My gpa worked at a slaughter house years ago... IDK. I could be totally mistaken. I just get grossed out.
Years ago that may have been the case, but guidelines are a lot stricter about what can go to market now. (Which is why we eat so well, we get what can't be sold for pretty much the processing costs)
The fat content has a lot to do with the breed of the animal, age and things like that (not if they are sick, although that can make a difference, but lean doesn't mean sick animal). It also has to do with the sex of the animal.
I *think* grass fed is leaner.
Really? The sex of the animal? For some reason, I thought that beef cows were mostly male, no?
ETA: and thanks, I thought that the grass fed might be leaner too, but a rancher today was confusing me.
Most of them are male, but with smaller cow herds, females do get sent to market too. And if it is a dairy breed, those are almost always male.
We get our beef this way. We usually get an animal that can't go to market (an old cow, a calf that got hurt, and Yes, even sick calves). We have noticed that the processing has more to do with the taste than the animal it came from, so I would definitely make sure you can tell your processor how you want it. (You won't be able to say that you want 100 pounds of steaks, but you should be able to say if you want your ground beef double ground)
What does "double ground" mean? Is there anything in particular you recommend asking for? I'm planning to see what roasts are included, and if there's one we won't cook, see if they can either cut it into stew meat or grind it. Can I ask for that?
We think that grain fed makes them a little more tender, but I think its because it is more marbled (fatty).
I think if you have a good farmer and a good processor, you'll love buying meat in bulk.
What sorts of things should I look for in a processor? Is this the "dry aged" business that I see being advertised? Is there some secret codeword-type question I should ask to make sure that they're good at what they do? Like how the Masons have a secret handshake?
Clearly, I could be easily swindled. I don't want to be.
My gpa worked at a slaughter house years ago... IDK. I could be totally mistaken. I just get grossed out.
Years ago that may have been the case, but guidelines are a lot stricter about what can go to market now. (Which is why we eat so well, we get what can't be sold for pretty much the processing costs)
Interesting, but you find the sick animals to be OK to eat? Do you avoid preparing them in certain ways? Do you think that these new regulations might be slightly malarky then?
I don't know if I can accurately answer the processor questions- we have gotten some not so great beef from new processors.
If it where me, I would see if I could get a package of ground beef from the processor and see if you like it (Im assuming you are going to a local locker).
Can you ask around and see what people think? Have they gotten any awards?
I don't know if I can accurately answer the processor questions- we have gotten some not so great beef from new processors.
If it where me, I would see if I could get a package of ground beef from the processor and see if you like it (Im assuming you are going to a local locker).
Can you ask around and see what people think? Have they gotten any awards?
These are great ideas, thanks. I've had ground beef from both places, and found it to be very good. But, like I said, I'm relatively new to meat-eating. My husband said it was very good too, and he's more practiced. I hadn't even thought of awards, I didn't know that such a thing existed. Thanks.
Post by chocolatechips on Sept 1, 2012 14:52:44 GMT -5
Also, Hoobs: this has been enormously helpful. For instance, I didn't know that the processing and farming were separate deals, and that I should look into both. Thank you thank you thank you.
Years ago that may have been the case, but guidelines are a lot stricter about what can go to market now. (Which is why we eat so well, we get what can't be sold for pretty much the processing costs)
Interesting, but you find the sick animals to be OK to eat? Do you avoid preparing them in certain ways? Do you think that these new regulations might be slightly malarky then?
Granted, there are certain illnesses that will ruin the meat. But I am actually okay with new regulations. When we eat them, we know exactly what we are getting and can make our own choices about it. I think that consumers in the grocery store have a right to know that their meat came from a healthy, sound animal, whether or not the other animals are safe to eat.
Also, the process to the packing plant is somewhat stressful, and may be more difficult on those animals. I think it is much more humane to slaughter them in a smaller facility or on a farm.
Interesting, but you find the sick animals to be OK to eat? Do you avoid preparing them in certain ways? Do you think that these new regulations might be slightly malarky then?
Granted, there are certain illnesses that will ruin the meat. But I am actually okay with new regulations. When we eat them, we know exactly what we are getting and can make our own choices about it. I think that consumers in the grocery store have a right to know that their meat came from a healthy, sound animal, whether or not the other animals are safe to eat.
Also, the process to the packing plant is somewhat stressful, and may be more difficult on those animals. I think it is much more humane to slaughter them in a smaller facility or on a farm.
All excellent points. I sometimes struggle with these issues of humane treatment of animals. It's good to know that the smaller processing places are going to be generally less stressful for the animals.
Living in major farm country now, we've really been wanting to go more and more local with our food choices. There's so much fresh food here anyway, and it's better when it's fresher, sp why buy an apple that's shipped in from another state when I could just eat an apple that's been grown down the road...and beef's the same way.
But then I start to think that I'm having some kind of pastoral utopia complex, and that maybe I'm being unrealistic.
