What is the difference between striploin, ribeye and tenderloin?

Tenderloin is the most tender and mildest in flavour. Ribeye is medium-tender with rich, buttery marbling. Striploin sits in between, with a firm bite and a bold, beefy flavour. All three are premium steak cuts.

Is striploin a tender steak?

Striploin is medium-tender. It is firmer than ribeye and tenderloin but rewards you with a stronger, beefier flavour. Cook it no further than medium and slice against the grain for the most tender result.

Which steak cut is best value in Singapore?

Striploin and ribeye usually offer the best balance of flavour and price. For wagyu-like richness at a lower price, marbled Meltique striploin and ribeye are popular choices. Tenderloin is the most expensive due to its tenderness.

Where can I buy fresh steak in Singapore?

Tasty Food Affair cuts steak in its own butchery and delivers across Singapore in its own refrigerated trucks, with free delivery on orders above S$65.

Beef cuts chart showing the eight primal sections of a cow

Beef Cuts Guide Singapore: Every Primal Explained

September 19, 2026

Why the primal map matters

Every cut of beef sold anywhere comes from one of eight large sections called primals. Learning the primals is the single most useful thing a home cook can do for beef, because the primal a cut comes from tells you almost everything about how to cook it. Muscles that work hard in the living animal are tough and flavourful and need slow, wet heat. Muscles that barely move are tender and need fast, dry heat. The primal map is, in effect, a cooking-method map.

Two rules run through the whole animal. First, tenderness decreases from the middle of the back outward and downward — the muscles along the spine do the least work, the legs and shoulders do the most. Second, flavour tends to increase in the opposite direction — the hardworking muscles develop more connective tissue and more of the compounds that read as beefy.

The eight primals, front to back

1. Chuck (shoulder)

The shoulder. A hardworking region, heavily exercised, rich in connective tissue and flavour. Yields chuck roast, chuck eye roll, flat iron, Denver steak (the chuck flap tail), and most of the beef that becomes mince and stewing cubes. The chuck eye roll is a continuation of the same muscle that becomes ribeye, which is why the flat iron and Denver eat far better than their price suggests. Best for: braising, slow cooking, and a few surprising grilling cuts (flat iron, Denver).

2. Rib

The upper back, behind the chuck. Lightly worked, heavily marbled. Yields ribeye, prime rib (standing rib roast), tomahawk (a ribeye with the long bone left on), and short ribs (from the lower rib region). This is the marbling sweet spot of the animal. Best for: high-heat grilling and roasting.

3. Short loin

Behind the rib, along the spine. The most tender primal. Yields striploin (New York strip), tenderloin (filet mignon), T-bone and porterhouse (both of which include a piece of striploin and a piece of tenderloin separated by the bone). Best for: fast, dry, high heat. Never braise these.

4. Sirloin

Behind the short loin, over the hip. Less tender than the loin, more flavourful. Yields top sirloin, tri-tip, and — in South American and increasingly Singapore butchery — picanha (the rump cap, with its prized fat cap). Best for: grilling, roasting, and pan-searing.

5. Round (rump and hind leg)

The rear leg. Very lean, hardworking, low in marbling. Yields topside, silverside, eye round, and rump roast. These are the cuts most prone to dryness if overcooked. Best for: slow roasting, thin-slicing for stir-fry, or curing (silverside becomes corned beef and pastrami).

6. Brisket

The lower chest. Extremely hardworking, dense with connective tissue, requires long low cooking to break down. Yields the whole brisket (point and flat). The foundation of Texas barbecue, Vietnamese pho, and many braises. Best for: long slow cooking, smoking, braising. Never cook fast.

7. Plate (short plate)

The belly, below the rib. Fatty, flavourful, coarse-grained. Yields short ribs (plate ribs), skirt steak, and karubi (the yakiniku benchmark cut). Best for: yakiniku, fajitas, slow braises (short ribs), depending on the specific cut.

8. Flank and shank

Flank is the abdominal muscle — lean, strongly grained, good for fast cooking sliced against the grain. Shank is the leg, full of connective tissue and marrow, the classic osso buco and beef-noodle-soup cut. Best for: flank — quick grilling, stir-fry; shank — long braising.

Reading a cut you have never seen before

When you encounter an unfamiliar cut, three observations tell you how to cook it. Look at the grain: fine and tight means tender, cook fast; coarse and ropy means tough, cook slow. Look at the connective tissue: visible silver-white sheets of collagen mean the cut needs long wet heat to dissolve them. Look at the marbling: heavy intramuscular fat means the cut will stay moist under high heat; lean means it will dry out quickly and is better thin-sliced or slow-cooked.

Frequently asked questions

Which beef primal is most tender?

The short loin, which yields the tenderloin and striploin. The tenderloin is the single most tender muscle on the animal because it does almost no work in the living cow.

Which beef primal has the most flavour?

The hardworking primals — chuck, brisket, shank — develop the most beef flavour through connective tissue and exercise. The trade-off is that they need slow cooking to become tender.

Where does ribeye come from?

The rib primal, the upper back behind the shoulder. It is lightly worked and heavily marbled, which is why it is both tender and rich.

What is the cheapest tender cut of beef?

Flat iron and Denver steak, both from the chuck. They share muscle structure with far more expensive cuts but cost a fraction of the price because of where they sit on the animal.

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