Cuts of Meat Briefly Explained

Grass-fed beef is leaner than feed-lot beef

The amount of meat actually available from a beef animal is a frequent source of misunderstanding between consumers, processors and cattle producers. The amount of meat that is cut and wrapped for consumption will be much less than the live animal weight. Consumers are often surprised that a 1200 lb. animal will only result in approximately 350 lbs. of packaged meat. This is especially true of grass fed beef which tends to be leaner than a traditional feedlot beef type.

What can you expect from a half of beef:

Depending on the size of the animal, the following is only an approximate. Customers can specify different cuts when possible and steak thickness.

14 T‐bone steaks (3/4” thick)

14 rib steaks (3/4”)

8 sirloin steaks (3/4")

8 round steaks (3/4")

2 sirloin tip roasts (3 lbs.)

6 chuck roasts (4 lbs.)

4 arm roasts (3 lbs.)

2 rump roasts (3 lbs.)

8 packages of stew beef (1 lb.)

4 packages of short ribs (1.5 lbs.)

4 packages of soup bones (1.5 lbs.)

Approximately 80 lbs. of ground beef

Other: Oxtail, tongue, liver and heart upon request.

For 1/4 beef divide the above in two.

Reserve Your Beef

Excerpts from “How Much Meat to Expect from a Beef Carcass”, The University of Tennessee,https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/PB1822.pdf“Beef Cuts”, www.thewrightbeef.com