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During COVID, because of costs, we drastically cut down on our beef consumption. Historically, we have bought 1/2 cows but haven't in some time. I hadn't even
by debacle 3y ago
During COVID, because of costs, we drastically cut down on our beef consumption.
Historically, we have bought 1/2 cows but haven't in some time. I hadn't even looked into it because I assumed the costs would be very high.
Local to me, it's actually the same exact price to buy a 1/2 cow as it was ~5 years ago, including butchering/packing fees.
- alistairSH 3y agoHow long does it take you to consume a half cow? I can't fathom buying that much beef at one time. Aside from storage, it would take us years to eat it all, even if we switched all our animal protein consumption to beef.
- bumbledraven 3y agoHow long it takes a group of people to eat an amount of food depends heavily on the number of people in the group.
- sdwr 3y agoMy friend's family did this when they had growing boys. They might have split w another family, down to 1/4 of a cow, and it still took them the better part of a year to get through it.
- Scoundreller 3y agoDeep freezers don’t cost that much to operate, and in cooler climates, cost even less to run in a detached/attached garage. But yeah, you need the space. I think it’s usually a bigger family that goes in on it and spreads it out across their kids/nephews/nieces, etc. I know I’m happy that someone coordinates it and just asks how much I want and here’s the price. Most of the cow becomes ground beef.
- eric-hu 3y agoIs a deep freezer the same as a chest freezer?
- debacle 3y agoWe split it among 3 families and it lasts ~6 months or longer.
- ttcbj 3y agoMy in-laws did this (think they got 1/4), but they ended up with a bunch of cuts they weren't used to/didn't like and ended up throwing away a significant amount.
- ceejayoz 3y agoYeah, I think a lot of first-time buyers forget how few of the premium cuts are on one cow. With a 1/4 purchase you're gonna get half a tenderloin roast, half a rib roast, etc.
- bluedino 3y agoOur family of 4/5 would buy a half cow every year
- balderdash 3y agoI think half a cow is like ~250lbs of beef, so with an 8oz serving sizer per person that’s 125 meals for a family of four so maybe a year eating beef every third dinner?
- barbazoo 3y agoImperial is fun!
- 2ICofafireteam 3y agoForm a small, informal coop with friends and family. My grandparents were part of what they called the meat circle. It was a bunch of farmers that took turns slaughtering a cow of their own to share with the group so they didn't have too much meat to deal with at home.
- kevviiinn 3y agoHow much did/does a half cow cost you?
- bombcar 3y agoIt can vary wildly depending on numerous factors, but you can get a 1/4 cow online right now for $900, if you find a local supplier it can be less. I see prices of $5 a pound + $60 butchering fee. Note that you get all the various types of meat, not just one type.
- Scoundreller 3y agoBut, from what I see, at least half is ground beef.
- JoeAltmaier 3y agoThat's maybe typical of a butcher? After the 'named' cuts are taken, there's plenty of meat left close to the bone. Trim that off, grind it up, maybe it's 1/3 to 1/2 of the total.
- bombcar 3y agoYeah, ground beef and sausages often play a significant role, and I'm not really sure I'd recommend it to most people unless they have other reasons to do it. It's not some top-secret method to save big money.
- debacle 3y agoAbout 4.50 a pound packed.
- porkbeer 3y agoI've been buying whole and half cows for years. It allows me to know the origin of my food, and get to knkw the ranchers and their ethics. Being cheap is almost secondary.