Anyone buy a side of beef to save $$$ before?

[thefed]

No, this isn't retirment related, but it is a financial issue! If this is the wrong section, mods - feel free to move it.

I am being told by a friend who got a 1/2 cow (im assuming they mean a side of beef) that I can go 1/2 on it wiht them this year...so 1/4 cow, for $280. this is supposed to be 100-125 lbs total.

when I asked what types of meat they got, of course he said steaks,roasts,ribs,roast,ground etc....but he couldnt rmember how much of each he got. All he coudl tell me was that it was the best stuff he'd ever eaten.

SO, my question to you is: If you've bought bulk beef before, how much did it cost? And what ratio of steaks/roasts/ground etc did you get? These steaks will be cut 3/4" thick

 

[justin]

My in-laws do this all the time - go out to a near-by cow farm, shoot it, and haul it off. They butcher it themselves, and usually split it with another family or two.

They pay a quarter of what you are paying per pound, but that is for the whole cow (they like innards and congealed cow's blood). Although it sounds like you are getting the cow butchered and the cuts of meat prepared for you. Probably worth the extra money. As to types of cuts you get, some of everything.

A typical conversation: "Oh, you're having a party - want us to get a cow?" or "Sorry, can't do that today, gotta get the cow".

 

[haha]

No, this isn't retirment related, but it is a financial issue! If this is the wrong section, mods - feel free to move it.

I am being told by a friend who got a 1/2 cow (im assuming they mean a side of beef) that I can go 1/2 on it wiht them this year...so 1/4 cow, for $280.  this is supposed to be 100-125 lbs total.

when I asked what types of meat they got, of course he said steaks,roasts,ribs,roast,ground etc....but he couldnt rmember how much of each he got. All he coudl tell me was that it was the best stuff he'd ever eaten.

SO, my question to you is: If you've bought bulk beef before, how much did it cost?  And what ratio of steaks/roasts/ground etc did you get? These steaks will be cut 3/4" thick

True grilling steaks all come from the loin, the sirloin, and the rib-loin area. This is a relatively small part of a carcass. So if you are mostly a grilled steak eater, best to pass because you can usually do better by taking advantage of grocery specials.

If you enjoy and have the skills to prepare stews, pot roasts, etc., you might enjoy the bulk meat. There is a lot of hamburger, and remember, it is all frozen.

We did it when my family was home. If you eat a lot of beef you go through a 1/4 pretty quickly.

Ha

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

The weight is about right, the average cow yields about 500lbs of usable meat. Up to a quarter of what you get will be (or probably should be) ground.

I can usually get some decent stuff...chuck, top sirloin, short ribs, ground beef and most roasts for under $3 a lb at the local costco or sams club and I dont have to freeze it and eat it before it gets freezer burn.

Not as tender as the rib eye or filet mignon, but a lot more flavorful and plenty tender enough if properly prepared.

If you've avoided the 'cheap steaks' for no good reason, go grab yourself a nice looking top sirloin or a chuck steak, rub it with a little minced garlic, salt and pepper, allow it to rest for about 30 minutes out of the fridge to come up to room temp, and cook to medium rare on the grill.

Nice full beef flavor, not 'liverish', bland or greasy like some more expensive cuts can be.

 

[setab]

You will probably get a lot of round steak and ground beef, not to mention tongue, liver etc.  If you want all those things, you are fine.  Also, all beef is not  created equal.  If you know you are getting good quality, then you are fine, also, but if you get half, whole or whatever of beef that is marginal all you got is a lot of mediocre stuff.  I have bought quarter, half and whole steers before and I have decided that I am better off paying little more, but only getting the cuts that I really want.

setab

 

[REWahoo]

My in-laws do this all the time - go out to a near-by cow farm, shoot it, and haul it off.

Justin, ask your in-laws what upsets the cow farmers more?

- Calling them"cow farmers" rather than ranchers, or
- Having one of their cows shot and hauled off, known as cattle rustling in some parts of the country.

Curious Texans want to know... :

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Shoot, I'm gonna keep my dogs in the back yard from now on...

