Butcher Shop Cheat Sheet Auf Deutsch
I was really amazed at home many expats popped up last week to comment on their fears and facts about trips to the Metzger here in Germany. It seems like every time I turn around, there are more and more American expats here in Germany. 
Now for those of you that don’t live over here, and don’t ever plan to, you might want to just snooze through this post. But for those of us living over here who want a good steak or a nice roast, this next post is crucial. I will preface this by reminding you that I am from Texas and we take our beef VERY seriously. I cringe at thought of people out during the summer with their disposable chemical grills who are cooking pork steaks on them. “Pork” and “steak” do not belong in the same sentence. I know it’s cheaper but I have never had a pork steak that came anywhere close to a beef steak in flavor. And I just can’t handle the fattiness of it.
So, let’s take a little lesson in American beef cuts first…these are the basic cuts, basically dividing the cow in half down the spine and then into a fore-quarter and hind-quarter:
And here are the German cuts, which may follow the anatomy of the cow more and make more sense in that respect, but are seriously confusing for the non-natives:
Now you’ve probably noticed some immediate differences…mainly that everything is just jumbled around and things like the tail and legs are on the menu. What they don’t mention in the diagram is that really all the innards are served here so if you’re a fan of anything from tongue to heart to lungs, you won’t have to search too hard to find it on the menu. I will say that although legs are supposed to be a Hessen specialty (which is where we live) I wouldn’t be able to recommend a place for you to get a good plate of leg. Sorry.
Now unfortunately, there are a few key cuts missing in my mind:
- Brisket is a big miss since we have a smoker and we will throw just about anything on there in the summer. But I will definitely be talking to our butcher across the street about getting some lower shoulder cuts in the future. Talking them into making pastrami (which also comes from brisket) will be a whole other story.
- T-bones and Porterhouse steaks used to be really hard to get here in Germany. They’re somewhat difficult to cut (coming from the short loin and tenderloin) and from what we were told, there was a great risk of mad cow and things like that due to the bone in the steaks (please don’t quote me on that). But a few years ago, the risk level dropped and now you can usually get T-bones at just about any butcher if you ask. They are not cheap, usually weigh about 700 grams or more EACH and they take a while to get because of the aging…but they are great. Our butcher used to have American neighbors who taught him the wonders of American beef cuts, so he was actually making his own stash when we rolled into town. He is extremely protective of his T-Bones and looks at us like we’re taking away his children. I’m pretty sure that if I wasn’t American, he would jack up the price even higher or just refuse to sell them to us…he loves his steaks that much.
- Flank steak is where you traditionally get London broils and skirt steak for fajitas. Again, they’ve got nothing but the huge Lappen over here but in general that just means you’ll end up with a softer, less chewy meat part of the time. Darn. But it also means it’s likely more expensive than the flanks which are known to be pretty tough in general, making them great for fajitas.
If you know what cut of meat you are looking for and can take the butcher a diagram of the exact cut, he is probably going to be willing to cut it for you. You’ll probably have to wait for it because he’ll need to slaughter a new cow and unless you’re planning to buy the whole thing (which would require multiple trunk freezers and a few thousand Euros), it’s just going to be a few months.
What’s the cut of beef you’re missing the most? What’s the German cut you just can’t figure out?
If you’re looking to learn more about American cuts of beef, try wikipedia…they’ve got articles on nearly ever cut of beef and I wouldn’t want to bore you.
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27 Responses to “Butcher Shop Cheat Sheet Auf Deutsch”
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Tiffany is an American who has been living in Germany with her husband since 2001. The two are self-proclaimed "Self-Reliant Yuppies" who are in their early-30's and bought an 1830's farmhouse several years ago, which they have been turning into a more sustainable and green dream house. Two cats, a Newfie and their 2 year old daughter enjoy the adventure with them. Tiffany enjoys cooking, rock climbing, lux-camping trying to turn her black thumbs green and taking road trips. Visit the 
Oh, thanks so much for this! Any suggestions for what German cut to buy for pot roast?
I usually just ask for a Schweinebraten to make pot roast, and depending on what they have available and they point to, I take.
It is often Schweineschulter or from the Oberschale. Most Germans, I’d assume, just ask for Schweinebraten when ordering.
It is more important what we do with it at home, such as preparing, simmering, etc. With the right seasoning, almost any cut will come out smelling and tasting delicious.
Forget what I said.
This post is about beef, and my mind was on pork:-)
Maria is right as far as the location, but I’m guessing you’d want beef instead of pork. Pot roast is usually made with meat form the chuck cut so shoulder or neck should work…Rinderschulter or Rindernacken. DO NOT use “Suppenfleisch” — tried it before and it was completely tough even after hours of cooking. I don’t really care to cook my pot roast for a day or more to get it tender…but “Suppenfleisch” in the right dish is of course fabulous.
