Beef question

[bigg cheese]

We're getting a 1/4 cow in a couple of weeks and we were told to call the butcher to tell him what I wanted.

Basically, we're looking at almost 200 lbs, but I was just estimating in thirds -- steaks, roasts, ground beef.

I've never dealt with a butcher before. The wife likes london broil steaks (lean), and I like ribeye (flavorful). Can I just ask for those cuts and ask for ground beef and roast for the rest or would I sound stupid asking for it?

Obviously I don't have to have ribeye and london broil, but I like fattier steaks while the wife wants a lean cut.

Advice is appreciated.

 

[Steelworker]

Order what you are going to use. We get sirlon, delmonico, and ribeye. The rest we have made into ground, bulk and patties.

 

[cbseniour]

If you are buying a quarter you will probably get what the butcher gets out of that 1/4, What he wants to know from you is how you want your quarter cut and wrapped. IE 2 steaks per package,steaks cut 1/2" or 1 1/2inch, or Gound beef in 1lb packages or 3lb pkgs. If you explain the the butcher what you are looking for he can pretty much customize his cuts and trim to your specs.

 

[66chevelle]

Make sure you tell the butcher what you are looking for. Butchers deal with new customers everyday they(good butchers) will work with the costumer as much as they can and will explain to you why they can and cant get what you are looking for. One thing that you need to remember is that this cow should be a lot leaner then what you are buying at the store. Plus the flavor is completely different then store bought meat. I have been raising cattle for 7 years now and I can tell the difference in store bought meat compared to what I raise. I would recommend that you ask the butcher to make all the steaks that they can then have your roast and burger made. You don't get as many steaks form a 1/4 of a cow as most people think they should will.

 

[Icarry2]

Which quarter are you getting or are you splitting a whole cow 4 ways?

 

[Balinor]

Great poster thank you

 

[bigg cheese]

Great poster thank you

Good question -- but I won't know until I'm instructed to call the butcher next week. Thought about that myself. Some relatives' kids do 4H so we're just waiting for the meat to hang for a bit before they're ready to start cutting.

Thanks for all the suggestions, fellas. I think I will ask for as many steaks as possible, given that they are the most expensive at the store.

 

[Icarry2]

Anything you get is probbably better then store bought if it was raised right.

Basically I used to tell our butcher save all the premium cuts and make them 3/4 inch thick and two to a package. Otherwise 2 pound packaged meat sirloin or round steak and 3 pound roasts. Trim and other peices cut 90% lean and ground into 1 pound packages.

If I remember correctly our last half breakdown was from about a hanging 1300# steer that had eaten very well..

10-12 ribeyes
8-10 t-bones
package of short ribs
8-10 packages of sirloin
4-8 packages round steak
a couple roasts, rump, arm, beef
and about 80-100 pounds of ground beef

Not eactly sure on the numbers but it about fills a small chest freezer. But your talking about a quarter so divide in half.

 

[revolvers&w]

Takes me back a few years...

We're getting a 1/4 cow in a couple of weeks and we were told to call the butcher to tell him what I wanted.

Basically, we're looking at almost 200 lbs, but I was just estimating in thirds -- steaks, roasts, ground beef.

I've never dealt with a butcher before. The wife likes london broil steaks (lean), and I like ribeye (flavorful). Can I just ask for those cuts and ask for ground beef and roast for the rest or would I sound stupid asking for it?

Obviously I don't have to have ribeye and london broil, but I like fattier steaks while the wife wants a lean cut.

Advice is appreciated.

Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean.
And between the two of them they licked the platter clean.

 

[amboran]

Please remember you are paying for hanging weight when you buy beef by the quarter or side . There is quite a bit of waste (bone,fat,gristle) when butchering,so you will not get everything you are paying for. According to how lean you want the ground beef,and how much fat is trimmed from the roasts and steaks-you could lose quite a bit-just don't be surprised if the amount of beef you receive(after processing) seems like a lot less.
Prices in stores seem high in comparison-but they have already absorbed a lot of "cutting losses". Yes ,I am a meat cutter by trade (35+ years) ,so let me know if I can answer any questions.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Please remember you are paying for hanging weight when you buy beef by the quarter or side . There is quite a bit of waste (bone,fat,gristle) when butchering,so you will not get everything you are paying for. According to how lean you want the ground beef,and how much fat is trimmed from the roasts and steaks-you could lose quite a bit-just don't be surprised if the amount of beef you receive(after processing) seems like a lot less.
Prices in stores seem high in comparison-but they have already absorbed a lot of "cutting losses". Yes ,I am a meat cutter by trade (35+ years) ,so let me know if I can answer any questions.

+100
Also, if you are into making soups, stews or stock for any reason be sure to ask for some soup bones.

 

[bigg cheese]

Please remember you are paying for hanging weight when you buy beef by the quarter or side . There is quite a bit of waste (bone,fat,gristle) when butchering,so you will not get everything you are paying for. According to how lean you want the ground beef,and how much fat is trimmed from the roasts and steaks-you could lose quite a bit-just don't be surprised if the amount of beef you receive(after processing) seems like a lot less.
Prices in stores seem high in comparison-but they have already absorbed a lot of "cutting losses". Yes ,I am a meat cutter by trade (35+ years) ,so let me know if I can answer any questions.

What they are telling me is they're charging 1.23 a pound with ~65 bucks for processing, which as I figure it works out to about 1.59 a pound. Does that sound reasonable?

 

[singlestacksig]

What they are telling me is they're charging 1.23 a pound with ~65 bucks for processing, which as I figure it works out to about 1.59 a pound. Does that sound reasonable?

yes, if you consider that some of the cuts you will get go for $19 + / pound ..

 

[philo]

To say what Amboran said in a different way, you are paying the per pound price for one quarter of the live weight - you will actually get about half of that in cut/ground/wrapped meat. The rest is lost to bone/blood/skin/organs etc. If you want the organs like liver, heart, kidneys or tongue be sure to let the butcher know - there's not likely to be a lot of competition for them and they usually get discarded.

 

[bigg cheese]

yeah, I think I can do without the organs -- *shudder

 

[66chevelle]

If you like thicker steaks have them cut into 1". A 1/4" doesn't sound like much but I think they are moister after you cook them. As Far as roast go we only get the rump roast and have the rest turned into burger. The rump roast seems to have the lest amount of fat and the best flavor.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Also, bear in mind that BOTTOM sirloin is a more tender cut as compared to TOP sirloin.

 

[hooky]

Also, bear in mind that BOTTOM sirloin is a more tender cut as compared to TOP sirloin.

That's the other way around.

 

[bigg cheese]

Honestly, I just like steak -- covered in barbecue sauce . Chuck steak is even OK if grilled till the fat melts in your mouth, with which I have a knack for achieving with regularity .

 

[ThrottleJockey]

That's the other way around.

To the layperson it may seem that way, but it isn't. "Top" refers to the cut, not the quality.