Portion cut is an individual piece of meat fabricated from a primal or subprimal to a specified weight, thickness, shape or presentation. Portion cuts are prepared to meet a recipe or service standard, such as a striploin steak, tenderloin medallion, lamb chop or chicken breast. The specification helps maintain consistent cooking, plating and food cost.
A useful portion specification identifies the cut or muscle, raw weight, thickness, bone status, trim, skin status and any required fabrication. For example, a recipe may call for a 250 g boneless striploin steak trimmed to a defined fat cover, or a 170 g skinless chicken breast. The exact details depend on the menu and supplier.
Standardised portions help control food cost, reduce waste, improve cooking consistency and ensure guests receive the intended serving size. Portioning can be performed by the supplier or in-house; each method has different labour, trim and yield implications.
Example: cut a striploin subprimal into steaks of the specified raw weight and thickness, then record the number of portions and trim yield.
A subprimal is a larger section fabricated from a primal, often supplied vacuum-packed to a restaurant. A portion cut is the individual steak, chop or piece prepared from that subprimal for cooking or service.
Chef’s tip: record both raw portion weight and cooked yield when building a recipe cost. Do not assume that a 250 g raw portion will weigh 250 g after cooking.
This term is one of hundreds covered in depth across OCS courses, learning paths, and 1-on-1 coaching with Chef Eric.
