The hind quarter is usually a bit larger than the fore quarter and it is in this part of the carcass where most of the steak cuts like rump, sirloin, T-bone and fillet is found. The hind quarter is not as easy to process as the forequarter and it is a good idea to have a skilled person with you if you lack experience. We would like to thank the Van der Merwe Broers Butchery who shared the information and allowed us to use their facilities.

Usually, the tail is removed first and cut into smaller portions. The tail is an extension of the spine and the cuts are made between the vertebra. This meat is excellent for use in stew.

After the tail is removed the next step in the process is to remove the flank shown below. The flank can be used in mince or in roulades used for roasts.

The kidney fat that can be found all along the inside of the carcass should
be removed next to expose the fillet. Once the kidney fat is removed and
the fillet is exposed the fillet can now be removed. The fillet should be cut out from the top down. Once the fillet is removed is has to be trimmed to remove any of the kidney fat that still remains on the fillet.

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After the fillet is removed the hind leg can be separated from the rib cage, by cutting along the natural seams indicated by the pink line. This can be done with a sharp knife and you should not need a meat saw for this cut.

The next step is to separate the T-bone from the short rib with a bone saw, following along the vertical blue line. The T-bone steak has a fillet steak on one side of the bone and a sirloin steak on the other.

This means that you cannot get T-bone steaks, fillet steaks and sirloin steaks from the same hind quarter. You should decide which cut you want before removing the fillet.

The topside portion can be found where the hind leg enters the hip of the
carcass. It is a muscle that is separated from other parts by a thin membrane. You can use this membrane as a guide when removing the topside portion and prevent cutting into other sections of the meat. It is a muscle that is separated from other parts by a thin membrane. You can use this membrane as a guide when removing the topside portion and prevent cutting into other sections of the meat.

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The topside portion is a very versatile cut that can be used for
making stir fry, tenderised steak, roulades and kebabs.

After the topside has been removed the next step in the process is to
remove the rump from the hind quarter. The rump is shown in the
photo below before it was removed from the rest of the carcass. It is
cut off be slicing under the hip joint. The following photos show the process of taking the rump steak of the carcass.

Once the rump is removed it can be trimmed and cut into thick steaks which is excellent for grilling.

The next portion to be removed and processed is the silverside. The silver
side is a thick muscle running down from the buttock to the leg of the
animal. The silver side portion can be used for minute steaks. After the silverside has been removed all that should be left on the carcass is the thick flank and the shin. The thick flank can be removed and used for goulash or stir fry. The shin is similar to the one that was discussed in the forequarter.

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