Meat Cuts

How to choose the best cuts of meat for grass-fed beef

The Meating Place has a link on their website that will walk you through the cut-and-wrap instructions https://meatingplacepdx.com/custom-cutting-instructions/. You will enter your instructions under the custom cutting folder. They will ask where you are buying your meat from, which will link you with our ranch. Then you will choose your meat cuts.

Knowing the different cuts of meat will help you decide what to order for steaks, roasts or hamburger.

Below is a detailed list and step-by-step explanation of your cut and wrap options.

Please note that grass-fed beef is leaner than grain-fed beef which gives it a different flavor profile. There is also a visual difference between grass-fed and grain-fed beef, the fat in grass-fed beef is a more yellow color. This is from a variety of natural nutrients in the grass, particularly high levels of Beta-Carotene add a yellow tint to the fat which is the same nutrient that adds pigment to carrots. This requires a different cooking technique than grain-fed beef, cooking steaks gently to a rare or medium-rare temperature will produce more tender steaks.

How many steaks per package?

Your choices are two, three or four steaks per package.

How thick do you want your steaks?

Your choices are 3/4 inch, 1 inch or 1/1/4 inch. 1 inch is standard.

Premium steak options are listed next.

Do you want a T-bone steak or a New York steak?

These are both part of the short loin on the cow. The T-bone is a larger steak with the bone left in, on one side of the bone is a NY strip and the other side is a tenderloin filet. The New York steak option is a smaller steak with no bone.

Do you want a rib eye steak or a prime rib roast?

The rib eye steaks are cut into steaks while raw and cooked individually, the prime rib roast is a larger piece of meat that is usually slow roasted and sliced after cooking. They are both high-end cuts taken from the same part of the loin, just cut and cooked differently.

Do you want the top sirloin cut into steaks or a roast?

This is still a premium steak cut so most people will choose the steak option, the roasts will taste delicious too.

Do you want the tenderloin cut into steaks or roasts?

Once again, it is a premium cut of steak so most will choose the steak option but a roast will taste delicious too.

Do you want a flank steak or tri-tip roast?

If ordering a half share of beef, both a flank steak and a tri-tip roast are included. If ordering a 1/4 share it is a choice between the two and they will try to accommodate. The flank steak is a tougher steak that is used with rubs, marinades and slow cooking methods. The tri-tip roast name is in reference to its triangular shape and is located at the tip of the sirloin. This is a more tender piece of meat that is generally slow cooked.

What is your choice of meat from the chuck/shoulder area?

A 1/2 share of beef can have up to 10 pot roasts and a 1/4 share can have up to 5 pot roasts. You can choose to have all of them made into roasts and can also specify the size (two, three or four pound roasts). You can also choose to have it made into stew meat or ground beef instead of roasts.

Do you want stew meat?

1/2 share will yield around 12lbs of stew meat and 1/4 share will yield around 6lbs of stew meat. This doesn’t take away from steak or roast options unless you choose as much stew meat as possible. If you don’t want stew meat, you can choose to have it all made into ground beef, which is also a great option. If you choose stew meat, you have an option of 1.5lb packages or 2lb packages.

Do you want brisket?

1/2 share will have about 8lbs of brisket and 1/4 share will have around 4lbs of brisket. You can choose to keep the brisket to slow cook or have it made into stew or hamburger meat.

Do you want beef shanks?

Beef shanks are from the upper legs of the cow. It can be tough if not properly cooked, slow cooking is a common method used to cook this cut. You can choose to keep this cut or have it made into ground beef.

Do you want skirt steak?

Skirt steak is a very flavorful cut of beef but it’s also a tougher cut. It comes from muscles inside the chest and abdominal cavity, below the ribs. This cut is commonly marinated and cooked quickly on high heat or used for fajitas/stir fry. You can choose to keep this cut or make it into ground beef.

Do you want short ribs?

Short ribs can be cut in two ways, thick or thin. Thin is a good choice for marinating and grilling, thick is a good choice for slow braising. You can choose either of these options or have it made into ground beef.

Do you want the top round made into steak, roasts or stew meat?

The top round is the most tender of the round steaks. Most will choose to keep them as steaks but they can be made into roasts or stew meat.

Do you want the bottom round made into roasts, stew meat, cube steak or ground beef?

The bottom round is the tougher side of the round. It makes great roasts, stew meat, cube steak (tenderized round steak made by going through a tenderizing process), or ground beef. This cut of meat is great for slow cooking but can also be made into ground beef.

How do you want your sirloin tip (not top sirloin)?

This is most often used as a roast, cube steak or ground beef.

Choose your ground beef package sizes.

1lb, 1.5lb or 2 lb packages.

You can also choose to have hamburger patties made.

Do you want dog/soup bones?

You can choose to keep the bones or not keep the bones. Beef bones make excellent bone broth, we highly recommend keeping them.

Do you want to keep heart, liver, tongue, or tail?

The heart is rich in many nutrients, especially vitamin B-12 and iron. It can be slow cooked or pan fried and is very delicious. If this seems unappetizing, many dog owners love to give their dogs both heart and liver in small quantities.

Beef tongue can be boiled, pickled, roasted or braised. The tail makes a great oxtail soup.

This sums up your options for cut and wrap instructions. You can specify any instructions by writing them in at the end.

As you can see, most of these options are personal preferences that you can customize to the type of cooking or recipes your family enjoys. My preference is to spend more time farming than cooking so we order a large quantity of roasts (bottom rounds, tri-tip and chuck/shoulder area) along with the premiums steaks and top round steaks. We hope you enjoy customizing your cuts and feel good about serving up local, delicious and nutritious meals with your grass-fed beef.