1/2 of a cow being delivered today

[Scarlett]

I think I have mentioned before how this stresses me out.  Dh has been getting beef from our friends for several years.  It is good meat...no complaints there....but the trouble is with all the cuts of meat that I never normally buy so therefore I flounder about what to make with some of the things we get.

So if anyone who gets a side of beef has any good recipes would you mind to share?  

The cuts of meat that are in my normal rotation are roasts, steaks and ground hamburger. I guess I am pretty boring!

[KatieJ]

What cuts are you unfamiliar with…I’m sure we can help.

We recently moved and are very much missing our source for buying beef by the 1/4 or 1/2. 
 

[LuvToRead]

10 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

I think I have mentioned before how this stresses me out.  Dh has been getting beef from our friends for several years.  It is good meat...no complaints there....but the trouble is with all the cuts of meat that I never normally buy so therefore I flounder about what to make with some of the things we get.

So if anyone who gets a side of beef has any good recipes would you mind to share?  

The cuts of meat that are in my normal rotation are roasts, steaks and ground hamburger. I guess I am pretty boring!

Does your butcher give you the opportunity to order exactly what you want?  For instance I always get the round ground into hamburger.  I know it's too late this time but it could be an option for the future.  I can't figure out what more there is other than roasts, steaks, and ground hamburger 🙂  Other than maybe the short ribs which I absolutely adore.

4 minutes ago, KatieInMN said:

What cuts are you unfamiliar with…I’m sure we can help.

We recently moved and are very much missing our source for buying beef by the 1/4 or 1/2. 
 

I am not a great cook by any means but if you mention what your struggling with maybe I can help too.

[fairfarmhand]

7 minutes ago, KatieInMN said:

What cuts are you unfamiliar with…I’m sure we can help.

We recently moved and are very much missing our source for buying beef by the 1/4 or 1/2. 
 

 

Yep. What ordinarily makes you scratch your head? We've bought whole beefs for years, and raised our own, so I have plenty of beef recipes.

(for me, the biggest puzzle was when we bought a pig and got NECKBONES)

[Sneezyone]

***neckbones****GASP***** are delicious!! They’re right up there with oxtails. 🥰

[Jaybee]

When we bought a quarter, the butcher called to see how we wanted it cut. I wasn't sure about some of it, because I didn't know about some cuts, but will know better next time. Maybe you can see if that is an option in the future.

[fraidycat]

In the future, check with the butcher to see if you can order which cuts you want. Our butcher goes through a list and asks how we want ours.

[fairfarmhand]

7 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

***neckbones****GASP***** are delicious!! They’re right up there with oxtails. 🥰

I have to ask what you do with them? I have NEVER figured it out.

I do love using oxtails for soup. The best beef broth ever!

[Sneezyone]

-Neckbones can be smoked and used to season greens and black-eyed peas or other beans

-round can be sliced thin and/or hammered out to make Milanese or rouladen

-skirt marinate and char-grill for carne asada.

-flank, marinate or lightly season, grill  to med or med-rare and thinly slice on the bias

hmm…

Now, I’m not a fan of tongue, brains or beef entrails but many people are. You’d have no trouble finding takers of various ethnicities for those. I do know what to do with pork tails, intestine and hocks tho and my bestie loves chicken feet. I find them extremely unsatisfying, lol.

Edited February 2, 2022 by Sneezyone

[Scarlett]

Dh talked to the processor and told them what we want....but he did not relay that to me. Seems like there are usually things like round steak and so many different kinds of steak....I never buy round steak  or any kind of steak really.  

My friend that is selling it to us just gave me her list....she is not sure if we got ours the same....but it doesn't seem as complicated as I am making it I guess.  LOL.

I am used to making my menu and then going shopping for what I need.  I guess I will have to learn to see what is in the freezer before I start the menu.

 

[Katy]

I suggest when you get it home make a list of everything you have, and a tally. Then make a word document with check boxes that you tape to the freezer, or if you prefer, a clipboard hanging near the freezer. Check off things as you take them out. Then you always have an easy meat inventory and know what you can “shop” your freezer for. 

[gardenmom5]

Jamacian jerk rub.  You can use it on almost any cut of beef (or pork or chicken), grill or roast in your oven.

