Ever given purchasing half a cow some thought? Do you worry about maybe having too much meat? Maybe you’re wondering about how much is half cow, or you do not know enough about buying half a cow to finally make the leap.
That is common. The first time we did, we were also nervous. Imagine, then, if the flesh tasted bad. Or what if we couldn’t eat it all before it went bad? There were numerous things that might go wrong.
This is why the outcome we got when we bought our half cow from Simpson Farms surprised us favorably.
Why Buy Directly from Farmers?
Let us first discuss why, when you buy fresh beef, you should always buy straight from farms. Farmers that sell meat from their cows to consumers want to always present good meat. Ultimately, nobody is going to go back to buy more if the quality is lacking.
Farmers can also respond to any queries you have throughout the full purchasing process—half or whole cow. They can inform you just the kind of beef you will be acquiring, apart from the quantities. Should you like your meat split or wrapped in a particular manner, they may even assist you.
You might even get beef bundles created for you. If their regular offering is 20-pound beef packs, you might even find they are ready to break down 20-pound meat cartons for you.
How Much Is Half Cow?
Where you live, and the farmer will determine the cost of a half cow. Usually, half of a cow costs between $1700 to $2,400, including transportation costs. That comes to almost $10 a pound.
How Much Meat is Half Cow
Purchasing half a cow requires much thought; I have seen “half a cow” with 140 lbs of beef and another farm with “half a cow” but with 200 lbs of beef for practically the same price. The first number I consider while deciding what to buy is this one.
Buy Half a Cow
There are two significant figures to focus on:
- How many pounds overall are you getting?
- Ground beef accounts for what number of the overall pounds?
The second figure to consider is how much ground beef you are getting after noting your overall meat weight.
This tends to vary greatly; I’ve been 70lbs of ground beef (that’s 70x 1lb packages at the grocery store, typically between $6 and $8 each), up to 120lbs of ground beef.
Recall that you are buying fresh meat. And really, it’s a bargain when you consider the costs you would spend for the same quantity of meat from a supermarket.
From your half of a cow, you are ultimately obtaining between 200 and 300 pounds of beef. That comes to roughly $10 per pound including shipping, vacuum seal, packaging, and slaughtering costs.
To be honest, half of a cow is the best bargain available for beef. Possibly with a whole cow, though!
Half a Cow Butchered
You have to understand you won’t be getting the meat in an hour or two when you decide to purchase half a cow. One has to go by a procedure.
First, the cow has to be butchered. Butchering a cow involves cutting all the various varieties of meat. Certain beef will need to be ground up, and all the meat will also need to be wrapped suitably.
Half a Cow Cuts of Meat
Half a cow cuts vary slightly. Here are the cuts of beef contained in our recent shipment from Simpsons Meats to help you estimate what you could expect to get when you purchase half a cow.
Sample Shipment We Received:
Total meat: 200lbs
Total cost: $2100
Price per pound: $10.50
- Ground beef – 120 pounds in 1-pound packages
- Filet mignon – 6 – 8 ounce steaks
- New York strips – 8 – 12 ounce steaks
- Ribeye – 10 – 12 ounce steaks
- Flank steak – 1 pound
- Skirt steak – 4 pounds
- Stew meat packs – 8 pounds
- Flat iron – 1 pound
- Tri-tip – 2 pounds
- Sirloin steaks – 6 – 8 ounces steaks
- Coulotte – 2 pounds
- Round roasts – 25 pounds
- Chuck roasts – 8 pounds
- Bone-in short ribs – 4 pounds
- Brisket – 8 pounds
Learning how to trim and cut brisket in half, smother it with seasonings, and slow-cook it made us quite happy!
Related Article: If you’re wondering what to do with the leftover fat and pieces after trimming your brisket, check out our article on What to Do With Brisket Trimmings for creative ways to make the most of those flavorful scraps.
If you keep track, the following list shows 200 pounds of beef! Yes, when it initially arrived, my first action was counting and adding them. It was spot on; I really was amazed! Certain farms will let you request bones and offals free of charge or at a small fee.
