Anyone ever buy a cow?

[LYU370]

I remember my parents used to buy half a cow every few years. My son asked if I wanted to go in on buying a quarter cow? Some of his friends know someone up in Wisconsin but didn't want the entire quarter. I was all over that.

Up to now, I just cooked up some of the ground beef and made some broth with soup bones. Followed the Epicurious recipe more or less. Holy crap, that's gonna be the Au Jus for the prime rib on Christmas.

Tonight, I cooked up a T-Bone, looked more like a porterhouse to me. Probably one of the most tender steaks I've had in a long, long time. No, I couldn't finish it.

If you get a chance, buy you a cow!

 

[Stingerhook]

Looks great Andy.

 

[ssv3]

Looks killer Andy!

My brothers and I are getting ready to buy a whole or half. Seems like the more you buy the better the price. The youngest bro already bought two chest freezers. One shipped to him and one shipped to me. Looking forward to it.

 

[Itsdone]

Technically. If i buy a T-bone like you, i bought a cow. That said, I bought 1/4 cow once. Was mostly ground beef. few tenderloins, strips, ribeye, porters....

 

[LYU370]

If ya ever want to buy a Tamworth hog (the bacon pig) let me know, I got a guy in Oklahoma. Good Stuff! Although shipping might kill it, unless you want to make a road trip.

 

[Itsdone]

If ya ever want to buy a Tamworth hog (the bacon pig) let me know, I got a guy in Oklahoma. Good Stuff! Although shipping might kill it, unless you want to make a road trip.

If the T-bones Look like yours, I would be all over your source. I just rely on sales in my area.

 

[Lomey]

I split a cow with 3 other family and friends. 1/4 a piece about every 18 months. Some of the best money spent. I want a hog in the spring if I have room.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

 

[LYU370]

Kansas ain't too far from Oklahoma... Straight south on 69.

 

[TravelingJ]

Personally I haven't been a fan of going this route. I've tried it 3 times in the past. I currently still have a shelf in the freezer that is just 'crap I don't want to deal with' from the cow 2 years ago.

The things that matter the most are if you have any say in the cut sheet, how good the processor is, and the quality of their packaging.

Personally, I'm now at the point where I'd rather find a rancher and do a bulk order of what I specifically want.

My experience doing this with a pig was even worse

 

[JbTech]

Bought my first 1/4 in March this year. Will definitely be doing that again when the time comes.

Quote from that post:

Quick call to the butcher and I'll net roughly 200# off of 804# hanging weight at $4/lb.!
Seller is a friend who I've known for 20 years, so I know what I'm getting. Good stuff.

Think I paid roughly $750, all said and done.
We'll have enough to last us a while, even though I may keep buying Tri Tip when I see it. Ground beef disappeared first, so I bought more this last week. Processed at the same place.

 

[JbTech]

Personally I haven't been a fan of going this route. I've tried it 3 times in the past. I currently still have a shelf in the freezer that is just 'crap I don't want to deal with' from the cow 2 years ago.

I can definitely see that being an issue. I look at it as a way to expand what/how I cook!
I've got quite a bit that will likely end up in a crock pot, but I might learn something new in the process.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

My parents use too W have not Only 2 of us That is a beautiful looking plate of food Andy

 

[food4thot]

Looks good Andy. Done on the gasser?

Use to get 1/4's of grassfed from farmer friends in the northern LP. Sometimes got Piedmontese. Was tasty but low in fat and meat was a little on the tough side. Started ordering the Piedmont mostly ground.

 

[SMOKE FREAK]

I usually buy my beef one slice at a time.

 

[SirPorkaLot]

Yup!
Half a cow and a whole pig once a year.

Wouldn’t do it any other way now.

The meat is far superior to anything I can buy at the store or the local butchers.

 

[LYU370]

Looks good Andy. Done on the gasser?

Yep. Big Joe is frozen shut.

 

[edmonds]

We have a few acres, so I like to buy a calf every year or so to raise for slaughter. We like the Dexters, which is a smaller breed of cattle that can fatten up on grass. It usually lasts us 12 to 18 months, and we can specify what cuts we want. Haven't bought grocery beef for maybe 10 years.

 

[cowgirl]

I remember my parents used to buy half a cow every few years. My son asked if I wanted to go in on buying a quarter cow? Some of his friends know someone up in Wisconsin but didn't want the entire quarter. I was all over that.

Up to now, I just cooked up some of the ground beef and made some broth with soup bones. Followed the Epicurious recipe more or less. Holy crap, that's gonna be the Au Jus for the prime rib on Christmas.

Tonight, I cooked up a T-Bone, looked more like a porterhouse to me. Probably one of the most tender steaks I've had in a long, long time. No, I couldn't finish it.

If you get a chance, buy you a cow!

Looks mighty fine, Andy!!

I raise beef, pork and poultry. IMO it's hard to beat homegrown.

 

[SirPorkaLot]

Looks mighty fine, Andy!!

I raise beef, pork and poultry. IMO it's hard to beat homegrown.

We do poultry now. Moving into pork next spring.
I don’t see us raising beef, but I have a great local source.

 

[Bob O Q Shawtee]

I was born a a farm and been around cattle since. My mother worked at a processor a few years and my brother-in-law was a professional butcher for a number of years at various places. I haven't had a beef processed since they retired. There are countless ways processors cheat clients and every one I've had experience with used one or more. Until dna testing became affordable the favorite was switching carcasses. Now the favorite is weighing their thumb when weighing carcass. Skimming a few packages is 100%. I've hauled a number of steers to processors for people that knew live weight of animal and they were charged hanging weight equal to 65% to 75% live weight. 50% to 60% is what can be obtained. A friend gave me a half a couple years ago and when I went by to give them cutting order, I was appalled at misc add on charges. Animals off pasture should hang 10-14 days before cutting,supermarket wholesalers hand theirs off feed with good fat cover an addition 5-7 days. Processors rarly hang more than 3-5 days.