Flank steak/round steak can be very useful for jerk beef, teriyaki beef, rouladen (german). etc.  Just go online for the piece of meat you want to cook, and see what comes up.  There are so many recipes out there these days.

[cjzimmer1]

I also get my round steak tenderized but you could certainly do that your self.  Then we use it for pioneer woman's MM Sandwich.

The MM Sandwich, PW Style (thepioneerwoman.com)

I don't use near as much butter as she does though.

[Rachel]

The list of how you want everything cut used to stress me out too, but I started keeping track of what we did and didn’t like. That made it easier to figure out the next time, the butcher should be able to help talk you through it too. 

We have used a couple different butchers and they call different cuts different things. I  google recipes for xyz cut and that helps me figure out how to use it. This is one of my favorite chuck roast recipes. 

We typically get about 1/3 of a steer and family members get the rest. My in-laws prefer more steaks so we usually trade with them and take more of the ground beef. I’ve also learned through the years that I like my ground beef much leaner than how the butchers prepare it, so I will ask them to trim as much fat off as possible. 

[Scarlett]

2 hours ago, Rachel said:

The list of how you want everything cut used to stress me out too, but I started keeping track of what we did and didn’t like. That made it easier to figure out the next time, the butcher should be able to help talk you through it too. 

We have used a couple different butchers and they call different cuts different things. I  google recipes for xyz cut and that helps me figure out how to use it. This is one of my favorite chuck roast recipes. 

We typically get about 1/3 of a steer and family members get the rest. My in-laws prefer more steaks so we usually trade with them and take more of the ground beef. I’ve also learned through the years that I like my ground beef much leaner than how the butchers prepare it, so I will ask them to trim as much fat off as possible. 

I make  a pretty good roast, but that recipe you linked looks delicious!  

The ground beef we get from my friends is very lean.  

And one of the things that is a problem for me is I have several things I like to prepare with fresh hamburger vs frozen/thawed.  Hamburgers/Meatballs and meatloaf are the main ones.  

Oh well. I think this might be a first world problem. ha ha

 

[kbutton]

4 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

***neckbones****GASP***** are delicious!! They’re right up there with oxtails. 🥰

4 hours ago, fairfarmhand said:

I do love using oxtails for soup. The best beef broth ever!

I would like to know what you both do with oxtails. I have to be careful about gelatin in the bones (seems to make me itch really bad, hot ears, etc.), but I am working more foods from my sensitive list back into my diet (crossing fingers, seems okay so far), and I currently have oxtails. 

[kbutton]

1 minute ago, Scarlett said:

And one of the things that is a problem for me is I have several things I like to prepare with fresh hamburger vs frozen/thawed.  Hamburgers/Meatballs and meatloaf are the main ones.  

This does take some getting used to. I think it works best if you thaw it in the fridge a day ahead. The consistency ends up more like store meat that's just been ground.

We use round steak for stir fry quite a bit. Ditto for the skirt and flank steak. I don't have specific recipes due to my food sensitivities. I just try stuff--I really like stir fry with matchstick carrots, beef, cilantro, S & P, ginger, garlic, and scallions. A squeeze of lime (which I stopped tolerating) and some sesame seeds once it's on your own plate (or you could use sesame oil for part of the cooking) add a really nice flavor. Yum! 

Round steak is also good in stews and soups. We sometimes dredge it in flour, brown it, and then simmer it with potatoes and carrots.

Round, skirt, and flank work well with fajita sorts of dishes too.

I find ribs challenging--I never know exactly how they are going to be processed and packaged. We had some that were hunks of fat and bone and others that were totally different. Even from the same cut sheet, we've had them come one way one year and a different way the next, lol! 

[Scarlett]

2 minutes ago, kbutton said:

This does take some getting used to. I think it works best if you thaw it in the fridge a day ahead. The consistency ends up more like store meat that's just been ground.

We use round steak for stir fry quite a bit. Ditto for the skirt and flank steak. I don't have specific recipes due to my food sensitivities. I just try stuff--I really like stir fry with matchstick carrots, beef, cilantro, S & P, ginger, garlic, and scallions. A squeeze of lime (which I stopped tolerating) and some sesame seeds once it's on your own plate (or you could use sesame oil for part of the cooking) add a really nice flavor. Yum! 

