How Do You Like Your Beef: The Plate

The plate, or pechito, as it is referred to here in Argentina, is a primal cut that can at times, be grouped together with the brisket and the flank primal cuts. We’re separating them today to be able to go into more detail on the sub-primal cuts that this cut contains.

The plate is located just below the ribs of the steer and is a flavorful cut. It is regularly more inexpensive than primal cuts such as the sirloin and the ribs, but as you’ll see, this cut is used regularly in the United States as well as here in Argentina.

Subprimal Cuts:

Ribs:

Plate Short Ribs are a common cut that comes from this subprimal cut. The plate includes the sixth to the twelfth ribs of the animal. This cut  typically only includes the flat ends of the sixth through the ninth ribs and are a few inches long. These ribs are chosen rather than the  tenth through the twelfth because they tend to have less fat. They can be cut with or without bone. In Argentina, the entire ribs are cut from the animal and used for asado. The ribs would simply be placed over an open grill or parrilla and carefully watched.

Beef Plate:

Skirt Steak have become increasingly popular because they have more marbling than flank steaks. All this marbling makes this boneless subprimal cut more flavorful. The Skirt Steak is also known as Outside Skirt Steak, Inside Skirt Steak and Philadelphia Skirt Steak in the United States. Here in Argentina, it is appropriately called Falda, meaning skirt in Spanish, as well as Tapa de Asado. This is a regular subprimal cut that can be found everywhere here in Argetina and is an important cut of beef for asados. We’ll elaborate on asado, and the typical Argentine beef used for these social events, more in the future.

The Hanger Steak is a large muscle that hangs between the loin and the last rib of the steer. It is also known today as Hanging Loin, because of how close it is to the loin primal cut. It is known for its flavor, and in the past it was called Butcher’s steak because butchers would keep this cut of meet for themselves rather than sell it.  It is a very tender subprimal cut and is much more popular in Mexico for fajitas and Europe than in the US.

How Do You Like Your Beef: The Shanks

Continuing with our series of different primal cuts, today we are focusing on beef shanks, or osobuco as it is called here in Argentina.

Cow shank is the leg portion of the steer. And can be found on the front and hind legs of the animal. This muscle does a lot of work over the steer’s lifetime, making it extremely tough, sinewy and full of connective tissue.  It is commonly used in ground beef and outside of the United States and Argentina, it is called gravy  beef in Australia and stew beef in Great Britain.

The names that certain states give to this primal cut says it all, including Argentina! This primal cut is regularly used in stews because the connective tissue in the meat turns into gelatin when cooked slowly, making it extremely flavorful and more tender.  Beef shanks are extremely lean, making it perfect for low-fat ground beefs. Along with these, the primal cut is ideal for making the french dish, beef bourguignon, and the Italian dish, osso buco.

So why does Argentina call this primal cut of meat osobuco, the name of a famous and luxurious dish in Italy? The name has everything to do with Argentina’s history and serious italian heritage.

Up to 24 million Argentines today have some percentage of Italian descent. That is a big number for a country of 42 million people. The major wave of immigration to Argentina happened between 1880 – 1920. In 1914 alone, 25% of the population in Buenos Aires was made up of Italian immigrants.

Statistics like these make sense today. It is clear here in Buenos Aires that Italy has influenced this population. From the porteno accent, family customs, hand gestures and food, the Argentine culture definitely has a little Italian in it.

With all that, it makes sense that Argentina would adopt the name of this famous Italian dish, osso buco, and call it osobuco. It is a result of Italian emigration and and love for all things italian here. Just like in Europe and the US, this meat is regularly slow cooked here in Argentina or used as for stews, called guiso.