A Beginner's Guide to Ordering Beef in Bulk

​Thinking about buying a side of beef but don’t know where to start? The guide below explains what you’re getting yourself into when you order a whole, half, quarter or eighth beef package. For an explanation of live weight, hanging weight and boxed weight, check out Know Your Weights.

Whole Beef Package
Whether you have a large family or go in together with a couple other families, a whole beef is not only the best value, it provides you with the most versatility for your menu planning and is fully customizable. For an average size beef, you’ll get about 395 pounds boxed weight (550 pounds hanging weight). Meat will fill 7 standard apple boxes requiring about 13-14 cubic feet of freezer space. A standard cut includes approximately 60 lbs chuck (roast and/or steak), 25 lbs rib steak/prime rib, 10 lbs rump roast, 30 lbs round (roast and/or steaks), 16 lbs sirloin tip (roast and/or steaks), 16 lbs top sirloin (roast and/or steaks), 6 lbs tenderloin (roast and/or steak), 28 lbs steak (T-Bone and/or NY Strip), 6 lbs flank/skirt Steak, 6 lbs brisket, 8 lbs fajita strips, 8 lbs stew meat, 8 lbs boneless stew meat, 12 lbs short ribs 8 lbs soup bones, 2 lbs oxtail, 112 lbs ground and 10 lbs bones (knuckle, marrow).

Half Beef Package
Another excellent option for stocking your freezer or sharing with friends and family, a half beef package typically weighs around 198 pounds boxed weight (275 pounds hanging weight). Meat will fill 4 standard apple boxes and requires 6-7 cubic feet of freezer space. Half orders are also customizable. A standard cut includes approximately 30 lbs chuck (roast and/or steaks), 12 lbs rib steak and/or prime rib, 5 lbs rump roast, 15 lbs round (roast and/or steaks), 8 lbs sirloin tip (roast and/or steaks), 8 lbs top sirloin (roast and/or steaks), 3 lbs tenderloin (roast and/or steaks), 14 lbs steaks (T-Bone and/or NY Strip), 3 lbs flank/skirt Steak, 3 lbs brisket, 4 lbs soup bones, 4 lbs fajita steak strips, 4 lbs boneless stew meat, 6 lbs short ribs, 1 lb oxtail, 56 lbs ground beef and 5 lbs bones (knuckle, marrow).

Quarter Beef Package a.k.a. Split Half
A quarter beef package (Split Half) will keep a family of two eating beef for most of the year. The average boxed weight is 100 pounds (137 pounds hanging weight). Typically requiring about 3.5 cubic feet of freezer space, it's about the size of two standard cardboard apple boxes. (Standard cut only; no custom cutting.) Standard cuts for quarter beef packages include approximately 17 lbs chuck roast, 7 lbs rib steak, 3 lbs rump roast, 8 lbs round steak, 4 lbs sirloin tip steak, 4 lbs top sirloin steak, 1 lb tenderloin steak, 8 lbs T-bone steak, 1 lb brisket, 2 lbs soup bones, 2 lbs stir fry/fajita steak, 2 lbs boneless stew meat, 3 lbs short ribs and 30 lbs ground beef.
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Eighth Package
Just want to tip-toe in and see what the grass fed experience is all about? This is for you. The average boxed weight is around 49 pounds (69 pounds hanging weight) requiring about 1.75 cubic feet of freezer space; this will easily fit in any standard fridge/freezer and is approximately the size of a cardboard apple box (19.5″ x 12″ x 12″). (Standard cut only; no custom cutting.) Standard eighth beef packages include approximately 8 lbs chuck roast, 3.5 lbs rib steak, 1.5 lbs rump roast, 4 lbs round steak, 2 lbs sirloin tip steak, 2 lbs top sirloin steak, 1/2 lb tenderloin steak, 4 lbs t-bone steak, 1/2 lb brisket, 1 lb soup bones, 1 lb stir-fry/fajita steak, 1 lb boneless stew meat, 1.5 lbs short ribs, 15 lbs ground beef.
We are able to provide you with the average weight of a beef for estimating purposes, but each animal is different, so your meat may be a little bigger or a little smaller, and your final price will reflect this. Calculated into the purchase price is the butchering fee, and the first two weeks of freezer storage.