Buying bulk meat?

[Sooner5030]

A few years ago the wifey and I decided to stop wasting money and one of the ways we were able to save was at the grocery store. We went from averaging $250/week to $150/week. That's a decent chunk over a year. I basically had to give up ribeye & tenderloin for pork shoulder steak and chicken legs/thighs while the wifey had to give up salmon for tilapia or catfish. There were a lot of other areas we had to cut but you get the picture.

I remember my dad used to get together with a friend and buy half a cow. Allegedly, is was cheaper to do this. So I did a little research and found a site on cow-pooling. It claimed that 1/2 cow could costs up to $1500 and feed a family of four for about a year. That's about $30/week on beef which is way more than I spend now........since I no longer buy beef. I would also be interested in pig pooling if that is even available.

Anyway, I would welcome any first hand knowledge as to whether it is a good thing to do economically or if people do it for quality reasons? Also, any pros/cons for wax paper vs plastic?

[pphilfran]

Pig pooling...lol

Nothing of benefit to add...sorry...

[Turd_Ferguson]

Just make sure you know how much of what cut's you're going to get for your money. Last time I bought half a cow was with an uncle. I think he got all the good cut's and I got all the ground and soup bones...

Soup bones, who the **** want's soup bones.

[olevetonahill]

250 a week? How many folk ya feedin?
Hell I barely spend 150 a Month

[olevetonahill]

Just make sure you know how much of what cut's you're going to get for your money. Last time I bought half a cow was with an uncle. I think he got all the good cut's and I got all the ground and soup bones...

Soup bones, who the **** want's soup bones.
A soup kitchen,
Boy ya aint to bright sometimes is ya?

[pphilfran]

Just make sure you know how much of what cut's you're going to get for your money. Last time I bought half a cow was with an uncle. I think he got all the good cut's and I got all the ground and soup bones...

Soup bones, who the **** want's soup bones.

Dogs will do damn near anything for a soup bone

[Sooner5030]

just talked to my dad. I asked him about it and he said that claiming it was cheaper was just a way to justify it to my mom. He said he could get grass finished beef and since there was so much of it would force mom to cook more with beef......but it didn't save us any money.....we just ate better.

I've been looking at some of the farms that do this and it isn't very cheap. I went to http://www.eatwild.com/index.html to find a list of farms by state.

I still may try it early this fall.

Now i just need to find a good deal on a freezer.

[ousoonerfan]

My family and I have done this for almost ten years. We buy half a beef from local ranchers and our total cost averages out to around 2.10 a pound for everything. We get roasts, t-bones, ribeyes, sirloins, porterhouses, brisket and hamburger. It feeds our family of four just right over a year. We choose the thickness of the steaks and get the hamburger in one pound packages. All in all, I don't think I could go back to buying meat any other way. The convienience of having a freezer full of beef is also a big plus.

[badger]

Serious problem to consider:

How often does your area have power outages?

How long till your frozen meat spoils if your freezer suddenly doesn't work :(

I am just thinking about this now because we usually have a power outage that lasts several hours once every summer when everyone in Tulsa turns their a/c on full blast when it gets really, REALLY hot... and then of course, nobody has a/c for several hours. :(

[ousoonerfan]

If you don't open the freezer door, several hours won't hurt anything. It will hardly even begin to thaw. The ice storm of '07 knocked our power out for a week. But my neighbor had power and we used his electricity to keep the freezer going.

[C&CDean]

I put up large amounts of meat every year and I don't really know/care how much I'm saving. It's what I like to eat. Once you start eating your own grass-fed beef and fresh pork you can't hardly stand the store-bought crap. We did half-a-hog last year, and split a calf every year with a neighbor. I also have a freezer full of venison from off the place. We eat very well.

Also, I have a welder/generator for the ice storms. It powers my freezers, fridge in the house, blower on the wood-burning heater/stove, a couple lights, alarm clock, TV, coffee pot, microwave, etc. It does not power my water though. We put up several gallons of water for flushing the toilets and coffee and stuff.

