Whats a Good Price for a Sie of Beef

Ordering a side of beefiness is a user-friendly way to fill up your freezer with loftier-quality local beef without breaking the banking concern.

I beloved the peace of mind that a couple hundred pounds of meat in the freezer provides.  Most years we heighten all our ain meat, and every autumn nosotros will our freezers to nearly bursting.  Afterwards that, we table salt cure or can annihilation that won't fit.

This year, the only thing nosotros're raising is two preschoolers and an erstwhile toothless cat, and that's all we can handle for sanity's sake.  Still, having humanely raised local meat in the freezer is incredibly important to u.s.a., so we spent the summer tracking down the tastiest meat in the expanse, sampling as much as possible.

The season of meat tin can vary significantly based on the breed of creature, it's feed and how it's raised.  It'southward important to sample before committing to a majority purchase, and we tried meat from a number of farms that just wasn't to our taste.

Once you settle on a farm and develop a human relationship with the farmer, at that place's no more economical style to make full the freezer than a majority purchase.

In the past, we've raised all our own meat, including pork, chevon (caprine animal), and all manner of poultry.  We'd process and preserve everything on the homestead, so I'm no stranger to cutting upwards a side of meat.

All the same, ordering a side of beefiness is pretty complicated.  I looked at that cut sheet and scratched my caput, before settling in to practise a bit of enquiry.

How Many Pounds of Beef is in a Side?

Generally, beef is ordered every bit a quarter, half or whole animal.  The full size of the brute varies based on breed, age, and how information technology was raised.

On average, a whole animal weighs around ane,000 pounds at slaughter.  Roughly 40% of the total weight is inedible portions, including the intestines, hide, etc.  That means an average cow has a "hanging weight" of 600 lbs.

More often than not, meat is sold by "hanging weight," merely that'southward before whatever trimming that happens at the butcher shop.  The butcher will trim out sinew, tendons, and other parts, removing about 25% of the hanging weight (or some other 150lbs).

What's left is almost 450 lbs of meat in a whole cow (or 225 lbs per side).

Cut choices will vary apparently but as a rough rule of pollex, the hanging weight will translate into 25% waste matter, 25% hamburger, 25% steaks, and 25% roasts.

That means a side of beef will include (approximately):

• 75 lbs hamburger
• 75 lbs steak
• 75 lbs roasts

Our family tends to swallow roasts more than steak, and so nosotros're requesting that most of the lower quality (less tender) cuts be left equally roasts, rather than cut into private steaks.  Yous can as well request more of the meat every bit hamburger, which would affect the ratios every bit well.

How Much Does a Side of Beefiness Price?

The cost of a side of beefiness varies widely depending on where you alive and how the animals are raised.  Generally, organic grass-fed beef will cost more, as volition beef on the east coast where costs are higher than the cattle rich western plains.

Ownership a side of beef is normally done by hanging weight, which ways the animal is slaughtered and cleaned, but still contains not-meat portions like tendon and os (around 25%).

The grass-fed beef subcontract nosotros selected charges $5.25 per pound hanging weight.  If the whole creature has a hanging weight of 600 lbs, a side then has a hanging weight of 300lbs and would toll $1575.

As mentioned in a higher place, the bodily cutting weight will be roughly 225, and then we're effectively paying $seven per pound for every beef cut.  That's an exceptionally skilful bargain given that ground beefiness currently sells for $eight to $9 a pound locally (even for conventional manufacturing plant-farmed beefiness), and steaks $15 to $25 per pound.

(The cost per pound will probable be much lower in the residuum of the state, we only live in an expanse with higher nutrient costs in general.  Please check with your local farmer for the exact toll per pound numbers.  Regardless, it's going to exist much less than ownership beef by the individual cutting.)

How Much Freezer Infinite is Needed for a Side of Beef?

A well-packed freezer tin can usually concord 35 to twoscore pounds of meat in a cubic foot of space.  Strange shapes formed by a lot of bone in cuts (ie. Standing Rib Roasts, etc) will hateful you need more freezer infinite.

A side of beef should require roughly 5 to 7 cubic feet of freezer infinite.  Some farms suggest that yous take at least eight cubic feet of freezer space bachelor for a side of beef.

