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.