Beef F.A.Q.
Answers to Your Questions…
How does this process work, and what can I expect when ordering a whole or half side of beef?
The cost for a whole calf is $2,300 – $2,500 (depending on weight) and a half calf is $1,300 to $1,500 (depending on weight). The calf will be raised, finished, and delivered to one of the processors. Once the calf is delivered, we will help you communicate your cuts and packaging of your beef with the processor and you will settle up with them on processing fees. Typically, that cost is in the $750 – $950 range for a full calf depending on weight and requests for specific cuts. We usually age our beef 14-21 days. After that time period your beef will be cut, packaged, frozen, and ready for you to pick up.
We require a 50% deposit for the calf when you order, and the balance is due prior to delivery to the processor.
When you order your calf, we will determine where that calf will be processed and you will have all information necessary to communicate with the processor. Currently, the majority of our cattle are processed at Smithville Lockers in Smithville, Texas.
How much meat can I expect to get?
Our heifers weigh about 1,100 pounds at time for processing. Steers will finish a little heavier – around 1,300 pounds.
Once the animal is processed, you can usually expect about 40 percent of the live weight in meat ready for your freezer. On that 1,100 – pound heifer, that would be about 440 pounds. On a 1,300 pound steer, that will be about 520 pounds.
Keep in mind that includes all steaks, ground beef, roasts, ribs, etc.
How much of that will be ground beef?
How much ground beef you get depends somewhat on how you order it. Ground beef comes from the parts of the animal that are too tough or difficult to cook, or are too small to cook as steaks or roasts. If you don’t cook roasts or flat iron steaks, for example, you can ask to have those ground. If you don’t ask for any special cuts, on average, about 38 percent of the edible portion of the animal will be processed into ground beef. So on a 1,100 -pound animal, you’d expect about 165 pounds of ground beef.
The butcher shop wants “cutting orders.” What does that mean?
“Cutting orders” are how you want your meat cut and packaged. This includes how much fat you want in your ground beef (standard is usually 85% lean), how thick you want your steaks, how much ground beef you want in a package (usually 1-2 pounds) how many steaks per package, whether you want round steaks tenderized, cubed or left alone, what size you want the roasts, whether you want the ribeye as steaks or roasts. There are a lot of questions, and many processors have a “cut sheet” they ask the customer to fill out in person, or over the phone. You can also decide if you want the organ meats, like the liver, heart, and tongue, plus soup bones, oxtail, and tallow (extra fat they trim off).
If I want just a quarter of beef, how do I know what cuts I’m getting?
Many of our customers only have enough storage for a quarter of a cow. In many cases, though, it’s difficult to customize cutting orders by the quarter, we encourage those who can only handle a quarter to find another person to share half with. In many cases, we can connect customers to co-op a half. Be sure to ask.
What is the difference between grass fed and grain fed?
Grass-fed animals are typically never confined and fed a diet of strictly grass and hay or silage for their entire lives, resulting in meat that tends to be leaner, with less marbling. Grass-fed animals often have to be fed longer to achieve the same size as grain-fed animals, or they are butchered at a lower weight, but that varies by producer.
Grain-fed animals are usually raised on grass, hay, or pasture, then fed corn, distillers grains, or other feedstuffs to add fat and marbling to the meat.
The choice between grass-fed and grain-fed beef is a matter of preference and availability.
All of our cattle are pasture-raised and grain-finished for the perfect amount of marbling and taste.
How long will it take to get my beef if the animal is on pasture or in finishing process?
It all depends on where we are with our inventory of cattle on pasture and in the finishing process. Once cattle come off pasture and are on finishing feed, it generally takes 60-75 days to finish and deliver. From that point it is aged and processed, so 16-22 days later you will have your beef.
How long will it take to get my meat once the animal is delivered to the butcher?
Beef is typically aged for 14-21 days. This develops the flavor and helps break down the connective tissue, making it more tender. We age our beef to assure the most tender and best flavor each cut of beef has to offer.
How much beef can I expect to get from the processor?
Our goal is to get our calves to 1,100 pounds live weight. Most will yield 40% of the live weight in processed beef. So, you can expect around 440 pounds of beef in your freezer. Obviously, half that amount for a half beef.
If you use that 440 number and compute the cost of $2,250 for the calf and roughly $750 for processing fees, that works out to just under $7 per pound of beef all cuts. For a half, you are looking at approximately $7.50 per pound of beef all cuts.
How much space will it take in my freezer?
Generally, one cubic foot of freezer space will hold 30-35 pounds of packaged meat. For that 440 pounds of beef, if you take a half of it (220 pounds), you’ll need about 7 cubic feet of freezer space. That varies by freezer configuration and how the meat is packaged.
Is it better to vacuum seal or wrap meat in paper?
We recommend getting your meat packaged in Vacuum-Sealed packaging. Vacuum sealing can extend the freezer life of your meat since it reduces the meat’s exposure to oxygen, which causes freezer burn.
