Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Butchering your own beef

Local butchers all booked. I'd like to buy an Angus cross from a local and do my own.

What gear, tips, necessary equipment etc would you recommend?

This may help.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=butchering+your+own+beef

Big job if you have never done it. Ever butcher other stuff on your own? Deer, sheep, hogs? If not, a beef you paid quite a bit of money for is not the place to start. Handling, hoisting, gutting and skinning a 1000+ pound dead critter is not a job for beginners.

Additionally, beef really ought to hang in pretty specific conditions for a couple weeks to get the best results. Unless you have a walk in cooler, that is hard to do.

Once all the other ducks are in a row, you have to know the cuts and how to make them when you start breaking the beef down. That is no small skill.

There is a ton of work and knowledge that lands a ribeye on your grill. There are good reasons why butchers exist, and farmers and ranchers prefer to use them. I have butchered beef for the family in the past, largely because we did not have the money to pay a processor. All of us worked it, and we got it done. Since it was an old cow, we made most into burger, which negated needing to know the cuts. Still, it was a ton of work, and only worth it because we had mouths to feed and little money. A fella used to USDA Choice beef might be less than thrilled with the results of his own butchering, if he is new to the game.

First off

You need a hard hat. A white one. So you and your outfit looks legit.

Never know when someone might drop a spud wrench on your dome from the rafters.

This...👆

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Plus 2 Rio7

2nd this.

Schit...a sawzall and some good knives is all you need for the cutty uppy process.

The bitch is hanging it.


A fellow needs a cool bot.....or a decent stretch of good hanging weather.

I agree with most here, it's a big job, and you need a lot of equipment.

The trick is turning em’ on pasture as soon as it is 4” tall

All you really need for tools are a few knives, a grinder and a proper place to hang.

I completely de-bone all moose and beef to fully boneless meat and go from there. The hard part is knowing how to break down beef into the proper muscle groups. If it's not done right you will end up putting a lot of good steak muscle into burger or stew meat.

There are some very vids on youtube that would be of great help to get one started. I'd watch as many as possible to learn.

Here's what I use along with a cutting block on my tailgate and a grinder. A block and tackle in the garage does the lifting off the truck.

We had a 1500lb steer processed last spring.

About $800 vacuum packed along with 40lbs of smoked snack sticks.

There is no way in hell I'd bother with it for that price.

The guy did a great job, way better than I ever could.


I'll stick to raising them.

This falls into the realm of, "If you have to ask..."

If you just want to do boneless cuts, there are only a few knives you need. The big problem you run into, as others have said, is in handling and in having a place to hang it (and store it when you're done cutting." Also, are you equipped and knowledgable enough to wrap it properly so you don't lose a bunch to freezer burn?

Just like this would be a bad time to decide to get into reloading, it's a bad time to decide to go the "..buy an Angus cross from a local and do my own..." route. I know that, up home, the custom butchers are booked many months ahead. Your best bet, if you're bound and determined to DIY, is to find a friend who is a real meat cutter and talk it over with him. If it still sounds reasonable, have him help you get set up and hold your hand through the whole process. (And give him something besides hamburger and flank steak for helping out.)

Good luck.

A good butcher makes it look easy. It is not! We’ve not butchered a cow, but several folks always showed up and worked their azzes off putting up hogs. For me, a deer takes an entire weekend. No way I’d tackle a cow by myself.

Growing up we butchered our own beef, but dad had access to a hanging cooler in town.

Otherwise butchering is the same as deer or elk. If you haven't butchered a deer or elk, I wouldn't start on a beef.

Kent

A steer is bigger than any elk. The quarters are heavier, too. If you can't handle an elk quarter, you won't be able to handle a steer's.

That Dexter boning knife in the photo is about the most useful knife for many tasks. Both the 6" and 8" models are invaluable. Those carbon steel models are easy to sharpen and hold an edge very well.

The cooler is the biggest thing.

We have a walk in cooler, and like to hang beef, 10 days to 2 weeks, until we get some mold going on the fat, we butcher a lot of game animals every year, so 1 or 2 more critters , ain't much more work. Rio7

Lets see, you have a Worksharp knife sharpener with several spare belts, a battery Sawzall, several cordless powered knives....