Buying Bulk Meat/Whole Animals

the thread on steaks got me thinking to something ive been thinking of doing for a while now – Buying a whole pig and or half a cow. Was wondering if people had some good recommendations on places as well as anything else I should know when researching where to purchase. I would prefer organic meat and locally sourced but I also know I don’t care for the flavor of grass fed beef. My wifes family has a cabin near peirz and ive really enjoyed theilen meats. Ive looked at their bulk prices and they seem reasonable but I have yet to call and talk to the butcher about specifics. Thought I would start a thread looking for other suggestions/advice. Thanks in advance

Following this as well, I live in the NE metro and am hoping to find a place to buy 1/4 to 1/2 cow and a full hog

I think using a locker or certified butcher with their own slaughter facility is not a whole lot less than a store but the quality can be way better as you can work with the meat handler regarding hang time and fat percentages in the ground products. You can also specify how thick you want , say, steaks or chops and how many per package. As mentioned the cured products like bacon and hams tend to be far better in quality.

You still need to do some leg work and ask a lot of questions to find a trusted facility. Theilen’s has had some positive mention so that may well be your best place to start. Be sure to ask WHERE the carcass will come from….local animals going to a local slaughter shop tend to be of higher quality since that shop will rely on positive customers who also will tend to be local. And watch the market on beef and/or hog prices to help keep the costs down.

I have a friend who is a pork producer and if I want a pig I just go to him, pick one out and do it all myself. Not everyone is going to be comfortable with that task but I save a lot of money that way. A friend and I did a whole beef steer once but that was way more work than I wanted.

I’ve bought whole hogs from Thielen’s for hog roasts and they were very easy to work with and the best price from what I found. There’s a lot of Farmer’s that you can contact, and they usually have a meat market they work with for the processing, so it’s 6 to one, half dozen to the other on contacting a meat market vs directly to the farmer. I have a college buddy that runs an organic hog farm out west that does periodic delivery to the cities, might be worth contacting them to see if you can line something up http://www.prairiepointfarmmn.com

we dont use pork fast enough to get a whole hog. we are getting a 1/2 this fall. as far as beef, depends on what you use more of. if you use a lot of burger, get a front 1/4, want more and the better steaks get the hing 1/4. the best deal is getting a 1/2. but it hurts the bank account.

i like my red meat, so the organic thing doesnt trip my trigger and it is more spendy, and i’m not fussy.

i grew up with plantenbergs in richmond mn as my go to butcher shop. i’ve tried others but keep going back. and if you feed the birds tell them you want the tallow.

I go directly to the farmer and let him know. He will then put my name on a quarter when he brings the animal in. I pay the farmer for the cow and the butcher for the processing.
DT

Make sure the butcher shop you bring it to does it in house. Some will ship it out and you don’t know whose cow/pig you get. Pay the farmer for the cow and butcher for the processing. Also if you get a pig, have them make you cottage bacon. (It’s like ham and bacon pressed together.)

cottage bacon sounds interesting. question how do you arrange for paying the farmer and for paying the butcher? do you find a farm you want to buy from and pay the farmer and then go pick up the pig and deliver it to the butcher? sorry im sure I sound super naïve but I am totally unfamiliar with this process.

When I’ve bought whole hogs, I paid the butcher and left payment for the farmer there. The past cows I’ve bought, I delivered a check to the farmers home after picking up the meat from the butcher. It really depends on what agreement the farmer has with the locker and you.

We’ve had great beef quarters and some that were run through a bandsaw: many packages were unrecognizable compared to retail grocery/butcher cuts. I’d make sure to chat with the butcher and agree on how you want your meat cut.

Pete

I’ve been looking for options for beef, interested to hear other opinions.

I’ve been getting a pig each year from a friend who’s a hobby farmer. He takes orders from his friends every spring. When they’re ready, he adds up the feed cost and splits it among the pigs and that’s what we pay, not a penny more. For me, the processing with ham and bacon is usually about double the cost of the pig. No hormones or other garbage involved. It may be tough but who knows, you may have a family member who knows a hobby farmer who does the same.

We have been trying to get pork at the farmers market about once a month. I don’t know this a certain, but it seems if you can find vacuum packed UNFROZEN it is a huge difference in taste and texture that you might not get when buying once a year. As for price that can be all over the place, but I have found a few that have prices significantly better than the store.

not sure if you guys recognize the name reinhard from other places, but he’s a retired butcher. he also has a site called sausage heaven that has alot of different reciepes.

anyway he claims your better off, get cheaper deals on meat if you watch meat market sale ads. i’m not sure one way or the other but i much prefer just going to the freezer and grabbing what i want!!!!!

trophy19 wrote:

We’ve had great beef quarters and some that were run through a bandsaw: many packages were unrecognizable compared to retail grocery/butcher cuts. I’d make sure to chat with the butcher and agree on how you want your meat cut.

