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With so many different cuts of beef available, it’s easy to feel a little overwhelmed at in the meat aisle of your local supermarket.

As a rule of thumb, tender cuts that don’t get a lot of movement from the animal are ideal for barbequing or a quick pan or stir fry. Cuts from muscle areas that do get lots of movement are cheaper and better suited to slow wet cooking methods. However, there are also multipurpose parts that can be cooked as whole or cut into smaller or thinner portions as required.

We’ve put together a cheat sheet to the most common cuts available, as well as the best matching cooking techniques, to ensure flavour and nutritional value is retained.

All-rounder, versatile cuts
These versatile cuts are great for a wide range of cooking techniques. Enjoybarbequing, thinly sliced cuts for a stir-fry, or diced for slow cooking and casseroles. Some cuts - such as the oyster blade - can even be cooked whole as a roast.

• Blade steak
• Blade roast
• Oyster blade roast
• Oyster blade steak
• Flat iron steak (a leaner version of the oyster blade steak which omits connective tissues)
• Eye fillet centre cut
• Fillet
• Fillet steak
• Rib cutlet
• Rump cap
• Rump centre steak
• Rump medallion
• Rump roast
• Sirloin
• Standing rib roast
• Scotch fillet steak

Barbequing, stir fry and pan fry
Some of the most versatile parts of the cow are also cuts quintessential to any Australian barbeque. A number of these cuts can also be sliced or diced into smaller portions, making these great for quickly pan or stir frying on hot surfaces.

• Blade roast
• Blade steak
• Eye knuckle
• Flank steak
• Eye fillet centre cut
• Fillet
• Fillet steak
• Flat iron steak
• Oyster blade steak
• Rib cutlet
• Sirloin
• Scotch fillet steak
• T-bone

Slow cooking, casseroles and braised dishes
Muscles exposed to constant movement tend to have lots of connective tissues. These cuts are often cheaper than their tender counterparts and are ideal for ‘one pot wonder’ cooking techniques such as braising, slow and pressure cooking, as well as casserole dishes. The connective tissues break down during the cooking process, resulting in rich, full bodied flavour and texture.

• Cheek
• Chuck
• Corned silverside
• Eye knuckle
• Eye round
• Gravy beef
• Point end brisket
• Shin bone-in
• Topside
• Topside steak

Roasting
These incredibly tender cuts are particularly good for roasting and best cooked in a hot oven. For cuts like the rolled rib, we recommend cooking to no more than medium to retain the juicy flavour and texture.

• Eye knuckle
• Flank steak
• Oyster blade roast
• Sirloin
• Standing rib roast
• Rolled rib beef roast (this is the standing rib roast with the bones removed)