A Freezer and half a cow

[HitRed]

A neighbor wants to go halfs on a full cow. This should save some $$$ but it's rare that people do this around here. Has this worked out for anyone? (except the cow of course)

[2dimes]

My parents used to get half a cow from the farm my grandma and her second husband had, in exchange for a little money and help in the slaughter of two or three of the critters.

If you don't enjoy it at least a few times a week it's going to be a lot for a family of four to get through in a year.

If it is vacuum sealed it should last a couple of years frozen.

It spoiled me for really good beef. My wife can enjoy any old beef but I am fairly particular.

I pretty much avoid it in England.

[mrswdk]

Has this worked out for anyone?

It has worked out for no one ever, when you consider the contribution that cow has made to the world's greenhouse gases and therefore to the rising sea levels and increasing prevalence of freak weather events that will eventually destroy your food supply, your homes and your family.

[riskllama]

depends, HR - will it be butchered up into roasts, steaks, ribs etc.? - or is it literally half a cow? if it's(hopefully) already butchered, you can always try selling 1/2 of your 1/2 to another friend.

[2dimes]

The llama makes good points.

If you have to butcher it you need at least a large area with a very solid table and several knives. Also it is a skill that might take a while to get really good at.

Though some butchers will process a cow in exchange for some of the meat. That can work well if you get it for a good price and trust the butcher.

The bonus if you develop a relationship with the butcher is once you learn which cuts you like and which you don't you are not stuck with a bunch of things you don't want.

It has worked out for no one ever, when you consider the contribution that cow has made to the world's greenhouse gases and therefore to the rising sea levels and increasing prevalence of freak weather events that will eventually destroy your food supply, your homes and your family.

That is exactly why us responsible humans don't just sit back waiting for them to destroy the planet. Cows must be killed and eaten. If you numb nut vegans chipped in we'd all be better off.

[KoolBak]

Done it many times when my sister was raising them (they all farted in Mr. Swdke's general direction).

Never heard of NOT getting it butchered and wrapped. That's part of the process. Ends up being similar cost to buying in store typically but much better quality (so I guess it's cheaper....lol). Hopefully you know the source so you know what type of beef it is and that it was raised / fed properly....

Our last one was a Highland (Long Haired Scottish) and it was outstanding....

[Dukasaur]

A neighbor wants to go halfs on a full cow. This should save some $$$ but it's rare that people do this around here. Has this worked out for anyone? (except the cow of course)

Yes and no.

I have seen it work well for people, but I've also seen rip-offs (people who paid for half a cow but got a lot less than they should have.)

Make sure you check the reputation of the person you're buying from. If they've got a good rep then yes, it should be a good deal.

[riskllama]

Done it many times when my sister was raising them (they all farted in Mr. Swdke's general direction).

Never heard of NOT getting it butchered and wrapped. That's part of the process. Ends up being similar cost to buying in store typically but much better quality (so I guess it's cheaper....lol). Hopefully you know the source so you know what type of beef it is and that it was raised / fed properly....

Our last one was a Highland (Long Haired Scottish) and it was outstanding....

hmm, fer realz? whenever we'd go in w/somebody on one when i was growing up, we'd always get an uncut side of beef - but, me ma & later, myself, knew how to butcher so that's probly why we always did it that way. my advice would be to def. go for the wrapped & butchered option if you don't know how...

[Dukasaur]

Done it many times when my sister was raising them (they all farted in Mr. Swdke's general direction).

Never heard of NOT getting it butchered and wrapped. That's part of the process. Ends up being similar cost to buying in store typically but much better quality (so I guess it's cheaper....lol). Hopefully you know the source so you know what type of beef it is and that it was raised / fed properly....

Our last one was a Highland (Long Haired Scottish) and it was outstanding....

hmm, fer realz? whenever we'd go in w/somebody on one when i was growing up, we'd always get an uncut side of beef - but, me ma & later, myself, knew how to butcher so that's probly why we always did it that way. my advice would be to def. go for the wrapped & butchered option if you don't know how...

Even if you do know how, it's a lot of work. The extra couple of bucks the butcher will charge is worth it.

[riskllama]

lol, yeah - it is. i think mum really enjoyed carving up livestock, tho - chickens, especially... .

[KoolBak]

Grew up in the country amongst farmers. Never knew that to happen. Funny. All hunters here also take their big game kills to butchers.

Yo momma sounds cool

And I think the butcher cost is significant, not a few bucks. If the live animal cost is say $1 a pound, the carcass is approx $1.70. Think cost to process is over a buck a pound so end cost $2.80.

My estimates are a crapshoot but that's how you'd figure it.

[betiko]

My parents used to get half a cow from the farm my grandma and her second husband had, in exchange for a little money and help in the slaughter of two or three of the critters.

If you don't enjoy it at least a few times a week it's going to be a lot for a family of four to get through in a year.

If it is vacuum sealed it should last a couple of years frozen.

It spoiled me for really good beef. My wife can enjoy any old beef but I am fairly particular.

I pretty much avoid it in England.

i have absolutely no idea how much that represents in terms of meals.... is half a cow, after removing all the bones and unedible parts something like 150kg? I guess you can go for 1,5kg of meat per course in a family of 4, so 100 meals, so 2 meals per week? geez, never thought of it like that. But I guess a pig gives more meals per KG, you literally eat everything from them...

[mookiemcgee]

My parents used to get half a cow from the farm my grandma and her second husband had, in exchange for a little money and help in the slaughter of two or three of the critters.

If you don't enjoy it at least a few times a week it's going to be a lot for a family of four to get through in a year.

If it is vacuum sealed it should last a couple of years frozen.

It spoiled me for really good beef. My wife can enjoy any old beef but I am fairly particular.

I pretty much avoid it in England.

i have absolutely no idea how much that represents in terms of meals.... is half a cow, after removing all the bones and unedible parts something like 150kg? I guess you can go for 1,5kg of meat per course in a family of 4, so 100 meals, so 2 meals per week? geez, never thought of it like that. But I guess a pig gives more meals per KG, you literally eat everything from them...

https://www.oda.state.ok.us/food/fs-cowweight.pdf

You will have to do your own conversion to metric

[KoolBak]

Will there be a video to accompany this thread? Like 2 girls and a cup?

[mookiemcgee]

Will there be a video to accompany this thread? Like 2 girls and a cup?

[KoolBak]

Excellent!

[TeeGee]

nobody has asked.. what half are you getting?
top half? bottom half? front half? back half?

[TeeGee]