Round steak is also good in stews and soups. We sometimes dredge it in flour, brown it, and then simmer it with potatoes and carrots.

Round, skirt, and flank work well with fajita sorts of dishes too.

I find ribs challenging--I never know exactly how they are going to be processed and packaged. We had some that were hunks of fat and bone and others that were totally different. Even from the same cut sheet, we've had them come one way one year and a different way the next, lol! 

Dh has smoked ribs several times.  The first time they were tough.....I think he did not cook them long enough.  Second try was delicious.

 

[Sneezyone]

14 minutes ago, kbutton said:

I would like to know what you both do with oxtails. I have to be careful about gelatin in the bones (seems to make me itch really bad, hot ears, etc.), but I am working more foods from my sensitive list back into my diet (crossing fingers, seems okay so far), and I currently have oxtails. 

There's a lot of collagen/gelatin in oxtails so I wouldn't recommend it for you. I boil them with a healthy bunch of salt, pepper and diced onions if I'm making it my mom's way. If I'm making it Hawaiian style, I add soy sauce, thick slices of ginger, star anise, a few whole cloves, and serve with cilantro, grated ginger, sliced daikon and Ponzu sauce.

[kbutton]

1 minute ago, Sneezyone said:

There's a lot of collagen/gelatin in oxtails so I wouldn't recommend it for you. I boil them with a healthy bunch of salt, pepper and diced onions if I'm making it my mom's way. If I'm making it Hawaiian style, I add soy sauce, thick slices of ginger, star anise, a few whole cloves, and serve with cilantro, grated ginger, sliced daikon and Ponzu sauce.

I am supposed to start trying it again, and my family will likely be able to eat it even if it ends up being too much for me. 

I haven't unwrapped my oxtail--does it have a lot of meat on the bones? Do you simmer and then take it off the bone, if so? 

[Sneezyone]

Just now, kbutton said:

I am supposed to start trying it again, and my family will likely be able to eat it even if it ends up being too much for me. 

I haven't unwrapped my oxtail--does it have a lot of meat on the bones? Do you simmer and then take it off the bone, if so? 

So, I blanch it in boiling water to remove the bone fragments, etc., then discard the water and start over with fresh water. You can add stock to the water if you like or just S&P, and onions. After 3-4 hours of simmering, I take them out and remove the bones (totally optional). At that point, you can add potatoes or any other veg, just like a beef stew. I don't usually do that tho b/c it hides the flavor. It depends whether or  not there's a lot of meat. On a butchered ox, just for you, I'd expect a good amount. At the store it's a mix of big and puny.

[fairfarmhand]

18 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

So, I blanch it in boiling water to remove the bone fragments, etc., then discard the water and start over with fresh water. You can add stock to the water if you like or just S&P, and onions. After 3-4 hours of simmering, I take them out and remove the bones (totally optional). At that point, you can add potatoes or any other veg, just like a beef stew. I don't usually do that tho b/c it hides the flavor. It depends whether or  not there's a lot of meat. On a butchered ox, just for you, I'd expect a good amount. At the store it's a mix of big and puny.

This is basically what I do. I just use water for the cooking, never stock. Whatever veggies I have on hand for flavor, carrots, onions, etc. Cook it for a long time. I;ve done it in the slow cooker overnight then strained out the solids. Picked through them for the beef. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for the fat to congeal. Then I remove the fat. I use it for soup.

[Rosie_0801]

Have a look at Jennifer McLagan's 'Cooking on the Bone.' It's got lots of useful info as well as recipes. In her other book, 'Odd Bits' she even has a recipe that makes liver taste good! :svengo:

[DreamerGirl]

Next time ask for stew meat.

We buy half a goat (this is new, started during the pandemic, do not eat beef)

 You can take steak and cut it up into smaller pieces. Not sure how you are with cutting raw meat. 

Smaller meat pieces open up a whole new world. 

Curries, stews, stir fries, fajitas.

With the ground meat you can do kabobs. It can either be stew type meat in skewers and grilled or straight ground meat.

