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Home » Steaks or Chops?

Steaks or Chops?

By Marybeth Feutz 13 Comments

What is the difference between steaks and chops? One is beef and one is pork, but they are actually more similar than you think!

Steaks or Chops? from AgriCultured. What is the difference between steaks and chops? One is beef and one is pork, but they are actually more similar than you think!

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What’s the Difference Between Steaks and Chops?

The simple answer (just like the difference between beef ribs and pork ribs) is that steaks are beef and chops are pork. But did you know that pork chops and steaks come from the same parts of the pig and steer? Pork chops come from the loin, which is the long strip down the center of the back.

Pork chops come from the loin section of the pig.

The steaks that are comparable cuts of meat to pork chops come from the same area, the long strip down the center of the back. In beef, instead of calling this the loin, it is part of four different primal cuts – some comes from part of the chuck, some from the rib, some from the short loin, and some from the sirloin.

Beef cuts that are similar to pork chops come from the chuck, rib, short loin, and sirloin sections of the steer.

Center Cuts

The center cut pork chops are the ones that are most commonly available in your grocery store. These are the ones that look like a “traditional” pork chop, with the T-shaped bone. All the meat along the loin is considered pork chops, but the very front and very back parts of the loin have different bones. They don’t look exactly like you expect a pork chop to look, although they do taste the same.

The center cut rib pork chop and the ribeye steak both come from the center of the loin. The photo below has a boneless ribeye steak, but the bone would be in the same place as it is in the pork chop. There is a small, T-shaped bone, with a large chop (or steak) on one side of the bone. The other side of the bone might have a small amount of meat, but not much.

A center cut rib pork chop is the same cut as a ribeye steak.

Behind the center cut rib chop and the ribeye steak, you get the center cut loin pork chop and the T-bone steak. This comes from the short loin area of the steer (in the diagram above). The T-shaped bone in these cuts is bigger, and so is the meat. You can see that the meat on the left side of the bone in the photo below is quite large, and there is also a good amount of meat on the right side of the bone. The T-bone steak is actually made up of two different steaks – the New York Strip steak and the filet mignon.

A center cut loin pork chop is the same cut as a T-bone steak.

Other Loin Cuts

What about the “not-center” cuts? Let’s take a look:

All the meat from the loin section of the pig can be pork chops.

In front of the center cut rib chops is the pork loin shoulder chops (or roast). This piece of meat can be sliced into chops or kept whole as a roast. There are different bones in this part, so it doesn’t have the “traditional” pork chop appearance. This is comparable to a beef blade cut chuck roast. In beef, this area is best kept as a roast and cooked slowly for long times, as it is not very tender if it is cut into steaks.

Behind the center cut loin chops is the pork loin chops (or roast). This piece of meat can also be sliced into chops or kept whole as a roast. Like the shoulder chops, it has different bones than the center cut pork chops. The comparable beef cut is the sirloin steak. The beef sirloin can also be kept whole as a roast or cut into steaks.

Recipe Ideas

So which should you choose? It’s completely up to you and your personal preference. If you want a traditional pork chop, go for a center cut rib chop or a center cut loin chop. You will probably be able to find a shoulder chop or loin chop for a little less money than the center cuts, so these are great budget options.

As for steaks, I like the ribeye and my husband likes the T-bone. The flavor and tenderness of these steaks has more to do with how (and how long) you cook it. Go with what you prefer, and what you can find on sale!

Give these recipes a try the next time you’re wondering what to do with those pork chops or steaks.

Sweet & Spicy Pork Chops (on the grill)

Sweet & Spicy Pork Chops on Alarm Clock Wars

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Balsamic-BBQ Pork Chops (in the oven)

Balsamic-BBQ Pork Chops on Alarm Clock Wars

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Simple Marinated Steak (on the grill)

Simple Marinated Steak on Alarm Clock Wars

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T-Bone Steak with Compound Butter (on the grill)

T-Bone Steak with Compound Butter on Alarm Clock Wars

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What’s your favorite? Which new cut of pork chop or steak will you try next?

Steaks or Chops? from AgriCultured. What is the difference between steaks and chops? One is beef and one is pork, but they are actually more similar than you think!

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I owe a big thank you to the folks at Dewig Meats in Haubstadt, Indiana for helping me with this article. This post is not sponsored by Dewig Meats, and none of the meat was provided by them. They are friends, and were willing to take time out of their busy day to explain the different cuts of chops and steaks to me. If you are anywhere nearby, you should definitely stop in and see them!

{This post was sponsored by Indiana’s Family of Farmers. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links were used in this post.}

county fair block party  Country Cook Weekend Potluck   Southern Bite Meal Plan Monday

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Filed Under: Kitchen Tips, Tricks, & More, Meat, Where is My Food From? Tagged With: beef, center-cut chop, chop, loin, loin chop, pork, pork chop, porterhouse, rib chop, ribeye, steak, t-bone

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Comments

  1. Janet says

    03/01/2018 at 12:54 pm

    Thank you for the clear explanation between chops and steak: aka, the same thing but dif animals. Loved the pictures for illustration!

  2. Marybeth Feutz says

    03/02/2018 at 4:35 pm

    Thank you Janet, glad I could help!

  3. Doc Clabo says

    06/11/2018 at 10:51 pm

    Totally over-simplified. What about veal chops, lamb chops, mutton chops, goat/chevon chops, pork steaks, swordfish steaks, salmon steaks, etc.?

  4. Marybeth Feutz says

    08/10/2018 at 12:37 pm

    Yes, this was intentionally a very simple article. I only wanted to discuss the differences and similarities between pork chops and the most common beef steaks.

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