Thanks for this! I’m from Missouri, so I feel you on the beef-missing. I’ve more or less given up on it in Germany. I never put in the time to compare the U.S. & German cut charts, but I had a feeling it was just a totally different way of butchering the animal. No wonder that “brisket” I attempted was such a disappointment. Couldn’t possibly have been operator error
I’ve read some of your recipes so I’m sure it was the meat’s fault. I actually learned a lot here since I really didn’t know much of anything about the various cuts besides steak…it was always just sort of hit or miss. But I am dreaming of a mighty fine brisket for the summer in the smoker! Mmmmh…
You asked about German cuts that we can’t figure out? How about the pork cut that Schwenkbraten is made from? I believe it is from the neck area, but can’t figure it out. We do our own pork and tried, but it isn’t right. Any ideas, charts, or knowledge? Thanks!
Sandy
Hi Sandy,
The Schwenkbraten is steak from the neck area, above the shoulder. This image shows you where in general that cut comes from:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/de/1/1d/Schwein-Nacken.png
The Nacken (neck) on this image is a bit more defined and even shows a cut of it whole: http://banner.pixelhouse.de/chefkoch/artikel/195-schwein-gross.jpg. Leaving some of the Fetter Speck (fatty tissue and skin) on the neck is where you get the Schweinebraten cut from
Does that help? I can do a bit more digging if you need!
This is great!! I am building a part of my site about things that are good to know in Germany. Would you mind if I linked your post up on my blog?? I think it would be really helpful to those curious about the Metzger!
Link away! Of course I’m happy for you to share my post
Hope others find it useful as well!!
BRILLIANT! I miss T-bones and Porterhouse steaks like you can’t believe. But I have learned to love pork in a way I never thought I would. Great post!
Aw shucks! Make me blush why don’t you.
T-bones are a monthly thing in our house…well we try anyway!
*Gasp*
This is just BRILLIANT, thank you! I am going to ask my husband to print it out so I can keep it in my purse. Fab
That is great information! Now if I can just figure out how to cook the different types of wurst (and what they are)!
The one that always makes me laugh is the cut they call “roast beef”, which, in summer when I asked for something like a steak to bring to a barbequeue (all the sirloin was gone), is what I was offered. It looks nothing like the roast beef we used to be served up for a Sunday roast!
And the fact that to buy just chopped up bits of beef (the cheap stuff, for putting in a stew or similar for a long, slow cooking), you ask for gulasch (which to me is a kind of spicy stew).
Not sure how it works for a traditional brisket, but we recently made brisket tacos using Tafelspitz.
It was perfect (and had the top layer of fat as American brisket does). After slow cooking (in the oven) it yielded perfect, falling apart beef!
We also tried them with Rinderbrust – it will also work, but had a bit too much fat scattered throughout.
For roast beef we usually use Rinderbraten.
Is there a non-German-carnivore’s guide to pork cuts in the works as well?
I’d like to replicate some country-style ribs inspired by my MIL but am not sure where to start.
I’m wondering what’s the best cut to make Goulash? I’ve tried the cut up Goulash bits that they sell, and I cooked it for a while and it still was tough. I then tried the shank and cut it myself. That shredded nicely, but still wasn’t the result I’d hoped for. I just bought a crock pot, so I’m going to try yet again, but something tells me it is just the way they use older animals for meat here.
I have a few more questions as well. I’ve seen at the counter US roast beef sold here. What cut is that?
Is there anyway to get short ribs here?
Thanks!
Shoulder is usually the desired cut, or the thick Bugstück (part of the shoulder). I have never had very good luck getting nice gulasch meat from a grocery store, but my local butcher cuts it fresh right when I order it which I think makes a bit of a difference. It shouldn’t be too fatty either.
Roastbeef here is usually cut from the roastbeef area on the German cow — and would generally be from the rib area. It’s sometimes also referred to as prime rib. In the US, you might also get roast beef which is the round roast, from the rump. Usually when a butcher shop is referring to something as US, it’s generally because the meat has come over from the US but could also be that they have aged it (generally at least 6 weeks) which is not something they do quite so long here in Germany (which also makes a difference in the quality of the meat when you cook it).
I’m assuming you mean beef short ribs (since that’s what we’ve been talking about so far) and you may be able to get them by asking for Rinderrippenstück –although that can also be the prime rib cut. Or they could be called Rinderrippen, Bauchrippen, Spareribs (but make sure you clarify von Rind since that’s the same term for pork), Leiterstück, Querrippe or Spannrippe — it’s really a matter of the location and the butcher. They should definitely be able to cut them for you though. They are not the back ribs, but the ribs underneath near the belly, on the Plate section of the US cow .. or around the Querrippen area. If the butcher looks at you dumb — take in this diagram and point him to G1 on the diagram in the upper right corner: http://www.amazingribs.com/images/beef/angus_beef_chart.pdf
what is the best piece for gulash depends on two things: (a) how relevant is teh price and (b) do you like the meat almost fall apart or do you prefer the chunks. YOU need something that is willing to cook forever (since I have moved to the USA I had a need to render my own schmalz so I bought lots of tummy meat as I still have no source for ACTUAL fat (the next butcher doing more than lamb and chicken is more than 30 minutes away by car when you manage to get a time without traffic) SO I found myself cutting the fat of pork tummies and froze the piece which are superb *cooking* meat (as opposed to roasting) ( I am putting them in my Kale (tiffany have you ever tried to make Braunkohl in winter? I highly recommend trying it is the norther german way of referring to a Kale dish which is haveing such a different flavor compared to other leavy greens (I might be able to can some, because it tastes best if cooked in big batches, and looks just as ugly as Erbsensuppe
) So I know that is a great cut from pork for cooking. Based on that I have tried to use brisket here with varying sucess (and I find it quite a waste of the meat) So what would you use in teh USA? mostly I get teh sense (as I cannot buy at a butcher regularly) most stores simply take all smallish pieces of meat and call it ‘stew meat’ A polish expat might be the person to ask, actually.