This is an uber popular recipe. you can dump pretty much any vegetable in it.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/231026/keema-aloo-ground-beef-and-potatoes/

With ground beef you can make shepherd's pie, meat pie with pastry wrapped around it.

If you get bones, make broth then soup.

Edited February 3, 2022 by DreamerGirl

[Clarita]

My favorite chuck recipe is one where I make roast with a chuck roast using the pressure cooker because I always forget to defrost. Then I pull out the meat in shreds into a skillet and sautee that. Essentially making the meat part of a birria. Everyone gobbles it up, if you get high quality meat seriously doesn't really matter what was in the chili/roast I've done just onion, salt and the meat and it came out amazing (I forgot to put in the other spices).

Although chuck is also amazing as ground beef.  One day I'll have the foresight to thaw and ground some.

I still have yet to find a recipe I love for Rump Roast.

Our butcher calls us and asks us how we would like each primal cut. (how many pounds per roast, how thick do we want the steaks, etc.)

[Spy Car]

On 2/2/2022 at 9:06 AM, Sneezyone said:

***neckbones****GASP***** are delicious!! They’re right up there with oxtails. 🥰

I agree. Yum.

Bill

[City Mouse]

I have had good luck with this site for finding recipes. https://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/recipes

We started out with a smaller portion of a cow, but we have 1/4 of a cow coming in about 2 weeks and we haven’t finished with th previous one yet.

[Spy Car]

On 2/2/2022 at 8:35 AM, Scarlett said:

I think I have mentioned before how this stresses me out.  Dh has been getting beef from our friends for several years.  It is good meat...no complaints there....but the trouble is with all the cuts of meat that I never normally buy so therefore I flounder about what to make with some of the things we get.

So if anyone who gets a side of beef has any good recipes would you mind to share?  

The cuts of meat that are in my normal rotation are roasts, steaks and ground hamburger. I guess I am pretty boring!

Warning: This post discusses Sous Vide cooking

In case you get stuck with some round roast (Eye of Round/Top Round/Bottom Round) which isn't unlikely, I have a tip.

Backstory (skippable) Due to family gatherings Thanksgiving and Christmas are two days of the year when (other than a side or two) where I don't cook. But Christmas Eve I try to make special. The first Christmas of Covid-times I hoped to make a nice prime rib (or something like that). But that was a no-go. The markets (shopping virtually) were wiped out. What was available was Eye of Round--and dirt cheap I might add. But Christmas Eve dinner if not one that this frugal cook tends to cheap out on and Eye of Round Roast ranks about dead last as a desirable cut in my beef pantheon.

If one roasts it, it dries out and becomes nearly inedible and it does not take to long braising (like a chuck roast does) as it is too lean and lacks collagen. But what was available was Eye of Round. I did a deep gulp thinking it might be the worst Christmas Eve dinner of all time. I went through the whole rationalization process including that this was a "first world problem" and knowing people were dying and the whole drill.

The solution I vacuum packed the Eye of Round Roast. Then put it into a Sous Vide water bath on the night of the 23. It ran for 18 or so hours (parenthetical note: generally steaks only take an hour). To be truly food safe my understanding is the temp should be 131 (pretty sure I was under that). Then I pulled it. Let it rest a bit, hit it with the flamethrower to brown it up, a bit more rest and then carved.

I'm not going to claim that the Eye of Round was as delicious as a Prime Rib, as that would not be true. However, this cheap and ordinarily awful cut tasted like really good roast beef. The dinner felt celebratory and the leftovers (it was a big roast) sliced up beautifully when cold and make delicious sandwich meat. Quality roast beef. 

So if you get stuck with round, you know what I suggest.

Bill

 

[Scarlett]

Ds took inventory for me

45 lbs of ground beef

7 tenderized round steas

3 Beef tip steak

2 short ribs (I am sure this means packages)

1 brisket

1 tongue

1 heart

3 chuck roast

2 arm roast

1 rump roast

1 pikes peak roast

4 club steak

6 t-bone

3 rib eye

2 porter house

4 sirloin

 

Ds says most of the steaks are two to a package or so large it is definitely enough for 2 people (or the 3 of us because I like about 1 oz)

Edited February 4, 2022 by Scarlett

[Spy Car]

@Scarlett Do you have a cat?