[Position Limit]

I put up large amounts of meat every year and I don't really know/care how much I'm saving. It's what I like to eat. Once you start eating your own grass-fed beef and fresh pork you can't hardly stand the store-bought crap. We did half-a-hog last year, and split a calf every year with a neighbor. I also have a freezer full of venison from off the place. We eat very well.

my wife's family has a ranch. we stay flush in red meat. and over the last few years i too have come to dislike store bought stuff. the onlyest two things i dont like about the homegrown stuff is that the good steak cuts are not thick enough for me. i need that flesh 1.75-2.00 inches thick. also, some of it sits in the freezer way too long. i think it effects the flavor. but that's usually just all the different roasts and what not. not too big of an issue since so much spice and whatnot goes into cooking those portions.

[KantoSooner]

I've got a deal with a local guy who runs some cattle (too small to be called a 'rancher'). He lets them get to around 800 lbs before slaughter and I think our half was about 275 packed (and yes, I keep oddball things like the tongue, liver, heart, tripe, etc., so we get a bit more out of it than most people. (go look up pate compaigne in the Joy of Cooking. pretty awesome stuff for winter time lunches).
Counting all that in, we got the whole deal for about $2.00/lb including the slaughter and butcher fees.

[8timechamps]

Grass fed beef is so much better (tasting) than the store bought stuff.

I have been pooling with two other families for a couple of years, and I it's worked out great. My closest neighbor is a big hunter, so we trade venison, birds, etc. on a semi regular basis. Not sure I would go through my allotment if I didn't trade some away.

If you're looking to do it as a cost saving measure, I'm not sure there's any benefit. If you just want better beef, it's a no brainer.

I buy from a very small farm in Colorado (here's the website: LINK (http://www.barncatservices.com/beef/)), so you can find a supplier close, just do an internet search.

I'm like Dean, I have a generator, so power loss isn't an issue.

[Condescending Sooner]

Grass fed beef is so much better (tasting) than the store bought stuff. I have been pooling with two other families for a couple of years, and I it's worked out great. My closest neighbor is a big hunter, so we trade venison, birds, etc. on a semi regular basis. Not sure I would go through my allotment if I didn't trade some away.

If you're looking to do it as a cost saving measure, I'm not sure there's any benefit. If you just want better beef, it's a no brainer.

I buy from a very small farm in Colorado (here's the website: LINK (http://www.barncatservices.com/beef/)), so you can find a supplier close, just do an internet search.

I'm like Dean, I have a generator, so power loss isn't an issue.

That's your opinion. I think it sucks. (tastes gamey) There is a reason cattle are finished on grain, and it ain't because of cost.

[olevetonahill]

Cost should be a factor.
I went to the local meat market yesterday, Bough 8 12 ounce Rib eyes, 3 lbs of Ground and 6 larged cat fish filets for 80 bucks so 5 er 600 bucks for a freezer full sounds inexpensive to me .
It wouldnt work to well for me tho cause it would stay in the freezer way to long before I could eat it all.

[Mazeppa]

Didn't you guys learn anything from Andy Griffith when Aunt Bee bought all that beef and the freezer broke down? So she got Gomer to come over and try and fix the freezer. What a mess.

[8timechamps]

That's your opinion. I think it sucks. (tastes gamey) There is a reason cattle are finished on grain, and it ain't because of cost.

I apologize if you confused my opinion with yours. However, you are still wrong. It tastes MUCH better than the **** at the local Wal-Mart.

[C&CDean]

I have to admit I prefer the flavor of grain-finished beef over grass. I put my cattle on grass until about a month or so before slaughter. Then, they get grass/hay/feed/grain to their hearts' content. And they're in a pen to keep them from getting too much exercise. Works for me.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

I know what meat you prefer the flavor of..

[C&CDean]

Go on...

[olevetonahill]

Go on...
I think he been watchin My Vid I posted,

[SanJoaquinSooner]

I guess I'm moving in the opposite direction. Lately, I've been stopping at a Mexican market and buying exactly the amount I want for a particular meal or dish. At my supermarkets, you often have to buy the giant, economy pak to get the lower price per pound. But at the Mexican market - if I want only 3 chicken legs, then the butcher gives me 3 legs at a good price per pound.

Yesterday, I wanted to make Red Chile Beef Soup w/ Vegetables (aka Mole de Olla, Caldo de Res). I think hind shank is the best beef for soup, so I got two large meaty slices at $2/lb - much better than supermarket shank. You gotta cook em like a mother****er to get them tender - at least 3 hours - but then they become super fall-apart-tender and favorful, with just the right soup texture. I used ancho chilies, tomatoes, onion, garlic, carrots, corn on the cob, green beans, and a small amount of cabbage. Needs lots of salt. Sometimes I add cayote and/or zucchini, but not yesterday.





