BaxterBaker

I like roasts myself. I just cooked one yesterday. 6 hours on low heat in the crock pot. I added veggies on top to steam in the last hour or so. Really, really good. Like beef stew, but better. The meat was so tender it just fell apart and for once I didn't over-season! Not quite all the fat rendered, so I had a bit of picking to do, but it all broke out very easily. Four pound roast will yield two very nice meals for my wife and I. I'm really getting used to this new way of eating. Normally I would have bread with this kind of meal but I skipped it last night. Satiating, whole, clean, healthy and no cravings between dinner and bedtime. I had already taken one plate of food out before I remembered to take a picture of it all cooked. Greg

Oh meatloaf! I haven't had that in a long time. I used to love the meatloaf sandwiches the next day with mayo and ketchup, but I don't think I'll be doing that. I'm really cutting back on carbs. But high quality meatloaf with high quality fat content - oh yeah. Tail, cheeks, snouts and trotters are not for me! Too outside the box for my simple palate. Greg

Ok, I was wrong. Last night we had the sirloin steaks in the picture I posted and a hamburger patty. No gamey taste or smell at all. I cooked them in a skillet with shallots, garlic, salt and pepper and the steaks were delicious. I didn't have quite enough food from the small steak, so I decided to cook a burger. I purposely didn't use any other seasoning on it, just cooked in the leftover oil/seasoning that was in the skillet. It was really good. That's a relief! I should have waited a bit longer to taste and smell more of it before saying it was gamey. I was basing the gamey smell off of the beef I put with my eggs every morning. The gamey smell/flavor is probably just from my eggs or egg/meat mixture. I have a very keen sense of smell and any little thing that is off bothers me. I've been putting some salsa in with my egg/meat mix and it's really good. Tex-Mex egg bowl. Greg

I've been eating grass fed ground beef for the last three months. I can easily find it in any of the grocery stores around here, even at Walmart. I am a bit skeptical of the source and quality of this beef, but I kept buying it because it was convenient and I knew in short order I'd be getting my own. The grass-fed ground beef that I bought locally tastes different than the grass-fed ground beef I was buying in the grocery store. The GFGB that I got locally tastes and smells a bit gamey. I'm having to season carefully to cover it up. The GFGB from the grocery store tastes better to me - more what I consider normal. So far, my GF beef is reminding me of the times I was served venison back in Maine. It was a chore to eat it. I like your idea of stew meat in place of some of the GB. I've added that to my cut list for next time. Greg

I got a lot more ground beef than I expected. That makes me wonder what I missed out on! I do like GB though. It is very versatile and easy to cook. Greg

Thank you for the detailed information. I'm using high-quality fats for cooking and eating now. No more seed oils for me. Tallow certainly fits into that, however, given the time it will take to make it and then keeping it stored and easily accessible to use, I think I'd rather just use olive oil or avocado oil. Thoughts? Is there higher omega-3 in Tallow? I'll have to check. That would make me more interested in processing it. Greg

I did a bit of research about how I wanted the half cow processed and this is the cut sheet that I came up with: Cut Sheet Notes: · Grind all usable meat trimmings and less-used cuts into ground beef. Do not include organ meat in the grind. Use only enough fat to achieve an 80/20 or 85/15 blend – target thirty lbs. · Roasts: ~3–4 lbs each or larger, standard trim o Chuck roast boneless – target six to eight roasts o Cut a rib roast off the chuck end of the ribeye o One Rump o Bottom Round – target two to three roasts · Steaks: 1.5” thick, 1–2 per pack, standard trim (~¼" fat) o T-bone with bone-in – partial filet (front part) – reserve the remaining tenderloin for filet mignon steaks – target ten to twelve T-bone and four to six filet mignon o Sirloin – target six to eight o Boneless Ribeye – target four o One Skirt o One Flank o One Chuck eye · Cut brisket into two portions, each containing part of the flat and point muscles · Include soup bones suitable for making broth (e.g., marrow bones, knuckles, neck bones); portion in ~2–4 lb bags so that I can make bone broth in batches · Please include 5–10 lbs of clean, external fat trimmings (e.g., suet or back fat), avoiding internal organ fat or gristle. Package in 1–2 lb portions for rendering or broth use · No organs I like to cook roasts, especially slow-roast with veggies, and I also like to use ground beef a lot. I eat about two ounces of GB each morning mixed in with two or three eggs and a bit of cheese. An 'Egg Bowl'. Quick and easy in the microwave and very nutritious and filling. I love to make comfort chili, which takes about four pounds of GB per pot. I would love to have input from the group on changes to make to the cut sheet notes for a future order. Greg

Baxter, TN, just outside of Cookeville. Move here from Maine with my wife Laurie and built our home/shop about ten years ago. Actually still building! I don't think there is any grade to this cow. I saw 'USDA' somewhere in regards to this farm but I don't know if my cow was inspected by USDA. I will ask. When I spoke with the hog farmer, he said that the meat that he sells retail is USDA inspected. I don't know if that's a requirement or not. The inspection is optional when he sells a half or whole hog to a customer. The cost is an extra $200 approximately. I decided not to spend that because I'm certain that I'm getting the same hog that he would have inspected to sell retail, and is probably of the same quality. Good idea?? Here's a picture I took this morning - two small NY strips and 2lbs burg. Greg

