Freezer Beef

Check out these beef websites funded by The Beef Checkoff:

• BEEF From Pasture to Plate
• BeefNutrition.org
• BeefRetail.org
• School-Wellness.org

Know Basics Before Putting Beef in Freezer
According to Eldon Cole, University of Missouri (MU) Extension livestock specialist, interest in putting large quantities of beef in the freezer seems to pick up this time of year. Additionally, as more home-raised beef appears along with all-natural, forage or grass-fed beef, questions arise about the yield of packaged beef you’ll take to the freezer out of a 1,000- to 1,200-pound (lb.) animal.

There is considerable variation in the amount of beef the animal produces depending on sex, age, condition and class of cattle. Perhaps the greatest variable is the locker plant procedure itself. How much bone, fat and variety meats like the liver, heart, tongue and even the tail are prepared for you?

Another factor can be the amount of lean you want in your ground beef. A rather fat burger might run 70% lean to 30% fat while a lean burger could run 90% lean and 10% fat. Most households prefer an 80:20 blend for burgers. All of these influence the amount you take home from the locker.

Research and practical experience indicate that an 1,100-lb. steer that’s been fed a concentrate feed for 90 or 100 days should yield roughly 670 lb. of hanging beef. The typical yield or dressing percentage is 60% to 62%. Thinner and older animals, especially cows, will have a lower dressing percentage.

The typical beef carcass that is processed into closely trimmed cuts — some boneless, some bone-in — with regular ground beef yields about 65%-67% of the carcass weight in wrapped beef. Thus, the 670-lb. hanging weight now is broken down to about 442 lb. (670 lb. x 0.66 = 442 lb.) Remember, the 670-lb. hot carcass weight shrinks some during the 10- to 14-day aging period.

First-time buyers of a whole or half beef may anticipate more fancy steaks than they receive. Those top-quality steaks are cut from the rib and short loin, which together comprise approximately 18% of the animal’s carcass weight.
The current beef market is strong and, with the economy the way it is, many consumers are not financially able to buy a whole carcass. Producers who normally market carcass beef are developing smaller packages or bundles of beef cuts to accommodate their customers.

For more information, including details about the 2011 sales, contact any of the MU Extension livestock specialists in southwest Missouri: Eldon Cole in Mount Vernon, 417-466-3102 or Dona Goede in Cedar County, 417-276-3313.
— Release by MU Extension.