If you buy beef by the percentage of how much cow it encompasses, I have some questions...

[LuckyDuck]

Nothing too clever with the title but being direct- I'm looking at purchasing either a 1/4 or 1/2 cow this fall and was looking for some thoughts/experiences from others that have done such (for those that haven't, yes- this really is a thing)

As a bit of housekeeping (as the devil is always in the details)... now that I'm in a house I have a 20 cu. ft. upright freezer that I recently purchased and I'm looking at purchasing either a 1/4 or 1/2 a cow. From what I'm seeing in my research on the topic- a 1/2 cow should take about 8-10 cubic feet so approximately half of what I have available in the new freezer.

That said- stated numbers and realistic numbers don't always align and I keep looking inside this freezer and have to believe that 1/2 cow (~260lbs of beef if my research is accurate) is going to take up far more than just half of this freezer regardless of what the Internet says it will. If you have any experience with this type of purchase- I'd like to hear your experience.

The other question that comes to mind is regardless of whether it's 1/4 or 1/2 cow- how does one allocate the cuts. There's a farm within a half hour or so from here that participates in this type of thing. Seems that the standard business practice is (1) paying the farmer and (2) paying the butcher they aligned with.

To make things simpler on my question- what I'm seeing is paying the farm around $2K for a half cow's worth of beef & an additional $350-$400 to the butcher the farmer works with to cut it up & package the meat (depending on the cuts/allocation of how the portion of cow is butchered).

For my wife & myself- we'd be primarily interested in choosing the premium cuts (steaks, roasts, straps, etc) and using the rest of the cow towards burger. Just a specific way of saying we'd likely be on the higher end of the butcher costs based off of my experience with butchering deer.

So (I know getting long winded) with the cards now on the table...

(1) If you've purchased cows by the quarter or half, was it worth it
(2) How much space in the freezer did either the quarter or half take and now long did it last you
(3) would you go through the process again
(4) any advice on what cuts to get using this approach & conversely which cuts to avoid.
(5) Any tips on packing the meat for the freezer? I ask that because I'm assuming I'll need to factor in purchasing a high quality vacuum sealer to make this plan of mine work.

Thanks in advance.

-LD

 

[jbuck88]

Usually a half or quarter means you get half or a quarter of all the cuts. And you will end up with a lot of burger.

A good butcher will take order and cut/wrap how you want. Thickness and # of steaks per pack. Best way I've had it done was cellophane between steaks, then wrapped in cellophane and butcher paper. Lasted well over a year, approaching 2 years on some packs that got lost in the bottom of the freezer.

 

[hankpac]

If they leave it totally up to you, that makes it a little more difficult, and requires some education. Look at various ads for commercial 1/2 a d 1/4 beef packages to see what they sell inthe package. It’s usually a list: x round, x porterhouse, x grind, x soup bones, etc.
Or ask the provider what is the usual package.
Bonus: people who do this (sell beef off their ranch) sometimes include a certain amount of pork, as a bonus, and sometimes ever Chicken. Depends on the region and ranch/farm.
When I shoot a hog, I just ask for all of it as grind, so I can make my own sausage, Or like some canneries, a pound for pound trade of whatever types of sausages they have already made up.
In the case of Elk, I usually take the loins and backstraps, and then order out what I want, and x amount of burger. Get about 35% to 50% back, minus bones and scrap. If we butcher the elk ourselves (usually), we keep more scrap to feed the animals (dawgs), give the liver to the parents of our black hunting partner (grandfather LOVES it).
Good luck.

 

[Milf Dots]

I like to buy two halves, but I tell them to make sure all the beef is filet mignon.


.
.

 

[mrdrar]

1) 1/2 cow will take up a lot of room in your freezer--consider adding a chest freezer just for this.
2) Cuts in a 1/4 cow are iffy--1/2 cow should be representative.
3) Vacuum sealer is a necessity in general to prevent spoilage.

