Butchering your own beef

[deineria]

Okay, I'm a vegetarian - 14, nearly 15, years - will remain so until I'm gone, but my husband and 3 boys are not, likely never will be. . .

I am mainly against the commercial machine of mass meat production - it's cruelty is too much for me, and I do NOT want my family to be any more apart of it than they must be, so since we already raise chickens, goats and have a dairy heifer. . ., so I would rather we raise our own, if they have to eat meat, which they apparently must, and even have some to sell to other likeminded people locally to help cut down on their consumption of commercial meat, too, so my question is who here, if anyone, butchers their own cattle? Of course, this doesn't apply to those who raise for resale, sending them to auction, but does anyone who raises some for their own family send the said cattle to a butcher or do some of you slaughter at your farm and dress it, or whatever, yourself?

My uncle is an Alaskan outfitter, and since he can pack out a dressed moose from the wilderness, I assume he can help my husband with the task whenever the time would come, and the only way I'd go into this venture it for it to be done on sight so that I know who is doing the killing and how.

I know this might seem silly to those who think nothing of butchering. . .but I'm just one of those people who thinks a LOT of it -

Also, I'm just starting on this path and really have no idea. . .yet what is entailed. . .

Can anyone share their process, the most humane process, of course.

[steff bugielski]

WE have done three so far.
The first with another couple. We raised from 3 days old till 4 months then they took him and raised another 4 months. They killed and we all processed. We got the short end that time as far as meat goes.
The second and third were all us. We get dairy bulls rather cheap, $50. at 3-7 days old.
We raise till about 10 months. When the time comes we bring him out into the barnyard with a big old bowl of grain. I am sure his last thoughts are" wo is all this food for ..."
Mike will put two shots in his head. He drops instantly. In my opinion it is the most human way. I also like the fact that he has had a very happy contented like here. He is out playing with the goats from day 7.
I had a bit of a hard time figuring out how to cut up the meat. But I found a very good and descriptive book." basic butchering of livestock and game" by John j. Mettler jr.
At any rate the cutting is the least as my motto has been.. It may not look good but it will taste good.

I say go for it . It will be the best meat your family will have.

[tyusclan]

We have done a couple, but we aren't set up to do it easily, so we usually take them to the slaughterhouse. We have a locally run slaughterhouse that we've become friends with, and they always do a good job for us.

Basic Butchering is a pretty good book, but I think Home Butchering and Meat Preservation by Geeta Dardick is better. She goes into much more detail, and has better illustrations and pictures, IMO.

[Bret4207]

I like using a local meat processor because the wrapping and labeling is far better than I do, plus he has the grinders and can do sausage, etc.

I'd still rather do 2 pigs or a beef than 10 chickens. I hate butchering chickens.

On the matter of ethics and meat, etc.- That's your call. At least you aren't completely unrealistic about it like some I've run into. When a guy wearing a leather coat, driving a sports car with a leather gut tells me I'm "exploiting" my livestock....let's just say we don't see eye to eye.

[deineria]

Can you take certain cuts in and have them ground, I wonder?

[ozark_jewels]

We used to do our own beef butchering, but it is a huge job with no equipment and now we go another way.
We have a local processing plant that has a gentleman with a cooler truck on their payroll. His job is to go to farms that ask for him and shoot the cow/steer/bull while it is calm and happy in its own field. He uses a rifle, one shot and they are dead. Then he hangs, guts, skins and halves it right out in the open. Then it goes in his cooler truck to the processing plant.
The animal is never stressed or scared, and that is the most important thing for me.
I do my own goats, sheep, deer, etc. But I will gladly let Mr. Campbell tackle the job of a beef.
I have talked to others who have similiar set-ups in their neck of the woods, maybe you have one there??

[tyusclan]

Originally Posted by deineria

Can you take certain cuts in and have them ground, I wonder?

No. The federal regulations require the animal to walk off the trailer at a slaughterhouse. You can't take meat in that you have slaughtered for them to do anything with. The law won't let them take it in their store.

[texican]

You can buy a good meat grinder for ~$100. I've been using mine for over 4 years, without any problems. You'd pay for the grinder with only one grinding session vs. having someone else do it for you. And the next session would be 'free'.

