Advice on cow for the freezer

Butcher Boy

kill a nice 400 kg heifer aa or hf with a good fat cover ,and if you can sell half her you will have plenty in that for a start.

kollegeknight

Butcher Boy wrote: »

kill a nice 400 kg heifer aa or hf with a good fat cover ,and if you can sell half her you will have plenty in that for a start.

And would you prefer off a dairy cow or continental?

Castlekeeper

kollegeknight wrote: »

Butcher Boy wrote: »

kill a nice 400 kg heifer aa or hf with a good fat cover ,and if you can sell half her you will have plenty in that for a start.

And would you prefer off a dairy cow or continental?

There might be a difference but there's lots of other factors that should be considered. I remember reading an article that listed 12 factors in meat quality, I'll have a go;
1- Sex
2- Age
3- Daily LWG from birth
4- Diet
5- Fat score
6- Marbling
7- Stress before slaughter
8- Hanging time
8- Butchery
10- Cooking

I'm missing 2, at the butchery cooking stageI think.
The thing is that breed per se is not a factor, but it can influence the earlier points, as well as yield of particular cuts of meat. As there is often as big a difference within as between breeds, judging and knowing the animal in question is probably the most important. Happy eating, maybe talk to a few who are producing/ selling grass finished beef before you try it, buy a sample even, it's not the norm as most beef gets nuts to finish.

Water John

Myrtle Allen used to say, continental for stews, aa or he for steaks and roasting.
The breed dictates the marbling. You'd have to marinade or have a gravy with continental as its too lean and thus dry.

Butcher Boy

Water John wrote: »

Myrtle Allen used to say, continental for stews, aa or he for steaks and roasting.
The breed dictates the marbling. You'd have to marinade or have a gravy with continental as its too lean and thus dry.

All meat should cook in its own fat.

uck51js9zml2yt

What cuts would people recommend to get ?
Looking at an Angus heifer.

Markcheese

That's going to depend on how you cook eat, if you're not going to do slow cooking then things like the cheeks, shin, short rib and brisket are probably gonna be better done as mince and burgers, (I love slow cooked joints),
If you want roast beef for 2 (plus kids), for 1 meal only there's no point having a huge top-side roast that'll do 2 or 3 dinners plus sambos....

I'd do as much as possible into steaks, a share of smaller roasts top side roasts, specific slow Cook cuts, (rib, brisket, shin), stewing steaks (round steak) and pretty much mince and burger the rest...
If your butcher is used to doing home freezer packs, he'll probably tell you what he usually does, and what pack sizes he likes to do...

lalababa

Looking at a YouTube video a while back, saying a cull dairy cow that's dried off and put to pasture for 6/8 months is comparable to Kobe beef(100euros a kg) in marbling, and has a stronger flavour abeit not as tender.