 

[woogie_man]

Bought half a cow from a shop not far from me, was just over $2200. The butcher shop has a relationship with the rancher, so the price isn't crazy. Spend some time talking with the butcher and they will help you as much as they can. I have a family of 4 and my son is about to hit puberty and he can eat about as much as I can. So we do the steaks from 1"- 1.5" thick, and they are great steaks. A lot of burger will come your way, stew meat, and roasts. Supplement the beef with fish and venison and you are good to go.

A big freezer is a must, or two of them. My butcher freezes them solid and I get them frozen. Makes transport easier and the meat stays fresh until we need it. Typically a half will last us a year if we go easy on it.

Typically the meat will be better than your local stores, and it will be cheaper in the long run as well.

 

[MK20]

Find out how long they will age it too. It makes a huge difference.

 

[LuckyDuck]

Usually a half or quarter means you get half or a quarter of all the cuts. And you will end up with a lot of burger.

A good butcher will take order and cut/wrap how you want. Thickness and # of steaks per pack. Best way I've had it done was cellophane between steaks, then wrapped in cellophane and butcher paper. Lasted well over a year, approaching 2 years on some packs that got lost in the bottom of the freezer.

No that's certainly fair-

If you'll allow me to illustrate the "options" I was referring to... just like everything else they use foo-foo language but speaking in general terms- the language this particular butcher uses is... choosing between "standard", "select", "custom", & "burger". As I said- "foo-foo" language but to break it down with a bit more fidelity...

"Standard" equates to:

"Select" equates to:

I know I know- goofy google links- I'm not trolling or phishing anyone here- just, as I said, the devil's in the details so for the sake of discussion I just wanted to provide accurate & specific information.

The other two options, "custom" & "burger" I reckon are self explanatory. "burger" is just the quarter or half cow being all ground up and "custom" relying on the purchaser having a moderate understanding of cow anatomy and selection each particular cut.

Hope this all makes sense- if I wasn't clear on this before, please allow me to clarify...

Truth be told- the vast majority of my beef purchases have been tied to intentionally purchasing said cut of meat from my local butcher. My experience in butchering any animal is all but restricted to white-tailed deer and even then- my personal tastes were for the smoked options (sausage, pepper sticks, jerky, etc) and doesn't exactly 'jive' with what I'm trying to do with this quarter/half cow idea I have.

Everything is relative of course but my goal would be to conserve/wisely allocate our money ($2-3K is still a hefty purchase for us) but are also of the opinion that this will save us money in 2026 if we make wise choices (hence my original question).

No ego involved- just recognizing that others may have been through this a time or two before and before we commit to several hundred lbs of beef & spend a couple thousand dollars, just figured it'd be prudent to ask for advice/get schooled up on this topic.

-LD

 

[LuckyDuck]

If they leave it totally up to you, that makes it a little more difficult, and requires some education. Look at various ads for commercial 1/2 a d 1/4 beef packages to see what they sell inthe package. It’s usually a list: x round, x porterhouse, x grind, x soup bones, etc.
Or ask the provider what is the usual package.
Bonus: people who do this (sell beef off their ranch) sometimes include a certain amount of pork, as a bonus, and sometimes ever Chicken. Depends on the region and ranch/farm.
When I shoot a hog, I just ask for all of it as grind, so I can make my own sausage, Or like some canneries, a pound for pound trade of whatever types of sausages they have already made up.
In the case of Elk, I usually take the loins and backstraps, and then order out what I want, and x amount of burger. Get about 35% to 50% back, minus bones and scrap. If we butcher the elk ourselves (usually), we keep more scrap to feed the animals (dawgs), give the liver to the parents of our black hunting partner (grandfather LOVES it).
Good luck.

I sincerely appreciate your thoughts... to your questions though (and I should have anticipated this better) I did provide an example of what I'm looking at for butchering options as well as my experience with "custom" selecting options form deer hunting in post #8.

 

[LuckyDuck]

1) 1/2 cow will take up a lot of room in your freezer--consider adding a chest freezer just for this.
2) Cuts in a 1/4 cow are iffy--1/2 cow should be representative.
3) Vacuum sealer is a necessity in general to prevent spoilage.

