Anyone buy a half cow?

[ma-skis.com]

I know my sister bought half a cow and a pig from balzac meats, quality was really good, forgot how much though. At the very least it was not more than what you would pay at a grocery store for something better quality.

[afc wimbledon]

Way to close to ball sac meats for my liking

[Russic]

I've done it twice and unlike most I probably won't do it again. Not because it was bad, but because both times we split with another couple and we ended up with a ton of cuts we didn't want. In the end great meat, but know what you want. I still have about 4 livers in my freezer if anybody is interested.

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by bomba

Hey,


I get my 1/2 cow from here:

http://www.willowbankranch.com/

Great people... all grain fed and they take a lot of pride in their cattle.

Thanks for the link, going to check into it.

[Chingas]

Originally Posted by Trojan97

Pardon my ignorance but I've always been curious. How "much" beef does one half cow produce? I'm sure it varies depending on what cuts you want but let's say an average order...

Typical dressing percentage for beef is roughly: Hanging wieght (sides) = 60% of live wieght, and cut in the box wieght roughly = 60% of hanging wieght.

If you purchase a side of beef by live wieght price, expect the actual meat in the box to be roughly 36% of the live wieght. There can be some conflict when soemone buys half of a 1200 pound animal (600 lbs) and winds up with 216 lbs of beef in the box.

The most benifit you stand buy purchasing beef this way, is you can ensure that your meat has been aged long enough (at least 21 days) before being cut. This will reduce shrinkage when cooking and ensure you get the best flavour possible from your beef.

I also prefer meat wrapped in brown wax paper over glad wrap, it is sturdier, less prone to damage and freezer burn, and easier to remove from half frozen cuts.

[Northendzone]

I have milk and feel no need to buy the cow

[Domoic]

[Domoic]

[Domoic]

[Flashpoint]

F-ing delicious! I'm a commie pinko tree hugging liberal, but damn do I love beef. Great thread.

[wookster]

Usually they will double wrap the beef first in plastic and then in freezer paper which is brown paper waxed on 1 side. Its a little more expensive to do but it will keep beef for upwards of a year frozen this way...If you have an average sized freezer a 1/2 beef will fill it about half full once packaged.