We bought 1/4 cow for $600 (I think)... it worked out to $4.50/lb. and was SO, SO worth it. It lasted months (I think it was ~150 pounds) in our deep freeze and we plan to do it again in December. We were paying upwards of $7.50/lb just for ground beef, so while it was hard to swallow $600 in one go, once we did the math it made a lot of sense. (and, grass fed is much leaner).
We bought 1/4 cow for $600 (I think)... it worked out to $4.50/lb. and was SO, SO worth it. It lasted months (I think it was ~150 pounds) in our deep freeze and we plan to do it again in December. We were paying upwards of $7.50/lb just for ground beef, so while it was hard to swallow $600 in one go, once we did the math it made a lot of sense. (and, grass fed is much leaner).
Is it just you and your DH? I hear you about the $7.50 ground beef. It tastes SO much better, but I sometimes can't afford it with the rest of the grocery budget. Then I feel guilty for buying sub-par beef. Argh.
And thanks for the info about grass fed. Do you have to cook the roasts or steaks differently since they're leaner?
Upright freezer you can see what's in there and shit doesn't get buried. Also my dh eats a ton of meat bc of his diet so we use the different shelves for ground turkey, ground beef/steak, chicken and pork to know what we have. When I make freezer meals (lasagna, etc.) in bulk they are easier to store flat until they freeze completely. Def prefer upright to chest.
Post by PinkSquirrel on Sept 1, 2012 19:46:51 GMT -5
Where we get our CSA they do 20lb shares. It works out pretty well. We typically get 10lbs of ground a chuck roast, 2 lbs of stew beef, 1lb of tips, and the rest are assorted steak cuts. They all come vacuum sealed from another local farm.
Hoobs- how big of a freezer should we get if we want a 1/4 cow and a whole hog?
I believe when we purchased 1/4 cow and 1/2 hog we had a 14.8cu ft. freezer, and it was just fine with space left, so I think you'd probably find that 14.8 would be enough or more? We kept other stuff in ours as well...
I think most of your questions have been answered but I just wanted to mention that you probably want to make sure that the processor is going to package the meat for you because some places have the option for you to package your own. This is absolutely no fun I can tell you. We had a cow butchered in December one year and the meat was ready two days before Christmas. The cow dressed at 1,000 lbs. That is a lot of meat to package on your own.
Also as a general rule grass fed are leaner then corn fed. As far as tenderness goes though it really depends on the cow itself.
Post by midnightmare81 on Sept 1, 2012 20:33:04 GMT -5
Thank you for posting this! H and I have been looking to eat healthier and more local, and were considering this as well. I have to ask though, WHERE ARE YOU PEOPLE? I would CHOKE at the thought of $7 ground beef at the grocery store. Grated, I live in a rural area, where we have some farms ( mostly corn and hay, not animals), but judging by the prices those farms charge for their meats (and none are grass fed or free range even), there is no way this is where our grocer buys from. I think the worst I have paid is about $4 on a non-sale day.
On the note of storage, we are mostly looking into this as an option for next year when we move to TX, but we will be living in an apartment where we wont have the option of having a chest freezer. Is this something that we could feasibly even think of at that time? When you purchase, it goes by hanging weight, correct? What about all that bone and such? How much meat do you get vs what you start with? The one place we looked at said we paid x amount + .50c a lb for butchering. Does that weight include bone or just the weight of the meat you receive? What about buying other meat in the same manor (chicken, turkey, ect)?
I think most of your questions have been answered but I just wanted to mention that you probably want to make sure that the processor is going to package the meat for you because some places have the option for you to package your own. This is absolutely no fun I can tell you. We had a cow butchered in December one year and the meat was ready two days before Christmas. The cow dressed at 1,000 lbs. That is a lot of meat to package on your own.
Also as a general rule grass fed are leaner then corn fed. As far as tenderness goes though it really depends on the cow itself.
Thank you for your response rodeored **edited because I can't read**! Also, I love your SN.
Regarding having to do the packaging yourself: Ha! This story reminds me of that "I Love Lucy" episode - have you seen it? Anyway, I am definitely not prepared to package that much meat on my own. Thanks for the tip.
I thought tenderness/fattiness correlated? This is good to know. Is there anything I can look for/ask for to get the more tender cow, in terms of how they're raised and how the meat is cured, or is it really just luck?
Thank you for posting this! H and I have been looking to eat healthier and more local, and were considering this as well. I have to ask though, WHERE ARE YOU PEOPLE? I would CHOKE at the thought of $7 ground beef at the grocery store. Grated, I live in a rural area, where we have some farms ( mostly corn and hay, not animals), but judging by the prices those farms charge for their meats (and none are grass fed or free range even), there is no way this is where our grocer buys from. I think the worst I have paid is about $4 on a non-sale day.