Really appreciate that-

If nothing else it sounds like you're validating exactly what I'm anticipating. Put another way- I fully expect that a 1/2 cow is going to take up significantly more than half my new freezer (regardless of what the initial internet wisdom would suggest) & knowing that butchers aren't "flash freezing" a high quality vacuum sealer is part of this equation.

 

[LuckyDuck]

Bought half a cow from a shop not far from me, was just over $2200. The butcher shop has a relationship with the rancher, so the price isn't crazy. Spend some time talking with the butcher and they will help you as much as they can. I have a family of 4 and my son is about to hit puberty and he can eat about as much as I can. So we do the steaks from 1"- 1.5" thick, and they are great steaks. A lot of burger will come your way, stew meat, and roasts. Supplement the beef with fish and venison and you are good to go.

A big freezer is a must, or two of them. My butcher freezes them solid and I get them frozen. Makes transport easier and the meat stays fresh until we need it. Typically a half will last us a year if we go easy on it.

Typically the meat will be better than your local stores, and it will be cheaper in the long run as well.

I wish I was better with words to craft a more appropriate response but the best I can come up with at the moment is to say "thank you".

For what it's worth, I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts. Granted, it doesn't hurt that it supports my own personal mindset but what I'm really looking for is validation & personal experiences and I sincerely appreciate you sharing yours.

-LD

 

[Landon4]

I got a half a couple years ago, the cuts were pretty much already determined I want to say it was around 80 lbs of burger or so and then various cuts of different steaks with a small brisket and several roasts and ribs. The stand up freezer will be fairly full, and don’t get an extra chest freezer they suck you have to dig all your shit out to get to the bottom. All of my cuts were packed and ready to put in my freezer, and they came to me frozen solid from the butcher.

 

[DarnYankeeUSMC]

Cuts of meat vary in dimensions. Almost every processor in my area VAC seals the individual cuts. Burger is usually in the shape and size of a softball, roasts are just the way you see them in the store as well as steaks. It will take up more space than you think
1600 lb steer on the hoof = approx 800 lbs hanging
1/2 hanging steer= approx 225 lbs of processed beef of which will be approx 75 lbs of burger
Separating the cuts in a freezer to be able to get to what you want will also take room. I recommend a full sized upright freezer. It helps with separation of the different cuts of beef.

 

[chevy_man]

If they leave it totally up to you, that makes it a little more difficult, and requires some education. Look at various ads for commercial 1/2 a d 1/4 beef packages to see what they sell inthe package. It’s usually a list: x round, x porterhouse, x grind, x soup bones, etc.
Or ask the provider what is the usual package.
Bonus: people who do this (sell beef off their ranch) sometimes include a certain amount of pork, as a bonus, and sometimes ever Chicken. Depends on the region and ranch/farm.
When I shoot a hog, I just ask for all of it as grind, so I can make my own sausage, Or like some canneries, a pound for pound trade of whatever types of sausages they have already made up.
In the case of Elk, I usually take the loins and backstraps, and then order out what I want, and x amount of burger. Get about 35% to 50% back, minus bones and scrap. If we butcher the elk ourselves (usually), we keep more scrap to feed the animals (dawgs), give the liver to the parents of our black hunting partner (grandfather LOVES it).
Good luck.

None of that is normal.
If you're buying a beef you get beef.

Really appreciate that-

If nothing else it sounds like you're validating exactly what I'm anticipating. Put another way- I fully expect that a 1/2 cow is going to take up significantly more than half my new freezer (regardless of what the initial internet wisdom would suggest) & knowing that butchers aren't "flash freezing" a high quality vacuum sealer is part of this equation.

It will be more space than you think, but not crazy. Uprights are nice because it's easier to separate and sort stuff on shelves rather than a big pile.

There are certain cuts that you only get 1 or the other. Just need to talk to the butcher and tell them what you want. They'll tell you what is possible.
Also depends on the shop, sometimes it's half by weight and sometimes it's the literal half that you get every scrap from that side.