How to “Split a Cow” and Save Big with Beef Shares

The best way to break up a cow and estimate the quantity of freezer area essential to correctly retailer a number of grassfed beef shares to affordably refill on the very best quality meat for your loved ones.

The apply of “splitting a cow” in any other case often called shopping for beef shares, has been round for many years.

On this inflationary meals period with sporadic meat shortages, this frugal technique for stocking up on high quality beef is gaining larger recognition than ever!

Freezing pastured milk and cream can be changing into a factor as a result of larger demand mixed with seasonal availability points that usually happen from permitting cows to roam and graze freely year-round.

What’s “Splitting a Cow” and How Do You Do It?

I bought or “break up” my first entire cow from a neighborhood pastured farm with three different associates in 2002.

By every buying 1/4 beef share, we stocked our freezers with sufficient high quality grassfed meat to final 6-12 months.

As a bonus, we received chunks of beef tallow to render at residence, nutrient-dense organ meats, and loads of bones for making selfmade gelatin-rich beef broth.

That is what “shopping for a cow” means. You get every part, not simply the muscle meat.

Coordinating with a Butcher

The draw back to splitting a cow your self or with a number of associates is that it’s important to coordinate with the native butcher to get every part minimize up the way in which you prefer it.

There are a lot of questions which can be essential to have this course of achieved appropriately.

For instance, the butcher will wish to know what number of steaks you need versus roasts, stew chunks, and floor beef. Additionally, you will must determine how thick you need the steaks minimize, and so forth.

For a first-time purchaser, this course of is usually a bit overwhelming. It actually was for me!

Beef Shares Simplifies the Course of

To make issues simpler, native beef farms are actually providing “beef shares”.

That is a better strategy to buy a portion of a complete cow the place every part is already minimize up and correctly wrapped for months-long storage with out freezer burn. The patron merely chooses the dimensions beef share they need.

This could possibly be as small as a 10-pound field all the way in which as much as a half or entire beef share (whole cow).

In the event you don’t have a pastured beef farm close to you, now you can purchase beef shares on-line for added comfort.

Save Massive

Shopping for beef shares particularly from a neighborhood farm close to you the place you decide it up your self, can imply huge financial savings.

Combining this sustainable technique for stocking up with cooking meat in a frugal method could make all of the distinction for tight budgets.

What Measurement Freezer is Required for a Beef Share?

A typical deterrent to potential clients shopping for beef shares is uncertainty about how a lot freezer area is required.

If this has been a priority of yours previously, right here is a simple breakdown of what’s required for every dimension beef share.

• 10 pound and 20 pound beef packing containers will simply slot in an everyday freezer compartment. 
• 1/8 Beef Share may also match within the common freezer compartment of a fridge.
• 1/4 Beef Share would require a freezer capability of three – 4 cubic toes (small chest freezer).
• 1/2 Beef Share would require freezer capability of 6 – 8 cubic toes (small-medium chest freezers).
• Complete beef share (whole cow) requires freezer capability of 12-16 cubic toes (giant chest freezers).

Get Extra Area Very Affordably!

In the event you don’t at the moment have further freezer capability for storage of beef shares, let me counsel a number of suggestions for inexpensive methods to improve.

Used Equipment Shops

Once I bought my 1/4 beef share again in 2002, I went to the native scratch and dent equipment retailer first. I shortly discovered a small chest freezer with 5 cubic toes of capability for $25.

This used chest freezer lasted for 15 years!

Present Residence & Property Gross sales

When this small chest freezer broke, we changed the misplaced freezer area by serving to out a neighbor who purchased a home close by that had an additional fridge within the storage he didn’t need.

We got here and took it away, and voila! We had extra freezer area without spending a dime.

On-line Choices

Whereas used chest freezers or fridges are costlier at present, it’s price a cellphone name to your native used equipment retailer. You may additionally scan Fb Market or Craigslist for freezers which can be on the market.

I received a used office-sized fridge that was in implausible situation for my son’s school dorm room for $50 from Fb Market. The identical mannequin new was $250.

The underside line is that you just don’t have to purchase freezers new to have the ability to retailer your beef shares!

Have you ever ever break up a cow as a extra sustainable and inexpensive means to purchase beef? Please share any suggestions you might need from your personal private expertise!