Heather says:

This post is to help those who are intimidated by the process of buying beef in bulk.  If you have strong views about the ethics of beef consumption, this is not the forum for that discussion.  Inflammatory comments will be deleted at our discretion.  Home Ec 101 is a place for both omnivores and vegetarians, where neither choice is esteemed over the other.

Before buying a 1/4 cow or side of beef there are several points to consider.

Are you comfortable preparing or experimenting with different cuts of meat?  As nice as it would be, cows are not walking filet mignon.  There are tougher parts (sirloin tip), there are tender parts (filet), there are  parts  that  aren’t  in  every recipe book (sometimes organ are included).

Do you mind the taste or texture of frozen meat?  Personally, it doesn’t bother me in the least, but some insist on fresh only.

Do you have adequate storage space? It really is a LOT of meat.

Do you eat out often?  If the answer is yes, it may be difficult to consume the quantity of meat in a reasonable length of time.

If you have a small family, consider asking others and divvy up the cost through a joint purchase.  If you take that route, you will need to decide before hand how the cuts will be divided.  Once the meat has been cut it needs to be frozen as soon as possible.

If you still believe a side of beef is the choice for you, first you will need to locate a source.  Word of mouth, LocalHarvest.org, Eat Wild, and your state university’s agriculture extension offices are all great resources for finding high quality meat.

Most sales are based on the hanging weight, this is the weight before it is cut into pieces.  Some bone and some fat is included in this price that will go to waste. Also before determining your final cost ask if there are any additional fees for butchering, cutting, and wrapping.

Call the ranch, farmer, or butcher and ask about how they handle beef orders.

• Do they need to be placed well ahead of time, perhaps only during a specific time of year?
• Where is the animal raised?  If you aren’t squeamish, can you see the animal?
• Where is the animal butchered?
• How long is the meat aged?
• Is it processed on site or at a separate facility? Is the facility licensed?
• Will you as the customer need to be present when the meat is cut and wrapped?
• Will the butcher walk you through your options when choosing cuts?

We have just made our second bulk beef purchase.  Our first was four years ago and it took us a while to work through the meat, but we found our last pound of ground beef as high quality as the first.  Our family is much larger now and over the past few years we have had many conversations along the following lines: remember how nice it was to have our freezer full of beef?  Do you miss red meat as much as I do?

It is possible to buy meat cheaper, but I enjoy knowing where my meat came from and do not mind preparing a wide variety of cuts.  We have been fully satisfied with our investment.  I found our first beef purchase intimidating, but we made a wise choice with our butcher who walked us through the process.  I enjoyed choosing the thickness of our steaks, how much meat would remain in whole form, and how much would end up as hamburger.  Remember, even if you opt for whole cuts of meat in every case possible, there is still a good bit of hamburger in a side of beef.

So Home Eccers, any questions?

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Heather says:

Pot roasting beef is a great way to get a tender dish from a fairly tough cut of meat. Pot roast typically refers to tougher cuts of beef: chuck, rump, or brisket cooked by braising. Braising simply means a wet, slow cook. Slow cookers and Crock-Pots® work well for this type of cooking, but the oven is my favorite method. While this isn’t a meal that can be finished in a hurry, the amount of actual hands on cooking is minimal.

Remember the amounts of each ingredient will vary depending on the size of your roast, the size of your pan, and how much you enjoy vegetables and potatoes. We like our pot roast with rice or over mashed potatoes.

Basic Ingredients:

• beef roast
• oil
• salt
• pepper
• garlic cloves - sliced
• herbs such as - thyme, rosemary, bay leaves (your discretion)
• vegetables - carrots, celery
• water or beef stock

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Ivy says:

Funny, it seems nearly every blogger I read is sick, and I’m no exception. Fortunately, we have fabulous readers who send in fabulous tips from time to time, so I don’t have to do much thinking. Thinking’s a dangerous pastime anyway.  Our readerJimK shares this with us:

I know this is a pretty basic tip, but my wife saw me doing it and
suggested I send it in.  She’s kind of the person this site is
for…she has never learned to do anything “domestic.”  After we got
married, I taught her how to run the washer, I do the cooking, the
housework, etc.  She’s the smart one.  I’m the labor force.  :)

I buy a lot of meat on sale and use my vacuum sealer to store it in
the freezer.  The first part of my tip to anyone reading is if you
don’t have a vacuum sealer, get one.  Mine has saved me many, many
times the cost in bulk savings.

