FAQs
What is hanging weight?
There are three weights to understand when purchasing beef.
Live Weight – This is the weight of the animal prior to slaughter. This is how you would buy beef if you were going to take it to your own butcher shop. You would pay for the beef then pay your own processing fees.
Hanging Weight – this is the carcass weight of the animal meat and bone. Beef is sold this way more as a beef wholesale. Retailers will purchase beef based on the hanging weight, cut it themselves to resale as a retail product. We sell it this way because you are buying beef as a whole, half or quarter not individual cuts of beef. We include the cost of cutting and wrapping in the price. Hanging weight varies from package weight due to bone cutouts and trimmings. It’s all trimmed and deboned but fewer bone-in cuts and leaner ground beef will be less package weight than fattier ground and bone-in cuts.
Package Weight – This is meat in the package sold and priced as individual cuts as retail beef products. Each cut has a different price based largely on the tenderness of that cut.
What is dry-aging?
This is a process that enhances the flavor and texture of your beef. The beef is hung in a cold room (just above freezing) for 14 days. During this time, enzymes break down the meat resulting in more tender beef, as well as water loss resulting in enhanced flavor. This process is not performed on typical grocery store meat, due to the time and space required.
How are our animals raised and finished?
Our cattle spend the majority of their lives grazing green pastures. Cattle may be fed in times of winter or in times of drought when grass is unavailable to maintaining good health and keep them growing. Our cattle are ready for slaughter at a slightly older age because we do not push them to grow with high-fat feeds.
When will I know my total?
We harvest beef in the fall at the end of the growing season. When you place your order your deposit reserves a beef for you for that coming fall. Animals vary in size, you pay based on the hanging weight of your animal. The butcher gets us the hanging weight just prior to cutting and wrapping. This is when we can calculate your total.
Do I need to pay butcher fees?
No, butcher and delivery costs are calculated into your per-pound price.
How much freezer space will I need?
A quarter of beef will require approximately 5 cubic feet of freezer space. A half will require 10, and a whole will require 20 cubic feet.
Do I need to bring a cooler or boxes with me to the pickup location?
Your meat will be delivered flash-frozen and boxed. If you have a long way to travel from the pickup point, you may want to bring coolers. Most customers are fine taking their meat home in the provided boxes.
Why can’t I have full-cut customization on a quarter?
When an animal is divided, the left and right sides of the animals are an even split. When divided into quarters, the right or left side is evenly cut and divided (rather than someone getting the front quarter and someone receiving the back quarter). The butcher cannot cut the same muscle group in two different ways to accommodate exact cutting instructions on a quarter. There are also muscle groups that are one per half, such as flank steak and tri-tip, so on a quarter, there is typically one or the other.
What happens if I didn’t receive all the cuts I chose?
We cannot guarantee that the butcher will cut everything exactly as requested. We have worked with this butcher for years and trust his work, but know that all cuts cannot be guaranteed. He does his best to honor your requests. If you have significant problems with your cuts, please let us know and try to make it right.
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