Pete

All replies have been very good but this is a must or you might end up with a lot of burger/sausage along with pieces that are difficult to cook properly.

There may also be some offal available if you ask (tongue, heart, head, caul fat, etc.) and that stuff is not only very tasty but really fun to cook with. Good luck with what you decide.

When buying half a beef or a whole pig and having it butchered one thing to keep in mind that you are charged by the total hanging weight of the animal, not the finished in the freezer cuts. Plus there are additional charges for packaging. It is cheaper to go to a market like theilens in pierz (my favorite) and order what you want….pounds of burger, steaks, roasts etc….

For example….It is cheaper to purchase the entire Chuck roll and have it cut into the size roasts you would like that buying a quarter beef and and getting more burger and such that you may or may not want and only a limited amount of another cut you absolutely love. Plus they package at no charge and you are not paying for bone and fat that eventually is trimmed off when making the cuts….

Just food for thought.

deertracker wrote:

I go directly to the farmer and let him know. He will then put my name on a quarter when he brings the animal in. I pay the farmer for the cow and the butcher for the processing.
DT

. Ditto , go talk to someone who raises beef and buy directly from them . That way you know what your getting and supporting local farmers . When they take them in you work with the butcher and get the cuts you want .

I’m not trying to derail or create a battle here.

Do any of you distinguish between a breed flavor?

Like Black Angus, Charolais, Hereford, Simmental, Red Angus, Texas Longhorn, Gelbvieh, Holstein, Limousin, Elsie The and Highlands beef breeds.

Then for hogs, Yorkshire, Berkshire, Tamworth, Chester White, Large Black, Duroc, Hampshire, Hereford, Landrace, Porkey The and lastly the Spotted pig.

I buy a 1/4 beef every year from a friend who raises them. He raises black angus and Holstein , both on the same feeding program . I buy the Holstein , cheaper than black angus , and have never been disappointed . I can’t taste any difference . I think how they’re raised and what they’re fed has everything to do with the final product .

Travis wrote:

When buying half a beef or a whole pig and having it butchered one thing to keep in mind that you are charged by the total hanging weight of the animal, not the finished in the freezer cuts. Plus there are additional charges for packaging. It is cheaper to go to a market like theilens in pierz (my favorite) and order what you want….pounds of burger, steaks, roasts etc….

For example….It is cheaper to purchase the entire Chuck roll and have it cut into the size roasts you would like that buying a quarter beef and and getting more burger and such that you may or may not want and only a limited amount of another cut you absolutely love. Plus they package at no charge and you are not paying for bone and fat that eventually is trimmed off when making the cuts….

Just food for thought.

not sure if i totally agree with the not paying for bone and fat. like everything else i’d bet somehow its part of the total costs!!!

We recently purchased a 1/2 cow for the first time and had no idea what we were doing. Local farmer at church indicated he had a cow for sale at the local butcher. It was an interesting ordeal. We received a variety of cuts and ground. What does everyone get for prices on a 1/2 cow?

I’m still confused if we paid the butcher directly who had purchased it from the farmer or if the butcher gave the farmer his cut after the transaction? Not sure I’d do it again, I usually have enough venison to last the year, the in-laws wanted us to split 1/2 cow with them.

I pay the farmer an agreed on price for the hanging weight of the beef , which is set by market price I’m sure ,and the butcher for processing , working with him to get the cuts I want , packaged in the amount of steaks per package , lbs of hamburger per package etc . Yes, the hanging weight includes bone and waste , but the price reflects that . If you do the math in the end and compare it to store bought steaks , I feel it’s a good deal , plus my money is staying local .

I must not eat much beef, but even a 1/4 would last our family for a looooooooooong time.

family of 5 here. we get 1/2 a hog and 1/4 cow and we go through it all in about a year.

what we like is that we get all the cuts the way we want them. comes out to about 2/3 what you’d pay for all that from the grocery store.

Just make sure you get the right amount. we have friends who keep buying freezers to hold all the meat they get every year.

On the beef, ask the butcher for hanging time. I would recommend 2 weeks. More flavor and tender. Also fresh pork is better than frozen. Raised and live on a farm and use to get own animals butchered. Wife would rather buy the cuts she needs now at Fareway.