The real tip is about freezing ground beef.  We’ve all seen those
massive 5-7 lb. packages of hamburger on sale, and unless you have a
big family or are planning a block party, you’re gonna need to freeze
it in order to take advantage of the savings.  What you do is, after
the meat is sealed, roll it as flat as you can get it.  Press it into
all corners and try to make it really, really flat.  It freezes
faster, so less damage due to tiny ice crystals, and it thaws faster
as well, so less time growing nasty bacteria on the outside while the
inside stays solid.  And it stacks neatly in the freezer, or slips
into spaces that would normally go unused.  Don’t forget to label it
with weight and the date you bought it.  I glued a magnet to a Sharpie
cap that I keep on the freezer door.  Always date your frozen stuff!

Hope that helps someone!

HouseHusband in CT

That’s a great tip, thanks so much for sharing!

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Heather says:

File this meal under pretty good comfort food. Mr. Heather filed it under “should make again” but he’s from Minnesota and used to consider “hotdish” its own food group. Relax, I’m just teasing to pick on my in-laws. Everyone say hi to Nan and Gramps.

Back to the food, it’s important to remember this dish calls for uncooked rice. If you have cooked rice you are looking to use, be sure to omit the water.

Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet

Ingredients

Directions

Heat a large pot over medium heat, add the ground beef or turkey and cook until no longer pink. Be sure to use your spatula to break up any large chunks.

Drain the fat off.

Add the onion and cook for another two minutes or so.

Stir in the cabbage, rice, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, and seasoning. Add any extras at this time, too.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for 20 - 25 minutes stirring occasionally.

This can be adapted for a Crockpot^TM or slow cooker. After cooking the meat, transfer to the crock, add the remaining ingredients, except for the thyme (add this just before serving), and cook on low for 4 - 6 hours or high for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Since brands of slow cookers vary, you may need to adjust the cooking time. This recipe assumes the setting low is about 200°F and high is about 300°F.

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Heather says:

Beef pepper steak is a great meal that can be prepared in about the same amount of time it takes to make rice. It’s also flexible enough to play with. Use different colored bell peppers for variety and if you’d like, toss in extras like: bean sprouts, snow peas, or mushrooms. This meal goes well with white or brown rice, rice noodles, lo mein, or even riced cauliflower. Varying the extras is a great way to make menu planning easier. Dishes like this are great to put into a rotation of once a month or so without having to hear “Are we having this again?” Lots of vegetables stretch the meat further, without relying on too heavily on starches. I am tagging this recipe as gluten free, but you must read the label of your soy sauce.  Many contain wheat but gluten free varieties are available.

Beef Pepper Steak with Mushrooms Over Rice Noodles

Ingredients:

• 1 lb - 1 1/2lbs round steak (top or bottom) sliced in 1/4″ - 1/2″ strips. Be sure to cut across the grain*.
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 clove garlic - minced
• 1 cup beef broth or stock
• 1 small onion - sliced thinly
• 2 bell peppers (whatever colors you desire)
• 2 tsps cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (low sodium, if you would like)

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; saute the garlic.

Brown the meat on both sides. You don’t need to cook it completely at this point.
Add the onion, bell pepper, and beef broth. Add any extra hearty vegetables at this time. Cover and simmer for ten minutes.

While the meat and vegetables are simmering whisk together the soy sauce, cornstarch and water.

Add any delicate additions, such as mushrooms.

Add the soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil stirring constantly.   Turn the heat to low and stir occasionally until thickened.

Serve over rice or noodles.

Enjoy!

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