So what do you get with a quarter or half of beef?

I've posted before about things to know before buying a half or quarter. But often the next questions is how much beef do you get in that order? It has taken me ages, but I finally took the time to photograph and document a quarter of beef (this is also called a split side of beef). I rarely open my customer's boxes, but since this customer runs this blog, I figured it would be ok. :) So, this is what the quarter of beef for Sarah looks like. She and Michael customized their order based on their cooking style, the fact that summer BBQ season is almost here and the fact that there will be an infant keeping them busy very soon.

This is how their quarter broke down by weight of the individual cuts:

Filet Mignon - 2.64 lbs

Top Sirloin - 7.56 lbs

Rib Eye Steak, boneless - 6.1 lbs

New York Strip Steak - 6.09 lbs

Flat Iron Steaks - 2.56 lbs

Tri Tip - 2.55 lbs

Sirloin Tip Steaks - 3.24 lbs

Cross Rib Steak - 3.48 lbs

Carne Asada - 5.49 lbs

Chuck Roast - 7.88 lbs

Rump Roast - 3.1 lbs

Fajita Strips - 3 lbs

Ground Beef - 65 lbs of ground beef.

*Note that most people won't usually get that much ground beef but with a baby arriving soon, we kept it simple for them. They could have kept briskets as roasts, shanks as roasts and another roast from the round to have more roasts and less ground beef.

 

So they ended up with just over 53 lbs of cuts and 65 lbs of ground beef for 118 total pounds. That is actually pretty heavy for a split half or quarter of beef. 90-100 lbs is more common, this just happened to be a big steer.

This is what their ground beef looks like, all in one pound packages.

Next is the line up of "higher end" steaks - filets in the front, rib eyes next, New Yorks behind and lastly the top sirloin steaks. The steaks are all packaged two to a package and all are 1 1/4 inches thick, standard for us.

Below are the tri tip, sirloin tip, cross rib steak and flat iron steaks. These are all great on the BBQ. A cross rib steak and sirloin tip steak both do well with a marinade, quick BBQ and served no more than medium. Note that there is no flank or skirt steak. Since there is only one tri tip, one skirt steak and one flank steak per side of beef, we divide these as equally as possible between the two quarters - one get the tri tip and the other the flank and skirt steak.

Finally we have the roasts. In the back - or top of the photo are the rump roasts and chuck roasts. The Chuck roast is the fattest of the roasts but very, very flavorful and super easy to 'set and forget' in the crockpot. Below those are the carne asada and at the bottom are the fajita strips.

No excuses for no veggies - Ziploc Steam Bags

Like many of you, I'm a busy girl. I'm a mom, teach part time, consult part time, am launching a new business and busy with ranch/farm work. So dinner prep and cook time is limited. I've gotten creative to help this situation: weekly meal planning, crockpot meals, one pot dinners, etc. But this year I rediscovered the Ziplock Zip and Steam bag, and I'm crazy about it.

Note: I swear ziplock hasn't paid me or given me anything (but I would love more bags in more sizes should they want to send me something :) )

They are SO simple to use and steaming veggies takes less than 5 minutes. Load the bag up with veggies and stick it in the microwave. The bag suggests a cooking time, usually 2 - 3 minutes. Done. Some people use them for meat too and people also add seasonings. I do mine plain. I even buy pre-cut and rinsed veggies to make it super simple.

I love them so much that since my local stores don't carry them, I buy them online and pay for shipping. If you know me and know how cheap I am, you know that says something.

The finished product is perfectly steamed and ready to eat. Seriously these bags have been my secret to making sure we have fresh veggies with every meal. I love them! Try them out, I bet you will love them too!

6 tips to save money on meat

If you are looking to save money on your grocery bill, sometimes you will find people encouraging you to eat less meat. In my household we love our veggies, but we don't sacrifice the meat. Here are a few suggestions to make the most out of the meat in your grocery budget.

1. Labels - This is the first place to start with almost any food. Note that the dates on packages are usually sell by dates not "use by" dates. The butcher will mark down meat that is close to the sell by date, usually noted with an extra sticker on the package. Grab up these reduced price packages! Either cook with them right away or package them up for your freezer.
   
2. Lower priced cuts - If you are working on cutting down your grocery bill you can often do that by changing the cuts of beef that you purchase. Skip the steaks and look for roasts. Roasts are suited for cooking low and slow. Ideally the crock pot (for maximum energy savings) for several hours with some liquid (broth or wine), onions and any seasonings you like. If you are new to roasts start with the chuck roast, one of my personal favorites and so easy to use.
3. Don't fear big roasts - Bring home a big roast for the crock pot and make it into a new meal the second day. The first night enjoy pot roast and the second night shred the leftovers and make a new dinner. My favorite second day roast meals are pulled sandwiches and enchiladas. Saves you time and stretches your meat dollar.
4. Buy in bulk - Don't be afraid of the large packages to get better savings. Divide them up into portions that fit your family and freeze them. Use good quality freezer bags to prevent freezer burn and label your bags for organization.
5. Buy a half or quarter of a cow - This is a great way to buy in bulk and get it direct from the farmer. There are a few things to consider so check out this previous post on buying beef in bulk - http://houseagbuilt.blogspot.com/2012/03/so-you-want-to-buy-half-cow.html.
6. Talk to the butcher - Don't be afraid to talk to your butcher. Ask for their suggestions of inexpensive cuts. You might hear about the flat iron steak or cross rib steaks which are some of my favorite budget friendly steaks. You may also get some new ideas on cooking or tips about cuts that are on sale.

Hope you enjoyed these quick tips on stretching your grocery dollar at the meat counter! Feel free to share your ideas too!