What Does 6 Ounces of Beef Look Like? A Visual Guide to Serving Sizes

When cooking or eating beef it’s helpful to have a visual reference for portion sizes. Six ounces of beef may sound like a abstract amount without a frame of reference. To get a better sense of what a 6-ounce serving of beef looks like, let’s walk through some examples using different cuts of meat.

Comparing Raw and Cooked Beef Weights

First, an important note on weighing beef. Nutrition info and recipes call for ounces of raw, uncooked beef. However, the beef will lose weight and shrink during cooking.

For example 6 ounces of raw steak may yield only 4-5 ounces of cooked steak. The cooking process evaporates moisture, so the cooked weight will be less. Keep this in mind when portioning out raw meat for recipes.

Visualizing 6 Ounces of Raw Ground Beef

For ground beef, a 6-ounce raw portion would be a mound about the size of a tennis ball. Here’s a photo for reference:

![Raw ground beef tennis ball][]

As you can see, 6 ounces of raw ground beef makes a round patty about 4 inches across and 1-1.5 inches thick.

When cooked, that 6-ounce raw patty would shrink by about 25%, giving you a cooked patty weighing around 4-4.5 ounces.

Sizing Up a 6-Ounce Beef Tenderloin Steak

For a tender beef cut like filet mignon, 6 ounces of raw meat would be a steak about 1 inch thick. Here’s an example:![Raw filet mignon steak][]

As you can see, a 6-ounce portion of tenderloin is a moderately sized but not overly thick steak. When seared or grilled, this steak would lose 10-15% of its weight. So the cooked portion would be around 5-5.5 ounces.

Visualizing 6 Ounces of Raw Sirloin Steak

Sirloin steak is another popular grilling choice. For a sirloin cut, 6 ounces would be a steak about 3/4 inch thick. Here’s a photo for scale:![Raw sirloin steak][]

As you can see, a 6-ounce sirloin steak is moderately sized but not a huge, thick cut of meat. When cooked, this steak would lose about 15% of its weight due to moisture loss. So the cooked portion would be around 5 ounces.

Picture of a 6-Ounce Portion of Beef for Stew

For stews, 6 ounces of raw beef would be 2-3 pieces around the size shown below:![Raw beef stew meat][]

Each cube is around 2 inches wide. Slow, moist cooking methods like stew or braising don’t lead to a lot of moisture loss. So the cooked weight will be close to 6 ounces.

Serving Size Photos of Common Beef Cuts

To give a broader visual idea of typical serving sizes, here are photos comparing 3- and 6-ounce portions of some popular raw beef cuts:

3 Ounces Raw vs 6 Ounces Raw Ground Beef![3oz vs 6oz raw ground beef][]

3 Ounces Raw vs 6 Ounces Raw Flank Steak ![3oz vs 6oz raw flank steak][]

3 Ounces Raw vs 6 Ounces Raw Sirloin Steak![3oz vs 6oz raw sirloin][]

3 Ounces Raw vs 6 Ounces Raw Tenderloin ![3oz vs 6oz raw tenderloin][]

As you can see in the photos, the 6-ounce portions of meat are around double the size of the 3-ounce portions. While sizes and thicknesses vary a bit by cut, this gives a good relative comparison.

Important Notes on Portioning Raw Beef

When portioning out beef for cooking, keep a few key tips in mind:

• Weigh meat raw, not cooked. All nutrition info and recipes call for pre-cooked weights.
• Fatty cuts like ground beef will render out more fat and shrink more during cooking. Lean tender cuts will retain more moisture.
• Less tender cuts like chuck or brisket often require slow, moist cooking methods. These cuts won’t shrink much during cooking.
• For grilled, pan-seared, or roasted beef, expect around a 15-25% loss in moisture weight after cooking.
• For braised beef or stew meat, expect minimal loss of moisture weight during cooking.

Determining portion sizes for beef can be tricky when starting from raw meat. These photos and guidelines demonstrate what different 6-ounce raw cuts of beef look like and how much they shrink when cooked. Keep these visual references in mind when prepping beef recipes to get a better sense of appropriate serving sizes. With a few comparisons under your belt, estimating portion sizes will become second nature.