I have made delicious gulash from ‘falsches Filet’ it has a tendency to fall apart but who cares if it tastest as good as it does.
This is such a great post – thank you for lining up both diagrams!! I’ve had a craving for pot roast for an embarrassingly long time and was always too…timid or something to go to the butcher and try to hash out which piece of meat I should buy. No longer!
Wow thank you so much!
I emailed a butcher that I found on the Internet, and he mentioned the Dicken Bug. I’m going to go down there this week and pick it up.
That diagram is so helpful! My US cut knowledge is not so good either. I rarely used to eat beef when I was growing up in the US, then I moved to Australia, and I started eating beef. So I learned all about the cuts there, but here it’s completely different.
Just a quick question on short ribs. I do mean beef. You said to point out G1 on the diagram to the right, but what about A3 or A4? I think it is A3 or A4 from what I see in the bigger picture to the left. I saw a recipe for braised short ribs, and it looks like that. I’ve never cooked short ribs before in my life- sorry!
Thanks so much for your post. I finally have enough courage to go to a butcher instead of supermarkets or Galleria.
Oh I forgot to add- if you know any good butchers in the Frankfurt area, send suggestions please.
Sorry, didn’t see your message while I was writing mine…
Here’s the address:
Metzgerei Zeiss – Leipziger Strasse 73 -60487 Frankfurt am Main
The name of the owner is Raimondo Gallo, if you go there, ask of him directly and tell him I sent you -if you say “Giuliana from Rome” he will know who I am
He’s a nice guy and I must say I always got great meat from him.Even my German boyfriend had to admit it was better than the average REWE stuff
We are definitely going to keep this in mind, even though our butcher is pretty great locally. But as it turns out, my husband used to go to that Metzgerei all the time because he worked right around the corner.
Hi everybody, I came across this page by chance, I was trying to find a chart with the German names of beef cuts and I landed here.Now,I am Italian and fortunately only jump between Rome and Frankfurt (I do not live there, my boyfriend does)but when I read your comments I was like “I am not the only one who had problems with meat shopping in Germany!!!!” I struggled for almost one year wandering through the butcher’s corner at REWE and getting depressed at the limited choices of cuts they had ( in Italy the cuts available are nearly double compared to the ones this chart,not to mention that at Supermarkets you mostly find pork meat,which I don’t like at all…).Also, the people working there are not even able to let you choose your cut and get some ground meat from it, as they are not “certified butchers” or whatever it takes in Germany to be allowed to do something sooo special as to use a met grinder,so you gotta take what is been prepared before (when the “real butcher” was there)!!!! Anyway, by chance I got to know that a friend from Rome has her uncle who lives in Frankfurt and who has a butcher shop!!! You can’t imagine how happy I was…finally I would have MY butcher in FRA and he would also understand my requests (both for language and for type of meat)!!!!So, I am now much happier when I go to Fra, but I have also come to realize that some differences cannot be erased..they don’t have all the cuts we have here (they simply do no exist..)and talking about T bone steaks, last time I visited this place 2 weeks ago he said “We usually don’t take them in this season because barbeque season is over and Germans will not buy them now”..Since this butcher is Italian, he would call the T bone steaks as “Fiorentina”, which is the Italian name for it
Aside from this, I must admit the veal meat they have is generally more tender than the one we eat in Italy (really VERY tender),their fillet is generally sold totally fat free and cuts that I would NEVER imagine as suitable for roast beefs (as they look nothing like it) are indeed very good (even though it looks weird with that almost squared shape and I always wonder which side it should be sliced from, LOL)
But yes, having a butcher you can trust and who can UNDERSTAND what you want is totally a must!!!!! 90% of my meat shopping frustration has disappeared now that I have found this place
If any of you is interested, I can let you have the address of this Metzgerei in Frankfurt.It’s in the area of Bockenheim, so pretty central.
PLease: If you EVER find out which american cut corresponds with Falsches Filet, DO post it!! I am all compassionate about teh comapartively poor beef in Germany (though the pork is cosrespondingly better, methinx) BUt I would LOVE to find out what to buy to have that part of the animal for pot roast and stews again