[deineria]

Thanks, Emily. I will post on craigslist about that, perhaps.

[Ross]

I've watched halal and conventional methods and while I truly believe Halal is best for smaller animals the jury is out on bigger ones. Both seem to work equally well. Butchering a beef is on my bucket list but I've no plans to try it. Hmmm maybe I should this fall if I can find some help!

[Trisha in WA]

Originally Posted by tyusclan

No. The federal regulations require the animal to walk off the trailer at a slaughterhouse. You can't take meat in that you have slaughtered for them to do anything with. The law won't let them take it in their store.

not sure that is true. you can take your wild game in for cut and wrap...it didn't walk of the trailer. I have taken the carcass of a veal calf in with no trouble too.
Maybe I misunderstood what you said????

[Ed Norman]

If you are raising a Jersey steer, he isn't any bigger than bull elk, so butchering at home is easily doable. And you have the advantage of killing the animal at your home, instead of in an alder swamp or on the other side of a mountain.

We finally got a good grinder a few years ago. Before that, we would take meat to be ground to a grocery store. I once took 200 pounds of pork from an old sow and the guy ground it for $5. One store wanted to charge by the pound, so shop around. In years past, I have found some custom butchers would grind deer or elk meat at closing time for cheap. They are done with the commercial meat for the day and are about to break down and clean the machines, so they would grind my meat last and not charge much at all. I always have the meat trimmed and clear and ready to grind so I'm not a bother to them, and they only charge a few dollars, and sometimes nothing.

[Apryl in ND]

Has anybody used the meat grinder attachment you can get for a kitchen aid mixer?

[Ed Norman]

Originally Posted by Apryl in ND

Has anybody used the meat grinder attachment you can get for a kitchen aid mixer?

We had one. We ground 50 pounds of pork one night and it did the job but acted like it wouldn't last for long. DW would use it once in a while when she needed a pound of ground meat. I think that's what it was built for. When the KitchenAid mixer broke again, for the last time, we got a dedicated grinder for about $125 and it is great. Stainless steel instead of plastic.

[tyusclan]

Originally Posted by Trisha in WA

not sure that is true. you can take your wild game in for cut and wrap...it didn't walk of the trailer. I have taken the carcass of a veal calf in with no trouble too.
Maybe I misunderstood what you said????

Wild game laws are COMPLETELY different. If a slaughterhouse took in a dead veal calf, they broke the law. They may have done it for you if they're friends of yours, but it is STRICTLY illegal.

[kscowboy]

find a custom processor and save yourself alot of time , work , mess. They have the proper facilities to hang and age the meat and can cut and wrap exactly the way you want it.

[Trisha in WA]

Originally Posted by tyusclan

Wild game laws are COMPLETELY different. If a slaughterhouse took in a dead veal calf, they broke the law. They may have done it for you if they're friends of yours, but it is STRICTLY illegal.

The butcher wasn't a friend and he takes animals in this way all the time...the guy before me brought in a big steer. Now that we have moved across the state I will have to ask around here to see what the protocol is.
I appreciate your information. It helps me to not assume they will take my animal. Thank you.

[ozark_jewels]

It wasn't too long ago that the custom processing shop could take a downer cow(one that had had calving difficulties, slipped on a wet holding pen and could't get up, etc), but that law was changed a few years back. Now they must be able to walk off the trailer.

[cathleenc]

I use a kitchen aid grinder all the time! works just fine for me, never ground more than 20 lbs at a time but no problems.

With kitchen aids the 'vintage' is the key, imo. The new ones have plastic gearing and are pretty useless for tough jobs. I've got an old, ugly all metal one that can go for days...

[Ed Norman]

Originally Posted by cathleenc

I use a kitchen aid grinder all the time! works just fine for me, never ground more than 20 lbs at a time but no problems.

With kitchen aids the 'vintage' is the key, imo. The new ones have plastic gearing and are pretty useless for tough jobs. I've got an old, ugly all metal one that can go for days...

Yep, that's the key. The old ones are bulletproof, the new ones are junk. Ours was returned twice, then they refused the 3rd time. We bought a Bosch mixer. Now there is a high quality setup. It puts the KA to shame.