A few months ago I made a major change to my diet and I'm now eating whole foods of very high quality, a higher percentage of calories from high-quality fats, a focus on protein, and moderate carb intake. Part of this change in strategy includes buying grass-fed beef. I found a farmer local to me (Wade) who claims to be a regenerative farmer. He raises cows, pigs, and chickens. He uses the "Chicken Tractor" method for his chickens, which I think is very clever. I think it works well as long as he drags the tractors to fresh grass every couple of days. The pigs are kept only in pens and I'm not sure what he feeds them. They look well cared for. I asked why he didn't put them outside and he said they are very destructive and will ruin their enclosure in just a few days. Too much work. I've decided not to buy pork from him because I found another farm near me that does keep their pigs outside and I'm more confident that this farmer feeds them better food as well. I've ordered half a pig from this farmer. I bought a new 21cf upright freezer for $1,000 in preparation for all this. I'm fortunate that I've got extra space where I am, due to my business, and I found a perfect place for it inside where it is conditioned space. I just got the half cow into the freezer. Wade dropped everything off on his way through from the processor. The meat was cold but not frozen. The freezer worked hard for a couple of days getting it all down to temperature. I started this thread because I hope this information is helpful to those thinking of doing the same and because I have questions for the group. But I'll wait to ask my questions as this thread develops - this first post is long enough as is. Here's a breakdown of the order: Processing fee was $434.35 Wade's fee for half cow $1,350 Total $1,784.35 Per Pound of processed meat average $10.64 (not including bones for broth, fat for ??, and kidneys for my dog) In pounds: Total of everything received = 199.87 Meat other than Ground Beef Total = 75.69 Ground Beef Total = 92 Bones, Fat, Kidneys Total = 32.18 Individual cuts, total and breakdown of pieces: Rib Roast 7.56 New York Strip Total = 2.17 1.06 1.11 Chuck Roast Total = 14.27 3.95 2.25 4.06 4.01 Rib Steak Total = 7.27 1.89 1.91 1.61 1.86 Skirt Total = 3.29 1.04 2.25 Flat Iron Total = 1.44 .52 .50 .42 Flank 1.68 Brisket Total = 9.51 4.59 4.92 Rump Roast Total = 12.83 2.68 1.69 3.69 2.07 2.70 Sirloin Steak Total = 5.45 1.28 1.28 .9 .9 1.09 T-Bone Total = 9.63 1.33 1.50 1.04 1.35 1.44 1.43 1.54 Filet Total = 2.27 .34 .34 .61 .55 .43 Bones Total = 17.68 1.42 2.72 1.65 2.38 .77 1.43 2.36 2.26 1.13 1.56 Fat Total = 12.44 2.47 4.99 4.98 Kidneys Total = 2.06 1.06 1.0 I didn't get the hanging weight of the cow.

Hi, yes I have purchased beef from this same farmer. He does finish his beef on grain for the last five months and they are still grazing for that whole time as well. The beef has been good. I'm very focused on the quality of food that I eat, to the point where I am am willing to rely more on cooking techniques, added fat, and seasoning. It's ok. The improvements in my health are worth any sacrifice, and really, this GFB is not really much of a sacrifice. I'm not ready to add SV to my cooking routines at this time. There have been a lot of changes to my diet over the last three months and I'm still getting used to all of it. After things settle down and I get into more of a routine, then I can think about adding SV or other cooking techniques. Thank you for your input. Greg

Thank you for the welcome everyone. I hope it's ok, but I'd like to post my own new thread about my half cow experience. The one from 2010 was posted in Kitchen/Cooking and that's where I'll post mine. Greg

Thank you ElsieD and Smithy, I do appreciate the welcome. Regarding the half cow. Although I'm extremely excited about the pile of beef in my freezer, I didn't get exactly what I thought I was going to get in my order and I want to learn more about what I should expect so I'm better prepared the next time. I would like to provide details of the transaction, including a detailed inventory of the meat I received in hopes that I can get some pointers. For instance, I may have missed out on certain cuts of meat because I wasn't explicit enough in my instructions to the processor. It's possible that some interesting cuts ended up as ground beef. Also, it would be nice for someone with more knowledge about how a half cow breaks down to evaluate what I got. And of course if I share my experience, in detail, with the group, that will be helpful to someone else who is thinking of buying a half cow. I guess I'll ask a host about the best place in the forum to put my half cow questions. Thanks, Greg

Looking forward to being a part of this. Sixty one, married forty three to my high school sweetheart. Owner of Volti Audio in Baxter, TN. Recently made a life-changing and perhaps life-saving change over to my diet. Part of that includes buying local grass-fed beef from a regenerative farmer. Where's a good place here to post about my experience and get some feedback from others who have also ordered a half cow and filled a freezer with it? Greg