3 Things to Think About When Buying Half a Cow
- You have to be prepared for “weird” cuts you are not familiar with (we grilled brisket for the first time!).
- it won’t fit in your standard kitchen fridge. An extra freezer will be needed.
- You have six months to one year to eat them all for the best freshness.
About the “weird” cuts, this might not be the greatest fit for you if you’re not a good cook or if you’re not eager to consume lots of slow cooked meats and roasts.
Cooking the ground beef and steaks was simple, but when all of that is gone, you are left with loads of stew meat, a huge piece of brisket, a big hunk of eye-round steak, a huge round roast and some chuck roasts.
These cuts are enormous chunks, so it’s only fitting to cook them for parties; they also call for extensive cooking times in the oven, the smoker, or the slow cooker.
It was difficult for a family of four to find chances to prepare the roasts, the brisket, or the coulette; the youngsters grumbled about having to eat beef stew. Purchasing half a cow is only “cheap” per pound unless you eat all of it!
How Much Freezer Space for Half a Cow
You should have a minimum 7 cubic foot freezer. I would want a somewhat bigger one if you could find one. Being a chest freezer, it was difficult to reach and quickly take what you needed; all the meats just sort of piled on one another.
If you don’t mind the cost, I would most definitely choose an upright freezer for simpler access. It worked since I have an extra stand-up freezer in my basement. A 7 cu ft freezer is a decent freezer if you are willing to go through it to find stuff.
The general math is as follows: For every thirty pounds of beef you purchase, you need one cubic foot of freezer space.
You may want more space so it’s not as cramped, and you can arrange items more easily. As I mentioned, my 7.0 cu. ft. fits 200 lbs of meat somewhat tightly.
Shelf-Life of Frozen Half of Cow
Purchasing half a cow will yield meat that lasts one year in the freezer—only in vacuum-sealed form, though. If the frozen beef is shrink-wrapped or just covered in paper, it will not last as long before developing freezer burn.
Before you buy any beef, find out how much your household consumes. You want none of the fresh beef wasted. Should you not believe you will use it all, think about a beef share among friends or relatives. Another gift you may offer is your beef!
How Long Does Half a Cow Last for a Family of 4
For us, there are four people: two adults and two developing teenage lads. Each member of our family enjoys beef. These 200 lbs of beef last just about six months, largely dinners, as I don’t cook lunch very often (the kids apparently prefer school lunch).
Why Simpson’s Farms is Our Choice
Alright, so above, we said that we bought half a cow from Simpson’s Farms. We did some research before deciding on Simpson’s Farms. We sought grass-fed and grass-finished meat. Although Simpson’s Farms was the least expensive, it maintained quality without compromising any aspect.
Oh, but let us clarify what grass-fed and grass-finished beef is if you don’t know what it is. Grass-fed cattle begin their life eating on grass. Then, their diets are supplemented with grains. For their whole lives, grass-finished cattle only consume grass and forage.
For us, this was crucial as grain diets have certain drawbacks. Grain occasionally includes beef tallow, protein supplements, and byproducts. The grain lets the animals pick on weight fast. Still, it lets cows absorb hormones as well. We didn’t want any of that.
Bones and Organs
We decided to pick the bones from our half cow. We knew we would make loads of bone broth from them. We freeze them in paper cups in 1-cup portions. Having beef stock right at hand for any dish calling for it was great.
We eat beef liver and beef hearts, etc. for health advantages. Though not very good tasting, we do it for health considerations.
Our Recommendation
First of all, we would like to report that we got our meat four months ago. It is just as scarlet and lovely as it was on the day we got it!
Regarding whether or not you should do it, do it only if you are prepared to:
- Get another freezer.
- Eat ground beef, lot upon lot.
- Not mind preparing a lot of roasts, slow cooked meats, bbq meats, and smoked cuts of beef you have never cooked before, such as coulette, brisket, eye round, round roast, etc. Meat-smoking is easy to learn and produces fantastic results.
Should you not know anything about cow cuts and their origins, make sure to check out our other guide to beef cuts. Now is a great time to play about with cow cuts!