priced in terms of price per kg.

As a result of substantial marbling and the bone, lamb shoulder is extremely tasty. The flavour is intense, making it one of the most popular cuts for sharing among a group of friends.

Lamb shoulder is commonly used in stews with the bone helping to give an extra flavour. Alternatively, it is great for roasting as the lamb after it is well marinated. It is recommended to slow-cook or slow-roast the lamb shoulder in order for the maximum flavour to come out.

Shoulder of lamb is typically available either as a whole-shoulder or half-shoulder. A 2kg lamb shoulder will be an appropriate serving for 6 to 8 people.

Rack of Lamb is one of the most popular lamb cuts. Located at the neck portion of the lamb, a ‘single’ lamb rack typically consists of 8 ribs on one side. A ‘double’ lamb rack consists of 16 ribs, with eight ribs on both sides. When two racks of lamb are tied together with the ribs facing each other, a ‘Guard of honour’ appearance is created.

It is recommended to French-trim your rack of lamb. This is to remove the excess fats, skin and sinew in the rack, leaving a clean and neat appearance.

Rack of lamb is lean with little fats. This makes it extremely easy to cook. It is usually roasted which leaves a crispy skin and flavourful flesh. Alternatively, one can sear the rack on each side until golden brown before finishing in the oven.