 

[youbet]

Been there, done that.  We did a half steer on two occassions.  We definitely saved money but, in hindsight, it wasn't worth it and we wouldn't do it again.  We live in a major metropolitan area with access to discount store meat, high price custom butchers and everything inbetween.  For the two or three hundred dollars we saved over approximately six months, we didn't think it was worth sacrificing having the cuts we wanted when we wanted them and the worries about storage.  It was an interesting experience, however.  If you already have a freezer, give it a try and see for yourself.

 

[Outtahere]

The biggest drawback I can see is that everything is frozen. Dh hates frozen steaks, wil just tolerate frozen hamburger. But if you don't mind that then it's a good deal.

 

[justin]

Justin, ask your in-laws what upsets the cow farmers more?

- Calling them"cow farmers" rather than ranchers, or
- Having one of their cows shot and hauled off, known as cattle rustling in some parts of the country.

I stated in my post that they pay for the cow. They go to the cow farm, pay the owner for the cow, shoot it, then haul it off.

When I think of ranches, I think of big open fields with hundreds or thousands of heads of cattle. The guys they get cows from around here have a small farm with maybe a few dozen small cattle (less than 200 lb each) on it. Not the 500-1000 lb heiffers real ranches have. Hard to call that a "ranch" or the owners "ranchers" by any means. I guess they raise cattle for fun and enjoy the incidental income. That's why I call them cow farmers. No disrespect intended, it's just that they don't have a large Texas-sized cattle operation.

 

[REWahoo]

I stated in my post that they pay for the cow. They go to the cow farm, pay the owner for the cow, shoot it, then haul it off.

When I think of ranches, I think of big open fields with hundreds or thousands of heads of cattle. The guys they get cows from around here have a small farm with maybe a few dozen small cattle (less than 200 lb each) on it. Not the 500-1000 lb heiffers real ranches have. Hard to call that a "ranch" or the owners "ranchers" by any means. I guess they raise cattle for fun and enjoy the incidental income. That's why I call them cow farmers. No disrespect intended, it's just that they don't have a large Texas-sized cattle operation.

Sigh....

Now I understand why you tack on "(this is sarcasm)" to those tongue-in-cheek posts of yours.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Well come on REW, you're such a serious bastard all the time...who would know?

 

[justin]

Sigh....

Now I understand why you tack on "(this is sarcasm)" to those tongue-in-cheek posts of yours.

The reason I do that is one too many misunderstandings on these here boards.

I say something witty/funny/stupid that, if you heard it in person, you would know it was sarcasm. On here, I say the witty/funny/stupid thing and then someone takes it as a personal attack, or freaks out because they think I love (or hate) the devil/Hitler/communists/southern hillbillies/damn yankees. Then I have to do the whole "just kidding, it was sarcasm all along" and explain what I meant.

I learned the "this is sarcasm" thing from my 12th grade psychology professor. This lady was from Poland and had a really thick Polish accent. She hadn't quite picked up that being witty/funny in America is accomplished in a different manner than being witty/funny in Poland. Add that to her lack of command of the English language, and it led to quite a few awkward situations where she would say something that would have been funny if she were speaking to a Polish audience in Polish, yet left the class with a 10 second gap of awkward silence, after which she would shout out, "dees eez sarcyasm, jou know?". Happened all the time with her.

When I write something witty/funny/stupid on here, I feel like I'm her. A native Polish speaker who can't convey sarcasm to their American audience. Hence, to avoid misunderstandings, I decided it was easier to write "(this is sarcasm)" at the bottom of sarcastic posts to prevent misunderstandings, hurt feelings and e-threats or e-pissing contests on why I am wrong and someone else is write (or right) over a stupid sarcastic post.

 

[Texas Proud]

The Houston Rodeo is about to start in a month....

One of the benefits is you can get in with others for a 1/2 or 1/4 cow... and pay the going rate.. this is for the non-winners... my brother in law did this one year and got one of the top 50.. and ALL the meat was better than you normally get... these cows are coddled by some high school guy trying to get into college...