Our Beef

This year, we split a split quarter of beef with some friends, meaning we ended up with 1/8 of a steer. (A split quarter, by the way, is some beef from the hind part of the steer and some from the front/fore part. By getting a split quarter, you get a wider range of cuts of beef). All said and done, we ended up paying between $4.50 and $5.oo a pound for meat. While this may be expensive for a package of ground beef or stew meat, it is extremely cheap for a ribeye steak or tenderloin.

We decided to try ordering straight from the farmer in an effort to get local meat and a reasonable price. The farmer, Hersh, that we ordered from lived not too far from our house. His cattle were grass fed and finished on grass that was not treated with pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers (in others, organic). I met him at the Sunset Valley Farmers Market and talked to him, then researched some other farms I could also get beef from. I decided on him, because of how important it seemed to him that we got the best beef available. For example, I first approached him about beef in January. He suggested waiting for beef until April, although if I really wanted it in January, he could have some for me. Hersh told me that the beef in April is more nutritious because it has grazed on the new spring grasses, which are higher in nutrients and Omega 3. Curtis drove out the farm to pick up the beef which were packaged by cut. We've been enjoying our beef from Indian Hills Farm ever since. We never ate much beef before, but it is sure nice to just pull a package of hamburger from the freezer for dinner.

There are many other places that offer organic grass fed and finished beef as well. The bed and breakfast we recently stayed at recommended their next door neighbors, Red Barn Beef, as a source of beef. Another place that I am curious (but know very little about other than that they sell their beef to several area restaurants) about is Bastrop Cattle Company. They appear to not only offer sides of beef, but packages suited to different needs, like the Cowboy BBQ Pack.

As for us, I believe next year (or whenever we run out of beef), we'll invest in a whole split quarter ourselves. We have had no problem turning ourselves into beef eaters when we know the beef we are eating has as many Omega 3's as salmon and as little fat as chicken breasts. If you do decide to get a slab of beef, make sure you have enough freezer space. A deep freeze tucked into a garage or laundry is very helpful, because you will get a lot of meat.