A butcher's breakdown of a 400 lb side of beef-where it all comes from-worth a look

lousubcap

It is quite long but you can scroll to find a segment you have an interest in appreciating the origin of the cut(s).

The below linked youtube from The Bearded Butchers does a great job of breaking down at 400 lb side of beef into all the cuts we consume:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qReSsWr7Gw

The knives are scary sharp and the skills are off the chart. 

RRP

Thank you for sharing! I used to buy 1/4 of a side from a local packing house, and then we bought a larger freezer. Then - and THIS is NO LIE...we bought a half and my b-i-l bought the other half...At that age his sons and daughters would eat nothing but ground beef. So...YUP...he had their full half ground into burgers...

HeavyG

I think I have posted a link to this video a few years ago but in any case some might also find it interesting to see how a freshly killed head of cattle is gotten to the stage that it is in when butchers like the Bearded Butchers receive it.

This is from a New Zealand "mobile butcher" who comes to your farm and processes the animal for you. Very impressive how quickly and smoothly he goes about the task.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8TBvkcSeFk

xfire_ATX

RRP said:

Thank you for sharing! I used to buy 1/4 of a side from a local packing house, and then we bought a larger freezer. Then - and THIS is NO LIE...we bought a half and my b-i-l bought the other half...At that age his sons and daughters would eat nothing but ground beef. So...YUP...he had their full half ground into burgers...

My Dad for years had one cow on his Ranchette... After parting out the first year he made the decision to turn 100% of the cow into..

Hamburger One, Hamburger Two, etc.   He named them Hamburger so the grandkids all knew what the plan was.

rekameohs

lousubcap said:

The below linked youtube from The Bearded Butchers does a great job of breaking down at 400 lb side of beef into all the cuts we consume:

One of the cooking shows (Top Chef?) had a 'carne' episode, where the contestants were given a cow (or at least a full half).   Each contestant used a different part, to make a dish highlighting that component.

It was pitiful to see how much of the cow they wasted vs what ended up on the plate.  A couple had a few very. very small bites.  The judges even noted how poorly they had utilized what they were given.

lkapigian

Definitely the butchers keep the good cuts , people are used to seeing only a few cuts in the store , they think that all there is in cattle 

Teefus

I've learned quite a bit watching the Bearded Butchers channel on YouTube. We're able to get some of the "non mainstream" cuts around here from the butchers in Amish country.

Teefus

xfire_ATX said:

RRP said:

Thank you for sharing! I used to buy 1/4 of a side from a local packing house, and then we bought a larger freezer. Then - and THIS is NO LIE...we bought a half and my b-i-l bought the other half...At that age his sons and daughters would eat nothing but ground beef. So...YUP...he had their full half ground into burgers...

My Dad for years had one cow on his Ranchette... After parting out the first year he made the decision to turn 100% of the cow into..

Hamburger One, Hamburger Two, etc.   He named them Hamburger so the grandkids all knew what the plan was.

We used to get feeder calves from a local guy that would cross Herford or Charolais bulls with Holstein milk cows. We'd raise them up and use them for freezer beef.

When the cow was all used up he'd convert the whole thing into hamburger. It was some of the best 'burger you'd ever eaten.

lkapigian

There are quite a few Homestead Butchery Classes around the Country, even if you don’t Homestead ( I don’t ) they are excellent for learning The Harvest.