Can costillar mean more than one cut?

Check the confidence note below; low confidence or multi-cut rows are flagged when present.

How do you order steak doneness in China?

In China, medium rare is called "Wu fen shu". Rare is "San fen shu" and well done is "Quan shu".

What is costillar in China?

Q: What is costillar in China?

costillar is the Mexico retail name for the short ribs, which sits on the rib primal. In China, the same cut is most often labeled niu zai gu.

Q: What is costillar called in China?

Look for niu zai gu—mapped to Short Ribs (short ribs).

Q: What primal is costillar from?

Short Ribs is on the rib primal (Lower portion of ribs 6–8 (plate short ribs) or ribs 1–5 (chuck short ribs)).

Close match

costillar

is very similar to niu zai gu in China

Ask for: niu zai gu

About this cut

Sections of rib bone with attached intercostal meat. Cut two ways: English style (between the bones, thick) or flanken/cross-cut (across the bones, thin strips). Rich, collagen-heavy meat ideal for braising, grilling (flanken), or smoking.

rib primal · Lower portion of ribs 6–8 (plate short ribs) or ribs 1–5 (chuck short ribs)

In China

niu zai gu

What is this cut?·Global guide

How to order steak doneness

Mexico → China

rareRojo→San fen shu48–55°C

medium rareTérmino medio→Wu fen shu55–60°C

mediumTres cuartos→Qi fen shu60–65°C

well doneBien cocido→Quan shu70–100°C

Chinese steakhouses use the same fraction (fēn shú) system as Taiwan. Traditional Chinese cooking rarely serves beef in 'steak' format — the doneness vocabulary exists primarily for Western-influenced dining. For hot pot preparations, 'doneness' is controlled by dip time (typically 8-10 seconds), making formal doneness terminology irrelevant.

Doneness terminology varies by country and restaurant. When unsure, describe what you want (e.g., “warm red center”).

Detailed explanation

“costillar” in Mexico maps to canonical short ribs (rib: Lower portion of ribs 6–8 (plate short ribs) or ribs 1–5 (chuck short ribs)). In China, look for labels such as niu zai gu. Sections of rib bone with attached intercostal meat. Cut two ways: English style (between the bones, thick) or flanken/cross-cut (across the bones, thin strips). Rich, collagen-heavy meat ideal for braising, grilling (flanken), or smoking.

Keep exploring

Compare with similar cuts

Other countries & routes

Same canonical cut, different destination markets (deduped URLs).

Explore more cuts

This information is for educational purposes only and may vary by region or butcher practices.