What is that American meat called in Dutch? (1/2)
Designations for American meat are in many cases untranslatable because Dutch and Belgian butchers dissect differently. This is not a disaster, as there is always something to be found that is very close. American cattle and pigs, after all, have no different composition. What does make a lot of difference is the breed of cattle or pigs used and how that animal was raised (and fed). If American meat would be tastier for barbecue than meat from the standard assortment of Dutch butchers, (and it usually is), it’s more down to that than to the slaughter method. Therefore, if you choose an alternative to an American cut of meat, but buy from a butcher who offers quality meat, on balance you usually have a similar product. Because let’s face it, do you really think that (after a roast has been cooking in the smoker barbecue for six hours, and then smothered under a thick layer of sauce for another hour) you can still taste whether the meat was cut left or right?
BEEF
Baby Top – Bullet Topside / Bullet Steak
Blade Steak – Sukadelap
Brisket – Pointed brisket (brisket)
Brisket Point – Upper muscle of the point brisket
Brisket Flat – Underlying muscle of point brisket
Chuck – Shoulder
Chuck Steak – Neck Flaps
Chuck Tender – Shoulder Mouse
Cowboy Steak – Cote de Boeuf
Eye of Round – Rear mouse
Flank Steak, Flap Meat – Bavette, Fin Flap, Catch
Flat – The lean, flat part of the brisket
Flat Iron Steak – Sukade (the sinew removed and cut as a steak)
Flat Ribs – Prime rib (from the flank with bone in)
Filet Mignon – tenderloin (the point)
Fillet – Beef tenderloin, Hare steak, Chateaubriand, Tournedo
Pendant Steak – Beef Tenderloin
Mock Tender – Shoulder Mouse
NY Strip, Strip Steak – Entrecote (portioned) or Contra Filet (one piece)
Petite Tender – Jewfish tenderloin / Diamond tenderloin
Picanha – Tailpiece
Point – The fatty part of the brisket, runs into a point
Porterhouse – T-bone (but with more tenderloin and less sirloin steak)
Prime Rib – Côte de boeuf
Ribeye Steak – Ribeye
Rib Steak – Sirloin Steak
Roast Beef/Rump Roast – Roast beef (back mouse)
Rump Cap – Tailpiece
Rump Steak – thick loin / steak
Short Loin – Thin Loin
Short Ribs – Rib steak from the flank with short pieces of bone (sawn)
Shoulder Clod – Flower arrangement
Sirloin – Thick Loin
Silverside – Flat buttock
Skirt Steak – Midriff, Circumference
T-bone Steak – Steak of tenderloin and sirloin steak separated by a bone
Tenderloin – Beef tenderloin
Tomahawk Steak – Ribeye (but with the long leg still in it)
Top Round Steak – Bullet Steak
Topside – Topside
Tri-Tip – Donkey, Liesstuk
PORK MEAT
Baby Back Ribs – Crabs
Bacon – Belly bacon (smoked and salted)
Blade Steak – Shoulder Chop
Boston Butt – Procureur (Upper part of the shoulder, with the shoulder blade)
Joint – Rolls
Picnic – Lower part of the shoulder (with the upper leg)
Pig Wings – Primeval ham hocks
Pork Belly
Pork Chop – Rib Chops
Pork Loin – Loin (filet)
Pork Neck – Procureur
Pork Tenderloin – Pork Tenderloin
Rack of Pork – Pork Rack
Roast – Roast
St. Louis Ribs – Belly pare ribs (cut straight)
In colonial times, it was the custom of butchers in New England to put cheap cuts of meat in wooden crates for storage and transport. Such a crate was called a “butt. The portion of the shoulder (with leaf) was a Boston specialty and thus became known as the Boston Butt.
There are all kinds of barbecue specialties, but among adepts there are some dishes that, within their own category, are unquestionably considered the holy grail. Among beef followers, those are brisket, burnt ends, and short ribs. Those who swear by pork adore pulled pork and spare ribs. So to be clear, by barbecue here I mean food cooked low & slow. From the grill (direct or indirect), the burger is the undisputed champion of beef eaters, followed closely by steaks (in countless variations) and picanha. Pork lovers consider pork chops and pork tenderloin to be number one and two. Chicken, especially in the form of wings, drumsticks and thighs, is appreciated by all. Favorite fish are highly region-specific. In the northwest, the salmon steak not to be dismissed, in mountain areas often stands trout (trout) on the menu, along the Atlantic coast in the northeast you will find mostly cod (cod), crab (crab) and lobster (lobster), and in the south it’s catfish (catfish), crawlfish (crayfish) and shrimps (shrimp) that ring the bell.