Loin Primal: Cuts, Location, and More

Last Updated:
March 5, 2024

The full loin primal is taken from the hindquarter of the beef carcass.

The loin is home to some of the best cuts on the entire animal.

This cut is so loved that if you were to order a side of beef from a Farmer/Butcher, you’d find yourself struggling to pick the front-quarter or hindquarter solely due to this section of the animal.

It is cut from the round primal at the ball and socket joint where the femur meets the hip.

It is also separated from the rib primal at the 12th/13th rib.

What are Sub-primal Cuts from the Loin?

There are 4 sub-primals found in the loin primal:

  1. Short loin
  2. Tenderloin
  3. Strip loin
  4. Sirloin

From a naming perspective, these sub-primals and their associated retail cuts are often the most confusing on the entire animal.

1. Short Loin

The short loin sub-primal is taken from the front part of the loin.

This portion runs from the 13th rib (where the beef rib is removed) all the way to the last lumbar vertebrae.

location of the short loin sub-primal

Popular cuts from the short loin include:

  • Filet
  • Strip steaks
  • T-bone steaks
  • Porterhouse steaks

2. Tenderloin

The tenderloin is comprised of three muscles – the psoas major, psoas minor, and iliacus.

In terms of anatomical location, it sits inside the short loin and extends along the cow’s pelvic girdle and along the spinal column.

If we were to look from the rear of the cow, the muscles look like this:

tenderloin muscle

The tenderloin itself also tapers from being small (towards the front of the short loin) to large towards the back (towards the sirloin).

Towards the front of the muscle is where “filet mignon” comes from (quite literally 1-2 steaks) as this is the most tender part of the cow.

When left bone-in, this muscle is what differentiates t-bone steaks from porterhouse steaks; As the USDA has specific criteria for the width of the tenderloin.

From the above we can see how the “t-shaped” bone is formed.

The void semi-circle is the vertebral foramen; The “center-line” of the T is the transverse process of the vertebra.

3. Strip Loin

The strip loin is the other half of the short loin – opposite the tenderloin.

strip loin muscle

The primary muscle that comprises the strip loin is the longissimus dorsi (the same muscle that makes up the “eye” of a ribeye steak).

However, other muscles do make up the strip loin, including the multifidus dorsi and the gluteus medius (found near the end of the strip – this muscle makes up the sirloin).

The strip loin can go by a few different names:

  • NY Strip steak (most popular namesake)
  • Kansas City Strip
  • Strip Loin steak
  • Club steak

4. Sirloin

From this sub-primal we get top sirloin butt and bottom sirloin butt.

The top sirloin sits just under the tenderloin. Where-as the bottom sirloin sits right under the top sirloin.

sirloin sub-primal location

From the top sirloin you get steaks like:

  • Coulotte steak/roast (often called Picanha)
  • Top sirloin steak
  • Top sirloin butt

From the bottom sirloin you get cuts like:

  • Tri-tip
  • Sirloin Bavette/flap meat
  • Petite sirloin steaks

What are Retail Cuts from the Loin?

The loin itself contains some of the most popular cuts on the entire cow, namely:

Other cuts (some deem offal) that come from this section include:

*This suet actually engulfs the tenderloin. Butchers will tend to be rather careful with their cuts so as not to slice into the tenderloin.

dylan bio profile picture
Dylan Clay
Dylan Clay is a pitmaster based in New Hampshire, with over 17 years of experience in grilling, smoking, and dehydrating meat. Throughout this time, he has worked with nearly every cut of meat. In 2019, he launched the Barbecue FAQ website to share his extensive knowledge about all things meat, aiming to assist others in making better barbecue at home.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

magnifiercrossmenu linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram