If you are looking to purchase a large quantity of beef, one of the first questions you may ask yourself is “how much is a quarter of beef?” This question usually follows with “if I buy a quarter of beef, what part am I getting? The front or hind quarter?”
Buying beef online can be a great deal and can save you money on your family’s food costs. The average adult meat-eater can eat a 1/2 to 3/4 lb serving of meat in a sitting, 2 to 4 times per week. Remember that you may have some family members and friends to entertain throughout the year, also.
How Much Is A Quarter Of Beef
On average, a quarter of beef will equal approximately 110 pounds of eating meat. Depending on your processing choices, about 50 percent of the meat will be ground beef, with the other part being primal cuts (steaks, roasts, brisket, ribs etc.).
Dry-aging beef is a process that can involve hanging freshly slaughtered beef in a temperature-controlled environment for an extended period of time. The meat becomes more tender and flavorful during this process of natural chemical changes. Dry-aged beef tastes more flavorful than fresh beef because it has a higher concentration of flavor due to moisture loss during the 7 to 14-day period where the carcass is hung.
During processing, about 3 to 5 percent of the loss is due to moisture loss (water weight), and about another 30 to 35 percent is fat and bones. This amount varies based on factors like how much fat is in the meat and what cuts a customer requests.
Buying an animal in bulk is a better deal than buying meat piece and parcel at the grocery store. It can save you time and hassle. The meat is usually packaged for you and all you need to do is free up storage space in your freezer.
How Much Freezer Space for a Quarter Beef
A general rule of thumb is that one cubic foot of freezer space is required for every 28 pounds of meat. When the meat is packaged in odd shapes, allow slightly more space. A quarter beef will take up approximately 5 to 7 cubic feet, meaning that it can fit into most residential freezers. Your meat will last for more than a year if it is stored in the freezer.
Hanging Weight vs Cut Weight
Hanging weight refers to the mass of meat before it is cut up and processed. After it has been hung for a couple of weeks, the butcher will trim off any excess fat and bones, and package it up for you. The end result is a “cut or eating meat” which is a much smaller piece of meat than the original.
Hanging weight is a measure of the carcass weight after it’s skinned and the head and internal organs are removed.
The average hanging weight of an animal at slaughter is usually about 60 percent of its live weight. This is what most private beef sellers base their per-pound cost on.
Bulk beef is served on a first-come, first-served basis. Make sure to reserve it in advance so you don’t miss out.
Butchers require that every Quarter Beef order match another in order to keep processing fees as low as possible.
Your order of Quarter Beef will be matched with another customer’s order as closely as possible, but sometimes there may be a small variance.
Typical Cuts for a Quarter Beef Order
4 to 6 NY Strip Steaks & Filet Mignon OR 4 to 6 T-bone Steaks
4 Rib Eye Steaks OR 1 Prime Rib Roast
1/2 Size Flank Steak
2 Sirloin Steaks
8 Packages of Round Steak OR 10 to 15 Packages of Cube Steaks
4 Chuck Pot Roasts
1 Arm Roast and Rump Roast
2 Short Ribs
2 to 3 Packages of Stew Meat
About 50 lbs of Ground Beef
1 lb Brisket
3 Packages of Soup Bones
Your butcher may not always be able to provide organ meat, but they will try to honor any requests you have for it.
Buying beef directly from a local farmer or rancher often means purchasing a piece of meat that is the equivalent of 1/4, 1/2, or whole animal.
Knowing how much beef you will be getting is important in order to have a great experience and receive the value you seek.
Your total cost is based on the weight of the cow and the butchering fee. The weight of the meat after it has been butchered will be 60 to 65 percent of the hanging weight, including the weight of bones but not fat. You can get 100% grass-fed beef at a hanging weight price of about $5 per pound.
When you order beef, you can choose between standard and custom cuts. For custom cut, you can select the type of cuts, thickness of steak, size of roasts and any other preferences that are specific to your order.
How Much Beef (for a Quarter of Beef) Will I Actually Put In My Freezer
The cut weight of a quarter of beef is about 110 pounds, a half cow is about 220 pounds, and a whole beef is about 440 pounds.