On the note of storage, we are mostly looking into this as an option for next year when we move to TX, but we will be living in an apartment where we wont have the option of having a chest freezer. Is this something that we could feasibly even think of at that time? When you purchase, it goes by hanging weight, correct? What about all that bone and such? How much meat do you get vs what you start with? The one place we looked at said we paid x amount + .50c a lb for butchering. Does that weight include bone or just the weight of the meat you receive? What about buying other meat in the same manor (chicken, turkey, ect)?
I'll stand next to midnightmare and listen attentively for answers to her really, really, really smart questions.
Regarding $7.99 for ground beef - that's for the highest quality, most humanely raised animals that are pasture raised, and that's the price at Whole Foods, where staff is paid living wage and receives benefits, which does drive up prices a bit. At my basic local grocery store, lean ground beef has been around $3.99-$4.99 lately. You can, of course, get much cheaper ground beef in a tube that has a higher fat content, but I'm always nervous about buying meat I can't see. I don't know why this is, but it's how I roll.
Post by midnightmare81 on Sept 1, 2012 21:38:23 GMT -5
Chocolatechips, I LOVE your SN BTW! And I totally get the not buying what you cant see. I feel the same. If I cant see it, I don't buy it! We have no whole foods near me, so I am limited to what I can get at the local grocer. We do have a meat packing place (like a butcher) sorta close, but its not any better as far as how its raised and very expensive. I will pay extra for better quality, but if its not better better quality, living conditions, ect, I see no point
We bought 1/4 cow for $600 (I think)... it worked out to $4.50/lb. and was SO, SO worth it. It lasted months (I think it was ~150 pounds) in our deep freeze and we plan to do it again in December. We were paying upwards of $7.50/lb just for ground beef, so while it was hard to swallow $600 in one go, once we did the math it made a lot of sense. (and, grass fed is much leaner).
Is it just you and your DH? I hear you about the $7.50 ground beef. It tastes SO much better, but I sometimes can't afford it with the rest of the grocery budget. Then I feel guilty for buying sub-par beef. Argh.
And thanks for the info about grass fed. Do you have to cook the roasts or steaks differently since they're leaner?
We have DS, too, who is 2.5 but loves meat. We eat a paleo diet, too. Now that we've started eating this way, we only buy local, grass fed and the prices kill me. We can't order again until December and our grocery bills have sky rocketed.
Dh sometimes cuts the ground beef with ground pork to add in some fat, but he doesn't cook the lasts any differently.
About the weight questions- I have to say, that I am not 100% certain on that, as we sell live, and don't purchase meat. Its something like 40% of live weight is meat (dh can't remember off the top of his head).
I know that I am a beef farmer, but I have to say that as far as ground meat, I would pick pork or beef any day.
We have bought 1/2 hogs, but no beef yet, mainly due to the high up front costs. I have been buying our meat from the locker lately though. We cooked a 2lb pkg of ground beef last week and didn't even need to drain it. Very lean!
Is it just you and your DH? I hear you about the $7.50 ground beef. It tastes SO much better, but I sometimes can't afford it with the rest of the grocery budget. Then I feel guilty for buying sub-par beef. Argh.
And thanks for the info about grass fed. Do you have to cook the roasts or steaks differently since they're leaner?
We have DS, too, who is 2.5 but loves meat. We eat a paleo diet, too. Now that we've started eating this way, we only buy local, grass fed and the prices kill me. We can't order again until December and our grocery bills have sky rocketed.
Dh sometimes cuts the ground beef with ground pork to add in some fat, but he doesn't cook the lasts any differently.
Great information, thanks. DH has been leaning toward wanting more paleo meals, so this is actually a great comparison for me. That's a good idea bout the ground pork. I already do that when making meatloaf, per the recipe I use. It hadn't occurred to me that this was a way to add fat, I just thought it was adding another meaty flavor. Thanks.
I think most of your questions have been answered but I just wanted to mention that you probably want to make sure that the processor is going to package the meat for you because some places have the option for you to package your own. This is absolutely no fun I can tell you. We had a cow butchered in December one year and the meat was ready two days before Christmas. The cow dressed at 1,000 lbs. That is a lot of meat to package on your own.
Also as a general rule grass fed are leaner then corn fed. As far as tenderness goes though it really depends on the cow itself.
Thank you for your response rodeored **edited because I can't read**! Also, I love your SN.
Regarding having to do the packaging yourself: Ha! This story reminds me of that "I Love Lucy" episode - have you seen it? Anyway, I am definitely not prepared to package that much meat on my own. Thanks for the tip.
I thought tenderness/fattiness correlated? This is good to know. Is there anything I can look for/ask for to get the more tender cow, in terms of how they're raised and how the meat is cured, or is it really just luck?
I have actually never seen I Love Lucy, weird I know. In my experience and from what I hear from other people tenderness can be more luck then anything. I have had steaks that had almost no fat and were very tender. Older cows are more likely to be tough though and I believe certain breeds may have more tender meat but that is just something I have heard, I don't actually know. My family raises angus and angus/herford crosses and I usually think they are tender but that is all I have had so...