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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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), 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