That said, if most of the bones are removed and information technology's packed efficiently, it can fit in much less space.  Nosotros're ordering from Templeton Subcontract here in Central Vermont, and they have very specific space estimates for their sides of beef:

"Customers who purchase a "one-half" volition receive three boxes of meat, ii of the boxes volition measure 18″ long by 12″ broad past ix″ tall, which equates to 1.13 cubic feet each of storage space required or a total of ii.vi cubic feet, each of these boxes will weight nigh 90 pounds, the third box measures 18″ long past 12.5″ wide by 6.5″ tall which equates to .85 cubic anxiety and weighs about 45 pounds. For the iii boxes, our customers volition receive approximately 200 pounds of meat requiring 3.v cubic feet of freezer infinite."

In our instance, we're requesting all the bones, suet, and organ meat also, which means we'll demand a skillful bit of extra space until all that tin can be candy into canned soup stock, soap, candles, and such.

Our off-grid setup has two DC freezers that run off our batteries, with and they're 8.5 cubic feet each.  We likewise have a big xiv.v cubic foot freezer from when we were processing pigs at home.  Plenty of freezer space for a side of beef, still leaving infinite for the whole sus scrofa, lambs, 12 ducks and 10 chickens even so to exist added before the winter.  (Tin you tell we like meat?)

Talk to your farmer and go a specific space approximate before ordering a side of beef.

Cut Sheet for a Side of Beef

Filling out a cut canvass for a side of beef can be incredibly intimidating, and honestly, might be enough to turn you abroad from the whole project.  Talk to your farmer, and see if they'll talk you through information technology.  With a bit of guidance, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes to fill out.

Cutting sheets will be dissimilar for every farm, and believe it or not, meat is actually butchered in unlike ways in dissimilar parts of the country.  For example, a cut called "Flap Steak" is common here in New England, but elsewhere in the country, information technology'southward simply tossed in with the hamburger.  Out westward, Tri-Tip is popular, merely it can be difficult to find in the East.

Here is my cut canvas for a family unit of 4.  I'll walk yous through each section soon:

Steak Thickness, Roast Size, and Package Size

The first department is simple and simply asks for a preference for steak thickness, roast size, and package size.

As a default, steaks are cutting 1" thick, simply you tin can request thinner (3/4") or thicker (1 1/iv").

Package size depends on how you'll utilize it, and we chose 1 pound packs of hamburger, stew meat, and kabob meat.  Pack sizes are ofttimes available as 1 1/2 or 2 for families, and yous can usually asking bulk packs of 3, five, or ten pounds if needed.

Roasts can be cutting smaller, but they're by and large cut every bit 3-4 pounds each.

Front Quarter Beef Cuts

Our cut canvass has three sections on the front quarter: Chuck, Rib, and Shoulder.  This part of the cow also includes the brisket or chest of the fauna.

All are heavily used muscles and tend to be the "low and slow" cuts.  About people cutting this department in roasts, stew beef, or hamburger, merely it too makes traditionally inexpensive steak cuts.  There are, however, some actually nice steak cuts in the rib section.

Beef Chuck ~ Made upwards of the neck, shoulder blade, and upper arm.  These are by and large tough, but intensely flavorful cuts of meat.  Information technology'south most frequently left as roasts because it has a lot of connective tissue and benefits from a long, tedious melt.  I've selected roasts hither, but it too makes fine hamburger or stew beef if you'd like fewer roasts.  If you select steaks, this is made into inexpensive steaks by and large sold under the names apartment iron steak and Denver steak.

Rib ~ Every bit you might imagine, this includes the meat on and around the ribs.  There's actually a good bit of meat forth the spine in a higher place the ribs, which is most of the bulk of this cut.  A prime number rib roast or standing rib roast is a big cut that includes several pounds of meat to a higher place the ribs, along with the ribs attached.  It makes a great special occasion dinner and feeds a oversupply.  Skipping that cut means you lot'll have more individual steaks, every bit either rib steaks (with bone attached) or Delmonico Steaks (same cut but no os).

We skipped the prime rib since we rarely have dinner company, and went with Delmonico steaks which take the bone removed.  It takes up less freezer space, and we'll put the bones to soup stock anyway.

Curt ribs or whole sides of beefiness ribs are also in this office of the beast, and these days many people skip them and add the meat to hamburger.  They're pretty fatty, and if you add them, your hamburger mix will be less lean.  We love ribs, and I've selected short ribs.

Shoulder ~ By and large cutting into roasts for tedious cooking, simply it can besides be cutting into braising steaks for ho-hum cooking.