If so--and none of your human folk are nuts about tongue--it is one of the most highly prized items for our feline overlords due to the naturally high taurine content.

I'm not sure what the heck happened to beef tongue prices, it used to be extremely inexpensive, but now can run $15-16 a pound. Crazy.

Bill

 

[Scarlett]

5 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

@Scarlett Do you have a cat?

If so--and none of your human folk are nuts about tongue--it is one of the most highly prized items for our feline overlords due to the naturally high taurine content.

I'm not sure what the heck happened to beef tongue prices, it used to be extremely inexpensive, but now can run $15-16 a pound. Crazy.

Bill

 

Yes we have a cat.

Is there any other way to get taurine in cat's diet?

[Spy Car]

42 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

Yes we have a cat.

Is there any other way to get taurine in cat's diet?

Sure, you can use synthetic taurine powder made in China to boost taurine levels. That's what pet food companies do with commercial food.

Otherwise certain fresh food sources can provide this essential nutrient. Have any mice?

If I had a beef tongue and no tongue enthusiast around (save myself) I'd cut it into small pieces, put it on a tray lined with wax paper or parchment and individually freeze until solid, then put pieces into a Ziplock (to use as needed).

Solid gold as cat food. 

Bill

 

Edited February 4, 2022 by Spy Car

[KSera]

55 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

Is there any other way to get taurine in cat's diet?

Mouse hearts have one of the highest concentrations. Commercial diets are all supplemented because barring mice, it’s hard to get enough taurine in in a standardized form so you know they’re getting enough. My cat won’t eat mice, so commercial it is. 

[Rosie_0801]

My daughter made me spend $22 on beef tongue at an Indonesian restaurant yesterday.
Don't waste it on the cat.

[Sneezyone]

1 hour ago, Spy Car said:

@Scarlett Do you have a cat?

If so--and none of your human folk are nuts about tongue--it is one of the most highly prized items for our feline overlords due to the naturally high taurine content.

I'm not sure what the heck happened to beef tongue prices, it used to be extremely inexpensive, but now can run $15-16 a pound. Crazy.

Bill

 

As with all off cuts that used to be thrown away, it’s now en vogue.

[Sneezyone]

8 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

My daughter made me spend $22 on beef tongue at an Indonesian restaurant yesterday.
Don't waste it on the cat.

This. When in doubt, find someone of a different ethnicity to teach you how to make it taste good.

[Spy Car]

22 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

As with all off cuts that used to be thrown away, it’s now en vogue.

If people start eating kidney, liver, heart, sweetbreads and the like I'm going to be in big trouble.

You know what is really good? Lamb tongue. OMG! Nothing remotely like beef tongue. Very tender. The Persian community here in LA is the big market for lamb tongue. I know you'd like it.

And have a feeling @Scarlett would be better off feeding it to her cat. LOL.

It is a polarizing dish.

Bill

[Scarlett]

10 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

If people start eating kidney, liver, heart, sweetbreads and the like I'm going to be in big trouble.

You know what is really good? Lamb tongue. OMG! Nothing remotely like beef tongue. Very tender. The Persian community here in LA is the big market for lamb tongue. I know you'd like it.

And have a feeling @Scarlett would be better off feeding it to her cat. LOL.

It is a polarizing dish.

Bill

You are probably right.  Dh cut up and smoked a huge slab of pork this weekend….pork is one of my favorite meats….but by the time I watched and smelled that process I was just grossed out.  
 

I may become a vegetarian. 
 

Dh ordered the tongue though.  So he will probably want to do something with it besides feed it to the cat.  

[Clarita]

4 hours ago, Spy Car said:

In case you get stuck with some round roast (Eye of Round/Top Round/Bottom Round) which isn't unlikely, I have a tip.

Interesting I'll have to try with my "rump roast". It looks like a similar area.

[Spy Car]

4 minutes ago, Clarita said:

Interesting I'll have to try with my "rump roast". It looks like a similar area.

I have not tried the same technique with rump roast, but my guess is that the rump roast would yield even better results.

If you try it, let me know. Been meaning to do so myself.