To figure out how much beef you’ll put in your freezer, you can use terms like “hang-weight” and “cut-weight.”
The live weight and hanging weight of an animal are two different measurements. The live weight includes all the meat, bones, blood, etc. while the hanging weight is after all the unusable parts are removed (like head, skin and hooves).
When you purchase boxed meat, the weight of all the individual cuts of meat is typically included in that number. This includes the bones and meat, which together make up about 60% of the hanging weight. Having adequate freezer space will help take care of this.
How Long Will The Beef Last in the Freezer
If an item is frozen and vacuum sealed, it will last approximately one year. If the item is packaged in paper or shrink wrapped, the time frame will be shorter. As a customer, we have the option of receiving the quarter beef packages in vacuum-sealed packaging, which will keep it fresher for a longer period of time.
Different Primal Cuts of Beef
The USDA divides a whole cow into eight regions. These are the main cuts of beef : Chuck, Rib, Loin, Shank, Plate, Round, Flank and Brisket.
Chuck meat is a tougher cut of beef located near the shoulder and arm. It has high-fat content, making it good for ground beef.
The beef rib is a primal cut that comes from the center section of the ribs. It contains tender meat and is great for cooking using dry heat.
Short loin steaks are some of the best-tasting and most popular steak cuts. They come in a variety of thicknesses, so you can get around 10 to 12 steaks from this piece. The butcher can take out the sirloin cut, which is located directly behind the short loin. This is a premium cut of meat that has a tender flavor and can be cut into different steaks for grilling.
There are four beef shank primal cuts that are taken from the animal’s thigh. This cut is full of connective tissue, making it a tougher piece of meat. Considering that it comes from the animal’s leg, this was used heavily in its diet and so it is a leaner cut with more connective tissue than other meats. Beef shank takes longer to cook than other meats due to its tougher nature and high content of connective tissue.
The beef plate comes from the lower part of the animal, which is also called “long plate” depending on where the butcher separates it from the ribs. This piece of meat has a high fat content, which makes it ideal for cooking quickly.
There are three parts to a beef round—the top round, bottom round, and the knuckle or sirloin tip. Beef round steaks and roasts can be tough because they get a lot of exercise. The top and bottom round cuts are less fatty than other cuts of meat. They are the best cuts of beef to make delicious homemade jerky. They are Sirloin tip roast is a flavorful cut of meat that can be tough and needs to be cooked slowly or braised.
Beef flank is a cut from the lower back area of the animal that can be cooked slowly. Some people might marinate cuts taken from this area before cooking them in order to make them more tender.
The beef brisket is taken from the lower part of the beef chuck, where it is tougher. This tougher meat can be one of the most flavorful and succulent cuts when cooked just right. Brisket has a higher fat content which helps it tenderize while being cooked. The trick to handling this cut of beef is to cook it slowly at a low temperature.
Beef Cuts We Recommend
If you order a quarter-pound beef, you will usually get approximately six steaks if they are one-inch thick.
If the steak is cut to one and a half to two inches thick, it will only yield three or four steaks. The same weight of the meat is being delivered, but the thickness of the steak makes a big difference on how many steaks you will get.
Arm roast, chuck roast, round roast, and rump are all three to four pound roasts.
Ground beef is packaged in 1 pound packages.
Short ribs are a type of meat that is usually ground into hamburger. However, we don’t recommend doing this because short ribs are amazing on their own.
Stew meat and kabob meat are the trimmings from the steaks.
There are lots of ways to cook brisket, some of which you could turn into ground beef. Brisket is a great dish and deserves to be cooked the way that suits your taste.
We love soup bones because they make the best bone broth. We highly recommend them to you!
Many people believe that organ meats, specifically liver, are nutritious foods. So if you’re interested in trying them out, we recommend doing so!
T-Bone Steak Versus Porterhouse Steak
Some people want more unique cuts, like T-Bone, Porterhouse Steak, Delmonico Steak, Club Steak, etc.
There are many different types of cuts available at a steakhouse, and some have different names depending on the region. A KC Strip and a NY Strip are essentially the same thing with different names.
Some cuts are a combination of cuts. A T-bone steak is a strip steak on one side and a tenderloin on the other, with the tenderloin being the most expensive option.
If you decide to cut the bone out of your T-bone, you would no longer have a T-bone. Instead, you would have two distinct cuts : a tenderloin and a strip steak. If the tenderloin section is at least 1.25 inches across at the widest section, it is a porterhouse steak.
Frequently Asked Questions About How Much Is A Quarter of Beef
Are Beef Prices Rising?
In 2020, beef prices are projected to go down because of the high number of cows in production. But after that, higher beef production is predicted by FAPRI to cause prices to rise again.
According to FAPRI-MU, the high demand for meat has pushed prices up in 2021, even though production is at or near record levels. Higher feed costs are a contributing factor to slower meat production growth in 2022 and subsequent years.
How Much Beef Do You Get From A Quarter Cow?
With a quarter, you can get about 50 pounds of ground beef. The rest of the meat is in steaks, brisket, roasts, stew meat, ribs, liver and soup bones.
How Much Weight Is A Quarter Of Beef?
On average, a quarter of beef weighs (hanging weight) about 200 pounds. So the final weight (cut weight) after processing would be about 90 to 110 pounds of beef.
What Can I Expect From A Quarter Beef?
You can expect a variety of meats, including steaks, roasts, ground beef and stew.
Roughly speaking, one-half of your meat will be ground and stewed, one-fourth will be roasts (chuck, shoulder, rump, sirloin tip etc.) and one-fourth will be steaks (sirloin, prime/rib, T-bone, filet mignon).
The standard cuts of beef for a quarter package include chuck roast, rib steak, rump roast, round steak, sirloin tip steak, top sirloin steak, tenderloin steak and brisket. There are also several other cuts of meat available such as fajita steak, stir fry, soup bones and boneless stew meat.
How Many Steaks Do You Get From A Quarter Of Beef?
You can get 2 to 3 New York steaks, 2 to 3 Rib Steaks, 2 Tenderloin or Filets, and 2 Sirloin Steaks or 2 sirloin tip steaks.
Which Is Better? Front Or Hind Quarter Of Beef?
A half beef is divided into the front and hind quarters. The front quarter consists of chuck steaks, pot roasts, rib steaks, short ribs and soup bones. The hind or rear quarter consists of top round, bottom round, t-bones, top sirloins, tenderloins, flank steaks, sirloin tip, rump roast.
How Much Freezer Space Do I Need For A Quarter Beef?
When you order a quarter of beef or for a quarter share, you will receive about 80 to 110 lbs of meat. You’ll need either a stand-alone freezer or one that will fit in an existing cabinet. You will need at least 7 to 10 cubic feet of freezer space to accommodate your purchase.
How Much Meat Is a Quarter Beef?
A quarter of beef will equal approximately 110 pounds of eating meat, and depending on your processing choices, about 50 percent of that will be ground beef. The other part will be primal cuts.
How Many People Does a Quarter of Beef Feed?
A quarter of beef is perfect for people who don’t have a lot of freezer space, because it’s small enough to fit in most refrigerators.
These are the typical cuts of meat that come with an average family’s yearly grocery bill. Depending on how much you use them, these meats can last up to a year for a family of 2 people. They come with an ample amount of ground beef, stew meat, roasts and steak options.
The average adult meat-eater can eat a 1/2 to 3/4 lb serving of meat in a sitting, 2 to 4 times a week. You may want to entertain your friends and family throughout the year, too.
What Cuts Do You Get From A Front Quarter Of Beef?
The four main cuts that come from the front quarter of a cow are the rib primal, the plate primal, the brisket, and the chuck.
What Cuts Are In Half A Beef?
If it’s a standard cut, it includes the following cuts:
8 T-bone Steaks or 5 Filet Mignon & 9 NY Strip Steaks
3 Sirloin Steaks or 6 Club Steaks.
2 Prime Rib Roast or 8 Rib Eye Steaks
8 Chuck Pot Roasts.
1 Flank Steak.
3 Arm Roasts.
2 Rump Roasts.
15 Packages of Round Steak or about 30 Packages of Cube Steaks.
