How much meat in half of a cow?

Sharing our experience with purchasing a side of beef and an inventory of what we got.

We recently went in with another family, purchased a cow from a local rancher and had it processed to fill our freezer with meat. During this process it made me realize, that others may be wondering how much meat you get when you buy half of a cow. Sharing very briefly the amount of meat we got from half of a cow.

Freezer Inventory from Side of Beef

We ended up with 250 pounds of beef from half of a cow.

7 Chuck Roasts
6 New York Strip Steaks
4 Beef Sirloin
9 Ribeyes
1 pack Fajita Meat
15 Round Steaks
5 Denver Steaks
6 pounds Stew Meat
5 Filets
8 Beef Bones
1 Oxtail
1 Brisket
95 pounds hamburger meat

We also had the option if we wanted organ meats or the tongue.

For reference: Live weight - 1340 lbs., hanging weight - 800 lbs.

Making selections at the processor

In our experience, it was cheaper per pound and much higher quality than what we could buy at the grocery store.

At the meat processor, there are many different options you can choose from such as getting meat made into sausage, hamburger patties, and cuts of meat tenderized which can increase your cost. You also typically get to select the width of steaks, which can change the total number you have. Our steaks were cut to 1.75” inches, which is a little thicker than standard.

How much freezer space is needed for half of a cow?

We got around 250 pounds of meat from our side of beef. It completely filled our 13.0 cubic foot freezer. From experience, you would need at least that size, if not a little larger to be safe.

Thermometer for freezer

If you invest this much money in beef, I highly recommend purchasing a wifi thermometer for your freezer! There are several available online.

We filled our freezer with beef in December and then had a big thunderstorm around Christmas. During the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we did not realize that the breaker the freezer was on had tripped, until we got back into town! Thankfully, we were able to salvage the majority of the beef. As we shared our experience with friends, it seems that almost everyone knew someone that had happened to, which is why I *strongly* recommend a wifi thermometer for your freezer.

Many options available

Some ranchers are selling beef direct to consumer. Oftentimes too if you have a local meat locker in your area and you are wanting to purchase a half of a cow, they may have a rancher they work with. We purchased a Wagyu Angus cross direct from a ranch and it was not much more expensive at the time than the local cattle we could buy. If there is significant interest in this post, I will add ranchers and meat lockers that are recommended in Texas. I will also keep up with FAQ as they arise.