Here are the standard recommendations for cutting and packaging meats. I will need you to answer some questions. Just cut and paste the questions below and e-mail to me. But first read these recommendations over…
Steaks 3/4 inch thick, 2 to a package. (Steaks can be 1″ but you will get fewer). If you are ordering a quarter only, we will need to match you with someone else who wants the same. Bear in mind that these bulls are only about half the size of industrial beef and that the steak diameter will be less than the industrial standard. “Tenderloin” is from the loin area — the same area that makes the Porterhouse and T-Bone Steaks. If you ask for the tenderloin, you won’t get these steaks. No tenderloin orders in quarter orders, please. It becomes impossible for the butcher to divide the side fairly.
There is one Flank steak per side. This Flank steak can be cut in half for quarter orders but it will be small. If you don’t want Flank steak, it is usually put into hamburger. Ditto for the brisket.
Rib Steaks or Rib Roasts? There are 4 rib roasts per bull (2 to a side). Each roast can be cut into high quality steaks. Again, these roasts will be smaller because the animals are only 1/2 the size of industrial beef, so for quarter orders you need to choose either steaks or a single roast.
Regular Roasts 3 lbs. (Chuck, Arm, Sirloin Tip, Rump, Eye of Round, Bottom Round*. Chuck and Arm can also be prepared as high quality hamburger. Bottom Round can be cut into cube steaks. If you are ordering a quarter only, I will need to match you with someone else who wants the same.)
*Top Round can be cut into steaks or as a roast. I recommend steaks for baby beef which I slice thin and use in stir fry dishes. Gore Custom Meats can slice the tougher Bottom Round and tenderize it as cube steaks. So you can have bottom round as a pot roast or as cube steaks. Here is a good article on cube steaks from The New York Times:
Following are the standard weights that Gore Meats does for their packaging.
Hamburger 1 LB
Stew meat 1 LB
Short Ribs 1.5 to 2 LB
I suggest that those of you ordering “quarters” go with these standard recommendations. We must match you with another quarter order and this is possible only if you cut the same way. A quarter beef is not “geographical” but we divide a side equally two ways so people are not stuck with a front or rear quarter.
With a half or a whole beef this is not a problem. You can custom cut. For more information about beef cuts, go The Cook’s Thesarus
Please respond to these questions. Just cut and paste them into an email ([email protected]) with your answers in CAPS.
Please note that you are charged for all your share of the beef whether or not you take it. If you don’t want any of the organ meat (liver, tongue, or heart) there is usually someone else who will take it so that it isn’t wasted.
1- How do you want your hamburger? Lean/normal? (Our young beefs are less fat than conventional feedyard beef and I would suggest normal.)
2- How thick do you want your regular steaks like T-bone and Sirloin? 3/4″ or 1″?
3- Do you want rib steaks or rib roast?
4- Do you want the eye of Round roast or round steaks? (Round steaks are usually leaner and tougher than Sirloin. However, in these young animals they will be good grilled or cut for Chinese stir-fry. )
5- Do you want Bottom Round Roast or cube steaks?
6- Do you want liver?
7- Do you want tongue?
8- Do you want heart?
9- Do you want kidneys?
10- Do you want meaty bones for soup/stock?
11- Do you want leg bones for your dog — just feed them raw and frozen.
12- Any special requests?