Looked kinda like this:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oo4xQ1TrPII/TpIjijuXOzI/AAAAAAAAIII/XHsN3V-1POI/s1600/Mole+de+Olla+3.jpg

[olevetonahill]

So now ya got the illegals rustlin cattle and sellin it fer ya
Yer a dirty bird .:D

[SanJoaquinSooner]

So now ya got the illegals rustlin cattle and sellin it fer ya
Yer a dirty bird .:D

Funny, my brother-in-law who lives in Michoacan, got hired as a deputy because the town he lives in (Ojo de Agua de Senora) has had cattle rustling problems lately. Someone from another town been loading up a truck with cattle in the middle of the night. He patrols on horseback at night.

[MamaMia]

Looked kinda like this:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oo4xQ1TrPII/TpIjijuXOzI/AAAAAAAAIII/XHsN3V-1POI/s1600/Mole+de+Olla+3.jpg How does one eat the corn off the cobb in a stew dish?

[SanJoaquinSooner]

How does one eat the corn off the cobb in a stew dish?

Typically, one eats everything else in the bowl and then picks up the corn with a hand and eats if off the mini-cob, grasped by thumb at one end and middle finger at the other, using the index finger to rotate the cylindrical cob about its axis.

Alternatively, one can cut the kernals off the cob and cook it that way. But I find the mini-cob is the piece most desired by those serving themselves. Plus, it's more visually appealing.

[Petro-Sooner]

Looks damn good!

[olevetonahill]

I guess I'm moving in the opposite direction. Lately, I've been stopping at a Mexican market and buying exactly the amount I want for a particular meal or dish. At my supermarkets, you often have to buy the giant, economy pak to get the lower price per pound. But at the Mexican market - if I want only 3 chicken legs, then the butcher gives me 3 legs at a good price per pound.

Yesterday, I wanted to make Red Chile Beef Soup w/ Vegetables (aka Mole de Olla, Caldo de Res). I think hind shank is the best beef for soup, so I got two large meaty slices at $2/lb - much better than supermarket shank. You gotta cook em like a mother****er to get them tender - at least 3 hours - but then they become super fall-apart-tender and favorful, with just the right soup texture. I used ancho chilies, tomatoes, onion, garlic, carrots, corn on the cob, green beans, and a small amount of cabbage. Needs lots of salt. Sometimes I add cayote and/or zucchini, but not yesterday.





Looked kinda like this:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oo4xQ1TrPII/TpIjijuXOzI/AAAAAAAAIII/XHsN3V-1POI/s1600/Mole+de+Olla+3.jpg

Wheres the Corn Bread ?

[SanJoaquinSooner]

Wheres the Corn Bread ?

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af80/sanjoaquinsooner/Picture179.jpg

[olevetonahill]

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af80/sanjoaquinsooner/Picture179.jpg

Corn bread tortillas ? sounds gross

[MamaMia]

Wheres the Corn Bread ?Its on a makeshift crane above the table. One merely has to grasp the wooden handle with their right hand , engage the chain in a pulling motion with ones left hand to lower it down to the table, at which time a knife and sharpener is delivered by the aproned maiden in waiting.

[olevetonahill]

Its on a makeshift crane above the table. One merely has to grasp the wooden handle with their right hand , engage the chain in a pulling motion with ones left hand to lower it down to the table, at which time a knife and sharpener is delivered by the aproned maiden in waiting.

Mom, Ifen I got a Maiden waitin, I aint gonna be eatin no Corn bread :D

[C&CDean]

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af80/sanjoaquinsooner/Picture179.jpg

The last time I was down in Baja Sur we stopped at a little shack somewhere between Cabo and LaPaz. An old lady was making tortillas on a deal kinda like this. She had cinder blocks, and for her cook top was a big saw blade from a saw mill. There were chickens, and a few hogs running wild in the street. I got a couple mystery meat burritos con frijoles. They were the bombdiggity. She charged me $1 a piece. I gave her a $20 and she was kissing my hand crying. It was probably my best meal there other than the fresh camarones, albondigas, and the turtle soup.