Steaks or Chops?

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

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.

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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.

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.

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.

Other Loin Cuts

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

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)

Balsamic-BBQ Pork Chops (in the oven)

Simple Marinated Steak (on the grill)

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

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

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.}