Meat · Cut · Short entry
Araignée
A small, irregular muscle of the inner thigh, named 'spider' for the web of veins on its covering membrane. It weighs at most about 750 g. Once its sinew is removed it gives slightly marbled, very tender steaks, one of the classic morceaux du boucher.
Where it lies and why the name
The Québec terminology office defines the araignée as a beef muscle lining the opening of the hip-bone joint, and explains the name: the membrane covering it is furrowed with veins like a spider's web. Its description of the tende de tranche places the araignée on the upper face of that joint, a fan-shaped muscle. Interbev lists it as one of the six muscles of the tende de tranche and describes its fibres as looking like spider legs.
The sources consulted do not give the araignée's Latin muscle name, so none is given here.
Buying and cooking
An araignée weighs no more than about 750 g. The butcher removes its sinew before selling it as steak. Interbev recommends searing it hard on both sides and cooking 1 to 3 minutes a side, ideally serving it rare. With the poire and the merlan it is one of the pieces butchers traditionally kept for connoisseurs, hence the name morceaux du boucher.
How it connects
Cut
- part of Tende de tranche (topside)
- related Fausse araignée
- compare Topside (UK)
- compare Round (US)
