More than just buying steaks

Big Green Eggs & Huffman

My wife sent me to the local grocery store to buy some steaks for dinner that were having with another couple.  I go, can't find any steaks other than maybe 1 inch at the most.  I then realized a couple of miles away is a butcher shop.  I go, find unbelievable 1 1/2 - 2 inch porterhouse's.  As the butcher is wrapping the steaks, above the counter is prices on whole and 1/2 cows, after talking to the butcher and crunching some numbers I leave.  Get home, put the steaks on the counter, my wife goes in the bag pulls out the receipt and see's my steaks cost around $700.  She's like, is this some kind of mistake.  I go no, I just bought 1/2 a cow.  She was mad a first, but those steaks were awesome.  I told here how much were going to save buying in bulk.  Plus when I get it home from the butcher, I'll vacuum seal thee 1/2 a cow, with the Food Saver I bought a couple of moths ago.  I should be able to pick up the cow in a couple of weeks.  By that time I should have in the extra supplies of vacuum seal bags in.

MeAndTheDog

It seems pricy up front, but no more "runs to the store" for 1 more lb. of hamburger. Well worth it!

boatbum

Did you mean 1/2 a cow - a side of beef - or 1/2 of a side.

Thats a fair amount of meat.

Big Green Eggs & Huffman

Yeah, Half of a cow.  Should be around 350 lbs. of meat.  Made sure the butcher didn't waste some of the best smoking meat, so I got the Prime Rib, Brisket and Top Sirloin whole.  Well actually the brisket will be half the size, but anyway it should be good.

IrishDevl

Be sure to also get the beef shoulder, for some pulled beef.

stike

next time get half a steer.  cows are good for milk but not eating...
heh heh he

just joshing.
i have been flirting with the idea myself. bought a freezer for that purpose, and promptly filled it with NOT a half a side of beef.

if you can fill out a cut sheet, try to limit how much ground beef you get.  they tend to assume most people don't want brisket, hanger, etc. and you end up with a LOT of ground beef.  would be great if you broke down some of the primals yourself.  look for a book called "good meat".  it has pics re: breaking down the whole shoulder, or loin, for example.  that way you control what you want.

nothing worse than the butcher assuming you want steaks 3/4 of an inch thick and ruining your whole rib eye.