This week the time finally came to butcher him. The hanging weight was 631 lbs. We divided that 3 ways and each paid $550. The cost included butchering and packaging. The take home weight was about 345 pounds or 115 pounds each. So the price was 5 or 6 dollars a pound. Belle also took about 50 pounds of bones, the heart, liver and tongue.
On Saturday we grilled a Delmonico steak (or Ribeye depending upon what you call it). You would not believe how amazingly lean it was. Delmonicos are very fatty cuts of steak! I expected this one to fill the drip pan with fat as it cooked. Not at all! We finished cooking and the drip pan had barely a few drops of fat. The difference between this grass fed steer and the stuff that grocery stores sell is profound.
A year or so ago we made the commitment to only eat meat that we or someone we know raises. That means we go without a lot. But not this winter! Today we get to say thanks to Jason and Heather in Newburg for raising this steer right and filling our freezer with wholesome food!
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| Stock Pot and Veggies |
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| Broiled Bones |
Beef Broth
1 Large stock pot
3 to 4 lbs bones cut into hand size pieces
several whole carrot, celery sticks and onions (they absorb the odor during the cooking time)
Water
Broil the beef bones in the oven until golden brown. The marrow inside will begin to break down.
Add bones, carrots, celery sticks and onions to the pot and fill with water.
Simmer on the stove for 24 hours or more, adding water until it reaches the desired flavor.
Salt is not necessary. The flavor stands on its own.
Freeze in baggies, then thaw and use when needed.
Belle also processed the last batch of apple butter and finished drying a peck of pears. The boys love the sweet taste and grainy texture of the pears. She also thawed strawberries, cantaloupe and honeydew that we grew last summer and made a delicious fruit salad for a day trip we took with the kids to the Jersey Shore. The kids were tuckered on the drive home!
It sounds like you are going to be well fed this winter! That's a good price per pound for the meat. I remember when the butcher used to give me the bones for free! Now you have to pay for them.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you had a nice time at the beach!
That sound fantastic, wish I could find a deal like that one..Your Belle is a good mate and she can cook too :o) You are setting a good example for the kids ...maybe we'll have a chance yet!
ReplyDeleteI used to have a wonderful source for grass fed and happy raised beef, but since we moved seven years ago to our current location, I have yet to find a new reliable source for good quality properly raised beef. I am totally jealous of your freezer full of good eating.
ReplyDeleteLove the pics of the kids. :D
We made the same commitment to eat local meat a couple of years ago, and we're glad we did. I'll bet the taste of that grass fed beef was wonderful! We're going to pick up 2 pasture raised turkeys this weekend from our farmer family. We'll have one for Thanksgiving and save the other one for later, maybe Christmas.
ReplyDeleteRobin, we had a great time at the beach. It was a nice warm day.
ReplyDeleteGinny, Belle sure is great. We really hope our kids will learn to love our lifestyle.
KitsapFG, I'm sorry to hear you've lost that connection. We completely understand how challenging it can be to find good eats.
Dave, we'd love to have a turkey! Belle keeps asking me to raise one for Thanksgiving, but we haven't taken that step yet. Farmers just want to much for pasture raised birds around here to buy one.
Now why haven't i tried to make beef broth before! We take a beef in once a year to be butchered it can be a bit pricey,but worth it.
ReplyDeleteHi Mrs. Pickles, maybe next time you take a beef they'll throw in a few bones for broth!
ReplyDeleteI'm out of grassfed beef in the freezer (and there's no room)...now you just made me hungry!
ReplyDeleteDr. Momi, Yea, I know how you feel. We've been mostly without beef for several months. We've really been indulging. At least now you have venison. Hopefully we can put that in the freezer next week too!
ReplyDeleteCecil has been eating my Pear Butter like it's going out of style..I'll have to make more with the Pears I have in the freezer , At least that will give me more room for something else.. Boy, space sure can disappear :o)
ReplyDelete