Buying organic meats direct from farm

[Paulie Walnuts 440]

Ive recently been buying 100% grass fed organic. Beef from a few nice farms in PA. Founds some nice people and great tasting meat but with a price tag. I got a cut of spare ribs but not full rack like broke into two sections and freezer packed. Is this a common practice or should I be more specific with the farmer before hand ? Trying to eat healthier and support local farming with no chemicals...

 

[tallbm]

Ive recently been buying 100% grass fed organic. Beef from a few nice farms in PA. Founds some nice people and great tasting meat but with a price tag. I got a cut of spare ribs but not full rack like broke into two sections and freezer packed. Is this a common practice or should I be more specific with the farmer before hand ? Trying to eat healthier and support local farming with no chemicals...

Hi there and welcome!
I have not ordered an animal like you mention but this topic has been brought up recently. The input was to use a "cut sheet" if they didnt provided one. Also to not be afraid to get all the explanation you need and ask for what you want as this is what they do for a living :)

I'm sure someone will chime in with more info.

 

[daveomak]

You need to be specific with the folks that cut and wrap the meat... With the guy that does the slaughtering also... You want the tongue, heart, ox-tail, liver, etc....
How thick to cut the steaks, chops.... Size of the roasts...
It's like ordering a new car... what options you want...

 

[forktender]

Ive recently been buying 100% grass fed organic. Beef from a few nice farms in PA. Founds some nice people and great tasting meat but with a price tag. I got a cut of spare ribs but not full rack like broke into two sections and freezer packed. Is this a common practice or should I be more specific with the farmer before hand ? Trying to eat healthier and support local farming with no chemicals...

"Forget'ah About It"

I just had homegrown grass fed, grain finished burgers last night for supper. A friend of mine kills up to three beef's a year and does his own butchering after aging them in the cooling room for 30 days.
Damn that stuff is amazing, the burgers taste nothing like the crap most of us buy from Costco, Sam's or Walmart and the steaks are to die for. But you sure as heck won't be saving any money if that is a driving force besides better tasting/ healthier meat.

Good luck.
Dan

 

[forktender]

You need to be specific with the folks that cut and wrap the meat... With the guy that does the slaughtering also... You want the tongue, heart, ox-tail, liver, etc....
How thick to cut the steaks, chops.... Size of the roasts...
It's like ordering a new car... what options you want...

And do not overlook a nice big grind pile, the burger is flatout amazing if the beef is any good to start with.
Dan

 

[SmokinEdge]

Ive recently been buying 100% grass fed organic. Beef from a few nice farms in PA. Founds some nice people and great tasting meat but with a price tag. I got a cut of spare ribs but not full rack like broke into two sections and freezer packed. Is this a common practice or should I be more specific with the farmer before hand ? Trying to eat healthier and support local farming with no chemicals...

Buying meat by the piece is the most expensive way to buy. You might consider buying a 1/4, 1/2, or whole beef Depending on your budget and freezer space. This is the most economical way to buy plus you can have it cut like you like or want it.

 

[Paulie Walnuts 440]

Thank you for the feedback. I ordered a 1/4 of black Angus and they did give me an order form for what size cuts etc. I'm trying to develop a relationship with a couple of these farmers and the grass fed 100% organic beef is a world of its own. I learned to carry cash when I head to the farms because i passed a house that had perfectly cut splits of oak wood for sale. Thanks again guys

 

[zwiller]

I'm trying to develop a relationship with a couple of these farmers.

Planning on doing myself but still researching and believe the relationship is the real key (also cash) The guy raising I am talking to seems to think buying 1/2 is the way to go and if you do that the cutter will pretty much do whatever you want. My goal is to learn as much as I can about the yield of cuts and simplify the cut list so it is easier on the cutter. That said, he indicated most people get like 50% or more ground beef so my order might actually be more work. Not sure if I have the freezer space so that is another factor. I might buy half but go 50/50 with parents.

 

[Paulie Walnuts 440]

Planning on doing myself but still researching and believe the relationship is the real key (also cash) The guy raising I am talking to seems to think buying 1/2 is the way to go and if you do that the cutter will pretty much do whatever you want. My goal is to learn as much as I can about the yield of cuts and simplify the cut list so it is easier on the cutter. That said, he indicated most people get like 50% or more ground beef so my order might actually be more work. Not sure if I have the freezer space so that is another factor. I might buy half but go 50/50 with parents.

Ya I have heard some others mention that about buying 1/2's. Im buying my first 1/4 from a farmer who has 100% grass fed black Angus . I also discovered another farm here in South East PA where it's Texas long horn as well as Scottish highlander that they raise 100% grass fed. The scottish highlander ground beef was phenomenal haha.

 

[zwiller]

I need to ask my guy what genetics but I know he is a 5th generation cattle farmer. My guy says he is normally only a few weeks out but is months now. The farm is close enough that I might find out which calf is mine and feed him some beer and massage him now and then

 

[tallbm]

Planning on doing myself but still researching and believe the relationship is the real key (also cash) The guy raising I am talking to seems to think buying 1/2 is the way to go and if you do that the cutter will pretty much do whatever you want. My goal is to learn as much as I can about the yield of cuts and simplify the cut list so it is easier on the cutter. That said, he indicated most people get like 50% or more ground beef so my order might actually be more work. Not sure if I have the freezer space so that is another factor. I might buy half but go 50/50 with parents.

I can't speak for slaughter and processing a cow (only helped once at age 10) but when it goes to wild animals more grind = more work for me since I remove the meat from the bone. NOW when they grind, their operation may be to simply omit parts of the cow like the shank, the oxtail, portions of the ribs, etc. so they dont even process is. I would not like that to happen at all but it might happen.

The easiest processing is to break the carcass down to the primal cuts then break them down so if you order zero grind it all seems to me that would be easier since its just the process of break down, break down, slice, package. No debone steps in there.

Again I can't speak for them but when I process my deer and pigs (usually 10+ each year) it is simpler for me to not debone but I usually have to cause I dont have a saw to take a shoulder or a shank and just slice the big cut into pieces.

Hopefully someone chimes in and cures my ignorance of what a farmer/processor would consider simpler to do :)

 

[SmokinEdge]

I can't speak for slaughter and processing a cow (only helped once at age 10) but when it goes to wild animals more grind = more work for me since I remove the meat from the bone. NOW when they grind, their operation may be to simply omit parts of the cow like the shank, the oxtail, portions of the ribs, etc. so they dont even process is. I would not like that to happen at all but it might happen.

The easiest processing is to break the carcass down to the primal cuts then break them down so if you order zero grind it all seems to me that would be easier since its just the process of break down, break down, slice, package. No debone steps in there.

Again I can't speak for them but when I process my deer and pigs (usually 10+ each year) it is simpler for me to not debone but I usually have to cause I dont have a saw to take a shoulder or a shank and just slice the big cut into pieces.

Hopefully someone chimes in and cures my ignorance of what a farmer/processor would consider simpler to do :)

Bone in venison is a big no no. Meat will ruin even frozen.

 

[tallbm]

only bone in venison i used to freeze were shanks but moved away from that and just cut the shank meat off the bone, made things simpler lol. Thanks for the info though :)

 

[AllenRR]

I remember when I was growing up in Oklahoma. We always did our own pork, but beef... we sent it out to a German butcher. We would get every bit of it back. My folks were too frugal to ask for options. LOL