Beef buying guides
Everything we get asked on the phone, written down. No jargon, no sales pitch — if a guide here talks you out of buying a half beef, it has done its job.
How buying a beef works
The five steps from first phone call to boxes in your freezer. Start here if this is new.
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Hanging weight explained
Live, hanging and take-home weight — and the one question that makes any two quotes comparable.
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How much meat you get
The real pounds from a quarter, half and whole, and what the mix of steaks, roasts and ground looks like.
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How much meat is in a quarter cow?
About 112 lbs packaged from a quarter: the weight math, the mix of cuts and the freezer it needs.
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What is a side of beef?
A side is half a cow. What one costs, how much meat is in it, and what half a side gets you.
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Is it worth it?
Honest math against grocery prices, the costs nobody puts on the invoice, and who should not buy.
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Freezer space guide
Cubic feet by share, chest versus upright, running costs, and how to stack it so you eat it.
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The cut sheet
Every decision on the form, in order. The part that intimidates every first-time buyer.
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What cuts you get
Chuck to shank — what each part of the animal becomes and how to cook it.
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Grass-fed vs grain-finished
The most misused pair of words in beef, what actually changes on the plate, and what we do.
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Freezer storage times
How long each cut holds up vacuum-sealed, what causes freezer burn, and how to thaw properly.
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Splitting a beef
Going in with another family: the four things to settle first and the rule that prevents arguments.
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Why we wrote these
Buying beef by the animal is genuinely confusing the first time, and most ranch websites do not help — they show you a price and a photograph of a cow and leave you to work out what a hanging weight is.
We would rather you understood exactly what you are buying before you call, because the people who understand it are the people who come back the next year. If something here is unclear, tell us and we will fix the page: (214) 202-1855.
Talk to the ranch
Still have a question?
Call the ranch. There is no question about buying beef in bulk that we have not been asked, and none we mind answering.
(214) 202-1855Monday–Thursday, 10am–2pm · Call or text