The hanging carcass weight (HCW) or hanging weight (HW) is approximately 60% of the steer live weight (LW). Packaged meat is approximately 65% of the HW. Our 1,500-pound steer, for example, yields approximately 900 pounds of hanging weight and 585 pounds of packaged meat. Here’s the arithmetic: 1500 lbs. x 60% x 65% = 585 lbs. (estimated) of packaged meat. Note: Many ranchers sell beef by hanging carcass weight / hanging weight. If they do, multiply that by 65% to estimate packaged meat weight.

It’s not cheaper. Buying 900 pounds of hanging weight for $5.99 a pound is the same as buying 585 pounds of packaged meat for $9.21 a pound. You pay the same amount. Do the math on the HCW, described above, to determine how many pounds of packaged meat you will get and therefore, how much you are paying per pound of packaged meat. (HCW x Price per Pound HCW) divided by pounds of packaged meat equals price per pound of packaged meat.

Dry aging is how a steak house captures the flavor, tenderness, and character of the meat.  Steakhouses sell aged beef.  Some ranches wet age the meat, generally wet aged beef does not achieve the flavor and tenderness potential of beef, this is why dry aging is preferred over wet aged, and certainly over beef that isn’t aged at all.  At least by steakhouses, and…  in our opinion at least.

The flavor profile of premium beef, served by the finest steakhouses, is created by a finishing program of brewers grains and vegetable silage.  When comparing to grass fed options, it is important to understand that different grasses cause different flavors to pervade through the meat.  The marbling profile is also difficult to achieve with grass finishing, so typically grass fed beef doesn’t have the flavor and quality compared to ours.  Finally, grass finishing typically yields less meat as grass finished cattle are generally smaller than grain finished cattle.  There are, of course, exceptions to the rule, but when you go to the Prime steakhouse down town, you’re probably going to be ordering beef finished as we do it.

By purchasing a half, we can custom cut your steaks to any thickness, we can cut your roasts to however many pounds you want them. We can also do specialty cuts like T-Bones and Porterhouse vs. Strips and Filets. Finally, we can age your beef an extra week (21 days) for an up-charge. Bottom line is, the sky is the limit on customization.

Consider how much packaged meat you get, the quality of the beef, and how it was finished. We believe our beef packages are of superior value!

Read our Savvy Beef Buying blog post