Brisket ~ Often left every bit one big roast, the brisket can be intensely flavorful if cooked properly (sometimes for 12+ hours).  I'll always pick brisket, but I beloved to melt.  If you're more into quick weeknight meals, take this cut footing into hamburger instead.

Rear Quarter Beef Cuts

The rear quarter has quite a few choices and is traditionally made into both roasts and steaks.  Our cut sheet included sections for loin, tenderloin, sirloin, sirloin tip, top round, bottom round and middle of round.

Loin ~ Some of the all-time quality steaks come up from the beef loin.  T-Bone and porterhouse steaks are nigh the same, containing two different muscles and a T-shaped bone.  There are several in aside, and the T-basic are cutting from the front with less loin muscle and porterhouse near the rear with a larger loin musculus.

A single side of beef has both T-bone and Porterhouse cuts of varying sizes.  If the bone is removed, you get a strip steak.  Actually the option here is between bone-in or bone out, and the size of the steaks.

Tenderloin ~ Arguably the best cut of beefiness, and a single side of beef but has a few pounds of tenderloin.  This tin can exist left whole as a roast, or cut into tenderloin steaks.

Sirloin ~ This section of the cow tin get either way, as flavorful roasts or mid-grade steaks.  There are no fancy expensive cuts of meat in the sirloin, and the choice hither is really whether you'd similar more roasts or steaks in your side of beef.  I'd rather have more than roasts, and skip mid-form steak cuts.

There are as well a few bottom-known cuts in this section, i called flap steak or barrel flap steak (great name, I know) and another chosen tri-tip.

The flap steak is a New England affair, and information technology'southward only ground into hamburger in the rest of the country.  It'due south a depression-quality cut, but some people have an attachment to it (so request information technology specifically if that'due south your thing).

Tri-tip is hard to find in New England, just information technology'south a prized cut out due west every bit a fancy grilling cutting.  Information technology can be tricky if you lot don't know how to cook it, so request it if you know what you're doing (and skip it otherwise).

Sirloin Tip ~ Though it has "sirloin" in the proper noun, the sirloin tip is a much tougher cut of meat.  It tin can be cut into steaks but is most often left as a roast for slow cooking or footing into hamburger.

Top Round ~ A tough cut of meat that is usually left as a roast.  If y'all select steaks here, expect to demand to pound the meat to tenderize it.

Bottom Round ~ Even tougher than the pinnacle round, this is a wearisome cooking cut.  My cutting sheet didn't even give the option to cutting this into steaks, it's just listed as a selection because yous tin can elect to have information technology left as a roast or footing into hamburger.

Eye of Round ~ Some other slow cooking cutting of meat, it's often left as roasts or cutting into stew beef.  It's also made into the more economical steaks, and hamburgers.

In this department, nosotros chose to porterhouse and t-os steaks for celebration dinners.  We left the tenderloin as a loin roast (rather than cut it into steaks) for our holiday meal and chose roasts for all the tougher irksome cooking cuts for winter pot roasts.

Specialty Cuts and Oddments

The right side of our cut canvas has yep/no checkboxes for bones, organ meats, and specialty steaks.

If you select "no," the butcher or farmer will but keep the soup bones/organs/suet/etc.  Notation that you've paid for it in the hanging weight either mode, but if you tin can't use them at that place'south no need to bring them home.

For the specialty cuts, the sail is request if you lot'd like them included or ground into hamburger.  This is all a matter of personal preference, and I chose to proceed them considering I've never tried most of them.  We have a large meat grinder at home that we use to make homemade sausage anyway, so hamburger is ever an pick afterwards.

All of these are tougher cuts and "economy" steaks, including flank steak, brim steak, flat iron steak, brisket, and brusque ribs.

Deposit & Pickup

Since y'all're in essence special ordering a side of beef cut to your personal specifications, it's only reasonable that the farmer is going to require a deposit.  That may not be the manner most of their customers prefer their beefiness, and if you back out they may be in a bind.

Our farmer requested a $350 eolith to take the guild, with the balance due at pickup.

Empathize that this is not a quick process, and in one case the beef is slaughtered, information technology will take to hang for several weeks in a meat locker earlier it is butchered into cuts.  Even if you're ordering in the fall almost slaughter time, don't look delivery for a month or more.

It'south mid-August now, and we'll take delivery of our side of beef in early October.

Be sure to cheque back for tutorials on cooking through a side of beef this winter!

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Source: https://practicalselfreliance.com/side-of-beef/

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