Ordering half a steer.

[RockyToggRanch]

DH brought home a package of burger the other day. He paid almost $4. lb

That's it...we're buying a cow!



I've never bought meat this way. The farmer asked if I want the tongue and liver. I said Hell Yeah...if I'm paying for it, I want it. I have never cooked a tongue...but I don't mind the taste of mine..lol

I also want the fat for suet or rendering for soap...right?

and bones for my dog...or soup?

Any input is welcome....

 

[FarmerJamie]

We split a beef with my sister's family all the time, but we cut and package everything ourselves.

Is he going to cut-to-order? Things like thickness of the steaks, how much fat in the ground beef, how many roasts, etc. Decisions, decisions!!!

You'll have a lot of fat AND bones.

 

[RockyToggRanch]

Yes, it's cut to order. It's $3. lb hanging weight.

I had to print a picture of a steer with all of the cuts. I had no idea where our favorite cuts came from... I mean porterhouse isn't as self described as rump roast. I learned a lot from that picture...lol.

It's also why we didn't buy a 1/4. There were too many good cuts on either end. Who could chose? It's only DH and me, but we'll share with the grown children.

As far as burger...If I buy it I usually buy 80/20. It was 85/15 that he paid $4. lb for.

 

[curly_kate]

You will NEVER go back to grocery store beef again! Local beef is sooooo delicious! We always get grass-fed/grain-finished, and the beef is very lean. I would guess from the small amt of fat rendered when I brown our beef that it's 90/10.

Does the $3/lb include what you pay the meat locker, too? Ours usually ends up being about $4/lb, but that is for meat from ground beef thru filet.

It's just DH & I, and we get a quarter, which lasts us 6 mos. As long as they wrap it well, you shouldn't have any problems keeping it in the deep freeze.

I've never cooked the tongue or heart before, so I'm curious what people do with that.

Man, I might need to dig in there for a steak.

 

[RockyToggRanch]

As far as I know the $3. includes everything. I thought it was a fair price.

I hope it's as good a deal as I think.

 

[FarmerJamie]

As far as I know the $3. includes everything. I thought it was a fair price.

I hope it's as good a deal as I think.

Not a bad price. We pay less because we help with the processing. If he's doing the wrapping, I'd ask for some bulk ground beef not wrapped up, so you can make meatballs (cooked), meatloaf (not cooked), hamburger patties, etc. and put in the freezer for quick dinners. If the other stuff can be wrapped in meal size portions, it makes dinner prep sooooo easy. (don't have to worry about what to do with the extra steak in the package and so forth.)

 

[Homemaker]

Tongue is nice and tender. My sister makes tongue tacos. A friend of mine browns it then simmers it for awhile and slices it up, then she bakes it up in a pie crust. Mmmmm....sounds so weird but, its good.

 

[FarmerJamie]

You going to get liver, too?

 

[RockyToggRanch]

yes, I like liver. I didn't ask about heart...I love venison heart meat.

 

[Marianne]

I remember my mother boiling beef tongue for sandwiches. My dad loved it until he came home while it was still in the pot. We never had it again.

I bought beef heart years ago when we were major-ly broke. I had no clue what to do with it, so I sliced it and made swiss steak from it. Turned out good and no one knew. DH's three brothers lived with us at the time, so we had a houseful of hungry teenage boys.

Years ago a butcher we went to church with told me that as long as I didn't have a freezer and had to pay locker rent, it'd be just as cheap to buy meat when it was on sale, plus I'd have more variety for my dollar. Now, 30 years later, I still do that. If it's not on sale or marked down, I don't buy it. I do have a freezer now, but it gets pretty full at harvest time.

The one time we bought a half, we ate it so fast that it didn't last near long enough. Good stuff.