[Sca-cooks] semi OT question on steer butchering and costs

[ysabeau]

I can't speak specifically to organically raised beef, per se, but 
I can tell you that it sounds like a good price to me. My sister 
buys a steer from the local FFA every year. It is usually one of 
the champion steers. She pays more than the going rate because it 
is a charity auction and I think it comes out to about $4 a pound 
after processing. However, the caveat is that it is the best beef 
you have ever tasted. It is tender, perfectly marbled, and cooks 
up like a dream. I can literally cut a 1 1/2 inch steak with a 
butter knife...like it was buttah! :) I am completely spoiled now 
when it comes to beef. 

An important factor is to specify how you want the meat packaged 
during processing. If you have a small family, ask them to package 
it in smaller packages. The first time my sister did this, we 
ended up with 5lb packages of hamburger. My family consists of me 
and my daughter who couldn't eat that much hamburger in a week. We 
also got packages of 5 steaks. Also, if you want specific cuts 
then you need to tell them ahead of time. I had to go research 7-
bone steak and pike's peak roast because I'd never heard of them 
before. Still haven't figured out what to do with the roast...I'm 
thinking pot roast? 

The last time she got a pig, too. Damn, that was a good pig. I 
still have one package of ribs and some pork chops left.

So anyway, the point is that while it might be a bit more 
expensive than running down to the grocery store, the quality is 
exponentially better. I took some ground beef to a friend's house 
as my contribution towards dinner...everyone commented what a 
difference the quality of the meat makes...in tacos! If you can 
tell a difference in taco meat, then you know it is good stuff!

My two shillings,
Ysabeau

---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: iasmin at comcast.net
Reply-To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2005 11:11:03 +0000

>I'm half hoping Phlip is reading but in case she isn't, I'm 
posting this question to SCA cooks instead of MK Cooks because I 
have to decide on something by tomorrow...
>
>I have the opportunity to get a good freezer full of beef from an 
Amish farmer during the month of August. We get produce delivery 
from a certified organic farm in Michigan and the farm owners work 
with a local Amish family to find buyers for his beef. They're 
looking to distribute 1/4's and 1/2's butchered and packaged some 
time in August (after Pennsic). 
>
>>From what I've been able to find out, most steer will have a 
rough hanging weight of about 500 poundswith about 300 of that in 
useable meat after the processing. That puts it at 150 lbs per 
side. At, say, 3.00$ per pound for the cost of the meat and the 
processing costs per pound, that makes the overall cost for the 
meat 225$ for a 1/4 side, 450$ for a 1/2 side, and 900$ for a 
whole, assuming my math is correct and my assumptions roughly 
accurate.
>
>Is my math correct? It seems to me that while 3$/pound for 
organically raised ground beef is a bit pricey, for a t-bone, 
filet, or rib eye, it's pretty darned good. At least in my area. 
Thoughts? Feel free to jump in. 
>
>Iasmin
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