Ordering Bulk Beef

[cyfan92]

I'd appreciate some tips or recommendations on ordering a sections of beef. This is our first time on our own ordering as my parents used to handle this but aren't eating 200+ off beef as the number of mouths to feed doesn't justify 1/2's anymore. Starting with just a 1/4 this time. Happy to no longer be paying $5.99/lb at HyVee for 85/15 and $14/lb for steak

Thank you

 

[JP4CY]

We never get stew meat, round steak, beef ribs, or organs.
Roasts 3 to 4lb perfectly fit oval crock pots.
Burger is your friend over winter. We make lots of chili, hamburger helper, tacos. Eat the steaks in the summer.

 

[NoCreativity]

I usually get 1/4 also and get a few round steaks, a couple roasts, a few steaks, and the majority is ground beef. If you are unsure how you want it cut just call your locker and they can walk you through it.

 

[NWICY]

I'd appreciate some tips or recommendations on ordering a sections of beef. This is our first time on our own ordering as my parents used to handle this but aren't eating 200+ off beef as the number of mouths to feed doesn't justify 1/2's anymore. Starting with just a 1/4 this time. Happy to no longer be paying $5.99/lb at HyVee for 85/15 and $14/lb for steak

Thank you

Actually talk to the locker that it is being processed at, they will be able to give you some suggestions. Depending on your family size 1 or 2 pound packages for hamburger are really handy.

 

[DeereClone]

Your locker should have a cut sheet they can send you or walk through it with you over the phone.

If in doubt on whether or not you will use something…grind it into hamburger.

Hamburger patties are extremely handy, get a decent amount of them.

 

[ozzie8]

The premade burger patties are usually a staple for us. Ground beef packages and steaks

 

[cyfan92]

Is it worth paying to have them make patties versus making patties yourself with the ground

 

[Agclone91]

As others have suggested, most lockers will be happy to walk you through the process. The first time is the hardest because you don't know how some decisions may affect other things (i.e. if you get t-bones, you can't get New York strips). Those are the details the locker can help you through.

We're on our third cow now. The first time I got all of the cuts, and the last two I have found myself progressively grinding more as we figured out what specific cuts we do and don't care for.

 

[cstrunk]

Got a 1/2 in July and bought a 14 CF upright freezer for it. I highly recommend an upright.

I got a lot of round steaks that next time I'll just tell them to grind most of them into burger. I also have a lot of organ meat that I'll probably just give away. I hate liver. Definitely interested in trying the heart and tongue though. I did get ribs but haven't tried them personally yet. My brother-in-law was not impressed so that was disappointing to hear. But we'll see...

 

[Die4Cy]

Is it worth paying to have them make patties versus making patties yourself with the ground

I generally get around a third of the ground beef made into 1/3 pound patties. It costs some, but it is so handy when getting home late from work.

 

[DeereClone]

Is it worth paying to have them make patties versus making patties yourself with the ground

Absolute no brainer to at least have some patties pre-made. They can go right from the freezer to the grill vs having to set out a frozen pound of hamburger ahead of time to patty yourself. I’d get 1/3lb patties, whatever number of patties/package that makes sense for your family, and do like 15-20 lbs of it that way.

 

[CYme]

I get all the fancy steaks, chuck roasts, ribs, most of the rest goes to ground. I also get meat sticks and have all the round (top, bottom, eye) turned in to jerky.

 

[buf87]

We never remember to set meat out to thaw. Having frozen patties that can go straight to the grill is very convenient

 

[Rabbuk]

Got a 1/2 in July and bought a 14 CF upright freezer for it. I highly recommend an upright.

I got a lot of round steaks that next time I'll just tell them to grind most of them into burger. I also have a lot of organ meat that I'll probably just give away. I hate liver. Definitely interested in trying the heart and tongue though. I did get ribs but haven't tried them personally yet. My brother-in-law was not impressed so that was disappointing to hear. But we'll see...

I had a roommate right after school who worked in a meat locker and did something similar with a similar size freezer. By the time we moved out it weighed about 600 pounds

 

[JP4CY]

Got a 1/2 in July and bought a 14 CF upright freezer for it. I highly recommend an upright.

I got a lot of round steaks that next time I'll just tell them to grind most of them into burger. I also have a lot of organ meat that I'll probably just give away. I hate liver. Definitely interested in trying the heart and tongue though. I did get ribs but haven't tried them personally yet. My brother-in-law was not impressed so that was disappointing to hear. But we'll see...

We upgraded from a 14 to 21 CF and it's nice to have so much space now. We always have pizzas, frozen bread, veggies in there now.

 

[cstrunk]

We upgraded from a 14 to 21 CF and it's nice to have so much space now. We always have pizzas, frozen bread, veggies in there now.

I also have two refrigerators, so I still had room for that stuff too. But yes, my 14 CF freezer was near it's limits with all the beef.

 

[CloneJD]

Is it worth paying to have them make patties versus making patties yourself with the ground

This must be spoken by a man whose wife patties up the beef.

it’s worth every penny to have them do it at the locker.

 

[Farnsworth]

We never get stew meat, round steak, beef ribs, or organs.
Roasts 3 to 4lb perfectly fit oval crock pots.
Burger is your friend over winter. We make lots of chili, hamburger helper, tacos. Eat the steaks in the summer.

Wait, I thought you were part of all the smoking meat threads, and you're saying no to beef ribs?

Shame!

 

[ISUTex]

I'd appreciate some tips or recommendations on ordering a sections of beef. This is our first time on our own ordering as my parents used to handle this but aren't eating 200+ off beef as the number of mouths to feed doesn't justify 1/2's anymore. Starting with just a 1/4 this time. Happy to no longer be paying $5.99/lb at HyVee for 85/15 and $14/lb for steak

Thank you

get your stew meat and round steaks ground up into hamburger. Save the roasts for the crock pot and smoker.

Third lb patties are nice too. We usually do half of the ground beef in patties and the other half ground.

Keep the liver and tongue in case you know somebody who likes that kind of stuff. The tongue is actually pretty good.

 

[JP4CY]

Wait, I thought you were part of all the smoking meat threads, and you're saying no to beef ribs?

Shame!

My wife doesn't care for beef ribs so when I'm craving Whatcha Smokin fills the void!