Is All of This Ours? What Cuts Come in a Half-Calf

This is the part everyone gets excited about.  This is just one box from a recent half-calf.

There’s a moment at every pickup that never gets old.

A family pulls up to the processor to pick up their beef. It’s neatly packed in sturdy boxes, and they look at the stack and ask, “Is all of this ours?”

Yes, it is.

Before that day comes, almost every family asks us the same question: what cuts come in a half-calf? It's exciting, and you want to know what you'll be getting.

So let’s open the boxes and take a look.

Steaks

This is the part everyone gets excited about.

A half-calf comes with the steaks you know and love: ribeyes, New York strips, filet mignons, and sirloins. That’s a lot of steak nights.

You’ll also find some steaks you may never see at the grocery store, like flat irons, Denvers, and picanha steaks, which is a favorite at Brazilian steakhouses.

If you ask Tim and I which steak we reach for most, it’s the chuck eye steak, sometimes nicknamed "the poor man’s ribeye." It’s cut from the chuck where it meets the rib. That means it comes from the same muscle as the ribeye, and it has the same rich marbling and flavor. And because it’s Wagyu, it’s incredibly tender.

Most grocery stores never put chuck eye steaks in the meat case, so a lot of people have never tried one. Once you try it, you’ll understand why it’s one of our favorites.

Fajitas

Skirt steak, bavette, and flank are full of flavor and make great fajitas. Slice them thin against the grain, and they’re perfect for tacos, and steak salads.

Low and Slow

You’ll get a brisket, ribs, tri-tip, and osso bucco, plus oxtail and cheek meat. Our blog posts have talked about brisket, tri-tip, osso bucco and barbacoa recipes. If you’ve read them, you already know what these can do.

How much ground beef comes in a half-calf?

Plenty. Ground beef has become our best seller because it tastes so delicious. Some of our half-calf buyers want more than others, so they can choose to grind what might become stew meat or cutlets. At our house, we enjoy Fry-Day pretty often, so we love our chicken fried cutlets. We also enjoy carne guisada, stroganoff and other dishes that can be made with stew meat.

What else comes in a half?

If you want, you can get roasts, but if it can be a steak, we choose that over a 3-pound roast. And we use Osso Bucco just the same as we would a roast. That's one of my Mom's favorites because it is fall-apart tender. I snicker a little each time she tells me "I really like that Oxy Buxy or whatever you call it."

There are a few extras too: bones for broth, and fat you can render into your own tallow. Offal is the organs, and you either love them or you don't. We never let anything you don't want go to waste, so we take them if you don't.

Can I choose my own cuts?

Yes! When you buy a half-calf from us, you get to decide how it’s cut. One recent family chose to have their cutlets, kabob meat, and stew meat ground, which gave them even more ground beef. Would you rather have more steaks or more roasts? Just fill out your cutsheet with whatever your family loves to eat, and our processors will make sure your half is cut the way you want it.

You can even choose how thick you want your steaks. We like ours 1-1/4" thick. So when anyone asks how many ribeyes come with a half-calf, the answer is, it varies. You’ll get more steaks if you cut them 1" thick than if you cut them 1-1/4".

My mind just drifted back to a friend who went to a pizza place. They asked him if he wanted his pizza cut into 6 or 8 pieces. He said, “You better make it 6. I don’t think I can eat 8.”

I digress. But the same goes for your steaks. Thinner or thicker, it’s the same amount of delicious Wagyu. You just get to decide how you want to slice it.

More Ground Beef or Less? It’s Up to You

A recent farm friend chose to have their cutlets, kabob meat, and stew meat ground, which gave them even more ground beef. And another farm friend asked how can they avoid getting so much ground beef.

Would you rather have more steaks or roasts or ground? Just fill out your cut sheet with whatever your family loves to eat, and our processor will make sure your half-calf is cut the way you like it.

Why is every half a little different?

Every half is different, because everyone gets to choose their cuts. And every calf is a little different in size too. So the cuts will change a little from one half to the next. That’s part of buying beef from a real farm instead of a factory.

How do I reserve a half?

It’s simple. Place a deposit on our Buy a Half-Calf page, and we’ll save the next available half just for you.

50% Wagyu Half-Calf / Cow Deposit

$800.00

Buy Now

Pureblood Wagyu Half-Calf / Cow Deposit

$1,000.00

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No Big Freezer? No Problem.

For those of you who have a freezer attached to your refrigerator, The Meat Club might be just for you. We love accommodating your needs and welcome you to our farm family.