1/4 grass fed cow

[Vian]

My parents and I are buying 1/2 a grass fed cow (1/4 for me, 1/4 for them!) I already sent our down payment and they should be ready by the end of the month, but I have to get in contact with the butcher to tell them how I want the meat cut. I know I want roasts, ribs, ribeyes, and ground beef, and my parents want T-bones, ground beef, and some roasts as well. I don't know a ton about cow anatomy, so I was hoping for some help to be able to get a good balance between nice roasts and steaks, but plenty of ground meat as well. I'll also be getting extra tallow, knuckle and marrow bones, and I'll try and get a liver (never been a fan of liver, but it's so good for you, I figured I should try and incorporate it into my diet somehow) Mostly I'm looking for help because I don't know what cuts use the same meat. Like is it possible to get bone-in ribeye steaks AND back ribs from the same 1/2 an animal? Is it possible to get two chuck 7-bone pot roasts from the same 1/2 an animal? Basically, I don't know what cuts overlap each other and use the same parts, but are cut differently, or the size of various cuts before they are divvied up for sale at the supermarket. Does that make sense?

 

Thanks!

[superjenni]

I've bought 1/2s and 1/4s.  With my most recent quarter the butcher walked me through the order area by area and told me my options.   Then I got liver and the oxtail.  I also asked them for soup bones and got a big bag of those.   It might be easier for you and your parents to talk to them separately as if you were two different buyers?

[I-Jo]

see I read this and thought that 1/4 of the time they ate grass and 3/4 of the time they ate... well grain- or meal or whatever.

 

leaves..... :/

[Oogiem]

Go take a look at this chart:

 

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/meatcharts_photos/BeefMadeEasyCutChart2009.pdf

 

Has all the major cuts and what comes from where. What you are getting is called a split half. 

 

This has the typical amounts of retail meat in each of the major primal cuts. 

 

http://beefresearch.org/CMDocs/BeefResearch/Beef%20Cutout%20Calculator.pdf

 

Hope that helps.

[Timmy M]

you could always get the liver (and heart and kidneys) added to the ground beef, that way even if you don't liek the taste/ don't know what to do with it you still get the goodness

[Errah138]

see I read this and thought that 1/4 of the time they ate grass and 3/4 of the time they ate... well grain- or meal or whatever.

leaves..... :/

Glad I wasn't the only one

[Ferrass]

I do kinda wish I had that choice.      The local farmer I know isn't having any animals slaughtered for a little while yet.  (But she knows that when she does, I want the odd meats.  I like cooking tongue, liver, heart, marrow and the like.)

 

But for now, I get what's in the freezer.    But it's a fair trade off for me.  I'm supporting a local farmer, who incidentally, is also incredibly passionate about the same hobbies I am.  (I met her via the online crafting group Ravelry)   Also, at the same time, I'm getting grass-fed meat that had a name. 

[superjenni]

Shopping for dinner in my freezer is pretty much the best thing as long as I remember to continually defrost stuff.

[obax]

see I read this and thought that 1/4 of the time they ate grass and 3/4 of the time they ate... well grain- or meal or whatever.

 

leaves..... :/

 

Me too, which is why I clicked on this thread in the first place, I thought 'Wait, that doesn't sound right.....'