Buying beef wholesale

We have been getting several hits on our blog with folks searching for bulk meat purchases, so I thought I’d offer some suggestions on what worked for us.

For the beef we bought and put in the freezer, we knew someone who had calves for sale, and he arranged delivering it to the slaughterhouse where they took care of everything for us, including vacuum-packaging the meat.  All we had to do was pay for it and pick the meat up.

Here in Arkansas, we paid $2.55 a pound (which included the cost of the cow, processing, packaging, etc.).   I requested as many roasts as they could get off of it, along with ribeye, T-bone, chuck, and round steaks, and LOTS of ground hamburger meat.

The beef we bought dressed out at about 175 pounds which took up over half of a 14.6 cubic ft chest freezer.  Be sure you have ample space available before you order the meat.

If you are looking for a side of beef or a whole cow to purchase, do a search for a local butcher or slaughterhouse and they can provide more information.  Many butchers will have the amount of meat you need onhand, and if not, they should be able to direct you to someone who owns/sells cattle.  Look for grain-fed beef that has not had antibiotics used on them.

As far as flavor goes, it throws rocks at what you buy at the store.  Most of the grocery store meat has a smell to it that almost makes me gag when it’s cooking.  Fresh beef is very mild, and even our ground hamburger contains very little fat – you almost have to spray the pan with non-stick spray just to cook it – it’s great!   I nearly overseasoned the meat the first time I used it simply because I’m so used to covering up the store-bought taste of the other.  The steaks are divine, and the roasts literally fall apart they are so tender (even the chuck roasts).