Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Beef prices getting crazy

It can be a combination of stress, age, slaughter techniques and aging, genetics and breeding.


The older an animal the more likely that it will be tough.

I forget the number, but over a certain age an animal can't be graded Prime.

Quite often, an animal from a local producer will be a bit older.

What an animal is fed and for how long its fed can contribute to toughness.


Aging a carcass is terribly important to tenderness too. Some unscrupulous people won't age an animal properly.


The big packers and feeders produce a lot of tough beef. It's just that you might only ever get one tough steak out of 20.

Not like getting the whole animal.


We feed for tenderness and flavor. We feed way longer than the big guys do, mainly to hedge for tenderness.

No doubt.

It's sure enough good.....but I don't know if it's THAT good.

To hear people gush over brisket, you would think the rest of the steer ain't worth cooking.

Serious question - I buy cases upon cases of ribeyes, whatever .for roasting primarily, but have done it all. 0x1’s, tenderloins, whatever. You name it. Specifically in the ribeyes, every once in a blue moon of choice end to ends, an anomalous “tough one”… WTF is that??? Looks same raw… is it a flaw from the slaughter? Tightening up from shock? Honest question

Sure, sometimes a primal or subprimal wasn't allowed to relax properly.


The aging does not happen at the big packing houses.

It happens at the wholesalers I believe? Sal would know.

I managed to get a quarter from my neighbor's this past spring. More than enough for the wife and I. Still have a good bunch in the freezer.

Certainly wasn't "cheap", but I also know where the animal was raised and how it was raised. Butchered up the road in Oregon. The cuts we've eaten so far have been plenty good enough for our tastes.

The meat looks OK to me. And for all I know this:



came from one of these critters on the other side of my fence, as he has the allotment back there.



Labels Jim? Sheesh, we don't read no stinkin' labels!

I know more about fish, and that some benefit more from relaxing on the bone/aging than others. Halibut would be a great example. [bleep] can be like rubber “too fresh” if it hasn’t been killed, bled, and processed ideally. Same with the cow?

Thank you

Sure. How it's killed and processed makes a huge difference.

Hanging time is important, but most small processors won't go over 14 days.

They spend too much time trimming off the oxidized meat at 21 days.

If fed and killed properly, 14 days is plenty.

Doesn't matter what the price is, Here in wisconsin u can't buy Beef [or any meat for that matter] in a grocery store or butcher shop that u can eat! I don't know what they feed these animals but there ought to be a law against it! Have to buy a steer from a farmer [corn fed hereford for us] wait a year or more for butcher time slot. Watch them slaughter steer, mark both sides with tamper proof ID tags, chill for 2 weeks. Then watch them cut it up so the meat don't get switched or stolen!

Looks like Flaves Chicago Blackcocks sweater?

I want to be a rancher. Not much for horses though.

The Covina fugked up my side business of feeding a few beef. No cows last year, none this year.
Hopefully get lined out this spring.

If I win the lottery, I’m blowing it all on schitty pasture and some animals. Lol.

What do you feed and for how long ?

Oldest daughter and SIL both have full time jobs, but run 50-60 momma cows on the side. SIL had a bunch of co-workers bugging him to sell them beefs for the freezer last year during Covid. They set up and coordinated slaughter and butcher for 8-10 animals last year. As Jim and others noted, a lot of work to line up the killer, open dates with processor, ready and willing cash buyers. However, they made enough extra over the stock yards last year, that they sold about double the number to private slaughter this year.

Grandson is in one of the animal science programs at Morehead. Daughter and grandson are working on the SIL to feed 'em out a bit longer on grain to improve the finish. Neighbor is a butcher. He said the carcass they hung before mine should grade at least choice based on back fat and internal organ fat covering. FWIW, approximately $0.30-$0.40 of my $5.00 per pound is 21 day hang time in the cooler to allow tenderizing...

Paid $1.50 lb. last week. It walked right up on the trailer....

I dunno, we are eating moose

I think the prime level is 30 months. I know (here anyway) they're not allowed to leave spinal column / cord everyone's problem in processed meat after the age of 30 months and they determine the 30 months by bone or jawbone I think it actually is.

Can't afford the "good" stuff !

To me, a good cook can make cheap, tough cut taste great.

When I get out this cardiac unit, and get this iv outta my arm

Imma go fouck some $6 tones up


I still got about 20 rolls of Food Saver bags so it’s on jack

Pliers and a blow torch?