Bill

[Spy Car]

11 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

You are probably right.  Dh cut up and smoked a huge slab of pork this weekend….pork is one of my favorite meats….but by the time I watched and smelled that process I was just grossed out.  
 

I may become a vegetarian. 
 

Dh ordered the tongue though.  So he will probably want to do something with it besides feed it to the cat.  

I suspect Lamb tongue might put you over the edge. LOL. 

Beef tongue is a very different kettle of fish (much more accessable) and if your husband is into smoking meat (and ordered it especially) then tough luck kitty. It was just a suggestion if you were perplexed.

Bill

 

 

 

[Scarlett]

So I know this is an old thread…..but I am home today and need to make something with round steak.  We are working on cutting back on our meat consumption……so I will probably make a stew of some sort.  I have potatoes, carrots, celery, onion….I have crushed canned tomatoes too, but I much prefer a non potato based stew.  
 

Anyone have a good recipe for stew?  I have a couple but I am always up for something new.  

[Dianthus]

On 2/2/2022 at 8:14 AM, Sneezyone said:

. I do know what to do with pork tails, intestine and hocks tho and my bestie loves chicken feet. I find them extremely unsatisfying, lol.

I buy smoked hocks to put in bean soup. I just use to season and then remove. The meat is weird.

[Dianthus]

8 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

So I know this is an old thread…..but I am home today and need to make something with round steak.  We are working on cutting back on our meat consumption……so I will probably make a stew of some sort.  I have potatoes, carrots, celery, onion….I have crushed canned tomatoes too, but I much prefer a non potato based stew.  
 

Anyone have a good recipe for stew?  I have a couple but I am always up for something new.  

I brown the meat well first in olive oil. Then quick brown the onion and add a minced clove of garlic and a can of diced tomatoes. I would also add a TBS of balsamic vinegar and maybe 1/2 c red wine or cooking wine. Then black pepper and oregano. I'd stew that for several hours before adding vegetables. I don't like mushy veggies.

[Faith-manor]

On 2/2/2022 at 11:35 AM, Scarlett said:

I think I have mentioned before how this stresses me out.  Dh has been getting beef from our friends for several years.  It is good meat...no complaints there....but the trouble is with all the cuts of meat that I never normally buy so therefore I flounder about what to make with some of the things we get.

So if anyone who gets a side of beef has any good recipes would you mind to share?  

The cuts of meat that are in my normal rotation are roasts, steaks and ground hamburger. I guess I am pretty boring!

Scarlett, I pressure cook the cuts I do not want and freeze to make sandwiches, add to vegetable soup, make into barbecue.

That said, I am tired of also dealing with it so this time we ordered half a cow in stew meat, bones (for the dog), and ground beef. Any cut can be made into ground.

[Dianthus]

17 minutes ago, Scarlett said:

So I know this is an old thread…..but I am home today and need to make something with round steak.  We are working on cutting back on our meat consumption……so I will probably make a stew of some sort.  I have potatoes, carrots, celery, onion….I have crushed canned tomatoes too, but I much prefer a non potato based stew.  
 

Anyone have a good recipe for stew?  I have a couple but I am always up for something new.  

Oh, I just saw the non potato based. Wolfgang Puck's goulash is so delicious. We serve with spaetzle, but another recipe. We generally have roasted carrots on the side.

[shawthorne44]

Simple, get the cuts that you know how to use.    Everything else can be ground together.   There will be some quality meat and some not so much, but it will equal out.  

[prairiewindmomma]

round steak recipe: https://www.spendwithpennies.com/round-steak-and-mushrooms/

[Scarlett]

5 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

round steak recipe: https://www.spendwithpennies.com/round-steak-and-mushrooms/

Ok this looks delicious.  It looks like something I used to make long ago…..but with pork chops.  Yum.  I just printed it.  Thank you!

[prairiewindmomma]

I’d also look at some beef bourbignon recipes (totally optional to use the wine, fwiw, the alcohol cooks off but the flavor remains). Any recipe that is going to be cooked low temperature for a long period of time is good. I usually prefer to pressure cook round steak just because it can be so lean and tough. If you don’t see much marbeling in your cut, then I add either butter or olive oil. A bit of fat helps with texture and taste.