What cuts of beef will I get if I order a quarter, half, or whole cow? is one of the most frequently asked questions we get from people who are considering ordering large quantities of beef from us.
That’s a great question. Your query demonstrates that you are aware that a steer contains a lot more than just steaks.
We hope to go into more detail about each beef cut in this article and video, as well as where to find the best cuts of beef. Additionally, we’ll go over the precise cuts you receive if you order a quarter, half, or whole beef from our farm.
A few things to keep in mind…
Only a certain number of selections are allowed per section on the half at our butcher, Fauquier’s Finest. Most sections will only allow you to select one option. Only the beef on the cut sheet will be prepared by our butcher. Requests that go above and beyond what is on the cut sheet won’t be granted.
Second, the quantity of beef you receive is determined by the yields of your particular steer. To learn more about what to anticipate and to see some examples of half beef that previous customers have received, visit our How Much Meat is in a Half a Cow? page.
Last but not least, these choices are yours; consider what your family eats during the week and what you might want for any events. Visit our Farm Shop, where we sell the majority of the cuts offered here, to see how things are packaged and how they appear.
Ok, here we go!
First, fill out the boxes with your contact info.
Steak Thickness: Totally your preference. If you’ve had our steaks before, we do 1 inch. You will have fewer steaks the thicker they are. You will have more steaks the thinner they are. The butcher will cut all steaks to your selected thickness.
A good guideline is 3/4 lb to 1 lb of meat per adult for roast.
Choosing the weight of your ground beef packs according to your preferences Any trimmings and the part of the beef you choose to “Grind” together make up your ground beef. The “Grind” option indicates that the meat from each section of your cut sheet goes into your bulk ground beef pile and is ground together. When a butcher uses the terms “Ground Chuck,” “Ground Sirloin,” and “Ground Round,” they refer to sections of beef that have been ground and packaged or labeled separately from your ground beef. Our cattle typically produce 90/10 lean to fat ratio ground beef. If none of the cut-sheet sections are marked as “Grind,” you will get about 40 lbs. of ground beef from the trimmings.
25 pounds maximum. Choose your preferred patty size and the total number of pounds of patties you want. If you’ve ever had our ground beef patties, they are 1/4 lb patties and come in packs of four. The patties have butcher paper in between. Our butcher packs four (4) patties per pack.
Stew Meat is small chunks of meat that are packaged in 1 lb packs and is the trimmings of the beef that are just a little too good to go with your bulk ground beef. It will appear again in another section later.
3-4lb packages. Mix in with venison or render it down for tallow.
3-4lbs of bones per package. You will receive all of the bones if you select “all.” This included knuckles, shank, marrow, and more. If you get all of the bones, you’ll need more cooler space than is recommended. You will receive a minimum of two to three packages of marrow bones if you request only those.
From the chest section. There is only one brisket per half cow. The butcher will remove all of the fat if it is trimmed. The butcher will remove the substantial hump of fat associated with this cut if it is untrimmed, but leave the remaining fat in place. A whole untrimmed brisket weighs about 12-14 pounds. We frequently have briskets that are 5 to 9 pounds, cut in half, and untrimmed.
The rib cage. Standard beef ribs are 2 inches long and come in packages of four or five. Korean style ribs are thin cross-cut short ribs. If you don’t want either, grind it.
This area spans the shin, knee, and ankle. Osso Bucco is the shank cut horizontal in 1. There will be 2-4 bones per package, cut into 5′′ discs with the bone in the center and the meat surrounding it. The same method is used to cut soup bones, but in 1-inch discs.
Prime rib is an impressive cut for holiday meals. On a half beef, the prime rib will be cooked in accordance with the roast weight you choose, or you can choose the whole roast. Alternatively, you can select boneless ribeyes, also known as Delmonicos, or bone-in rib steaks (bone-in ribeye).
The shoulder; fatty and flavorful. The butcher grinds the chuck section and packages it separately as “ground chuck.” The lean to fat ratio of ground chuck is higher, closer to 80/20, making it ideal for making meatballs, meatloaf, or your own patties. Additionally, you have the option of chuck steak, bone-in chuck roast, or stew meat. This roast should be saved if you were going to keep any!
Choose as many of these as you’d like. This is a separate section from the chuck. Ranch and Denver steaks are heavily marbled, very small steaks. Flat irons are thin and tender. Chuck eyes, one of the most underappreciated cuts of meat, are about the size of a NY strip but have the fat distribution of a ribeye. Our recommendation is to get all of them!.
There is only one flank per half a cow. Great to marinate and throw on the grill.
Everyone’s favorite section. No wrong choices here.
The butcher grinds the sirloin portion and packages it separately as ground sirloin. The lean to fat ratio of ground sirloin is closer to 95/5. Bone-in sirloin steaks can weigh over a pound. If you’ve ever tried our sirloin strips, they are a traditional sirloin strip known as the petite top strip. Top strips are slightly larger than the petite.
From the lean round section. Great for low and slow recipes. There is only one eye round roast per half beef. Similar to stew meat, kabob meat is chunks of meat packaged in one-pound packages.
Customers choose ground round for a leaner ground beef option. Beef that has been thinly sliced is ideal for stir-fries or cheesesteaks. For fajitas, fajita meat is thinly sliced into strips; London broils are a smaller roast style.
There are options similar to the top round, but you can also get cube steak or kabob meat. Cube steak is double tenderized.
The small section of the hind quarter is the portion that is closest to the center. Usually two or so roasts per half. Sirloin tip steaks are larger, leaner steaks.
Only one tri tip per half cow. Very marbled, great for the grill.
The skirt and hanger. Each half only contains one of each, but they are worthwhile. Inside steaks are only available for one side of the beef due to limitations imposed by our processor. When paying your deposit, please make a note in the notebox at checkout if getting these is very important to you. If there is already a reservation for the “inside steak half” of your anticipated butcher date, we might need to move your reservation to the following butcher date to guarantee you get these. Make your decision if you can take them or leave them without leaving a note.
You may choose as many of these as you’d like. Since the skirt and hanging tender are excellent steak cuts, we do advise keeping them. Organs are only available to one side of the beef due to restrictions by our processor, so save the rest if you’re a daring cook or for your favorite canine. When paying your deposit, please make a note in the notebox at checkout if getting these is very important to you. If there is already a reservation for the “organs half” of your anticipated butcher date, we might need to move your reservation to the following butcher date to guarantee you get these. Make your decision if you can take them or leave them without leaving a note.