Tell me about buying meat in bulk
Rarely do I remember my parents buying beef in the grocery store while I was growing up. Our beef was usually delivered to us by my uncle, once a year, wrapped up in white butcher paper and in a big brown box. My uncle raised steers right next door to us and a bulk delivery of beef was great for our family of 7. We’d get tons of ground beef, steaks, roasts and cow tongue which my dad snuck in to beef soup on occasion. There were always plenty of options for meals-pot roasts, steaks on the grill, meatballs, meat loaf, hamburgers, casserole. We could just head to the freezer and “shop” from there.
When Ryan and I got married, we began to search out farmers in South Dakota, where we were living, to purchase bulk meat from. A co-worker of Ryan’s in the Air Guard raised hogs so we were able to order a whole pig from him which filled up our freezer with hams, bacon, pork chops, sausage and more. Just having so many different options to choose from, right in our freezer, made meal time much simpler. Before we started raising cattle and pigs we were able to find some great local producers and have had a steady supply of delicious, nutritious meat products since we’ve moved to Wisconsin. Many nights I’m still working on figuring out what’s for dinner around 4-4:30 and it’s so helpful to have quick cooking bulk sausage, ground beef, bacon, ground lamb and chops to pull out and thaw quickly. For those days I am better prepared with my meal planning, I can thaw out a roast, a chicken or cook a leg of lamb for a few hours. It’s great to have options to be able to change up our meals and keep them fun and different.
We sell lamb, beef and hogs by the 1/2 or whole animal. We’ve had a lot of questions about how this works so I want to answer our most common questions for you.
When you buy bulk meat from most farmers, it is sold by the hanging weight of the animal. Once the animal is butchered and organs, hide, hooves and other structures removed prior to further processing this is considered the hanging weight of the animal. From that point, the animal is further processed into steaks, roasts and other cuts. The weight of the meat that you bring home (boxed weight) will be less than the hanging weight as there is loss of weight from bones, trimmings, fat, etc.
Customers also pay the butcher for the processing of the animal into various cuts and for any smoking of bacon and hams. The butchers walk customers through processing options and are great for answering any questions on packaging and cuts available. So, bulk meat customers pay the farmers for the meat and the butchers for the processing and packaging of the meat.
There is a big difference in the amount of meat you end up with based on what animal you are buying.
Lamb: Hanging weight typically 35-45 lb for whole animal with boxed take home meat 15-20 lbs
Pork: Hanging weight for whole approximately 200# with boxed take home meat approximately 150 lbs
Beef: Hanging weight for beef is approximately 400# for 1/2 with boxed take home meat approximately 200+ lbs for 1/2 beef
We offer whole or 1/2 100% grass fed lamb options, whole or half pig and 1/4 to 1/2 grass-fed and finished beef options. Ordering is open for all and can be done through our on-line farm store! Start planning on filling your freezer and consider meats from Sullivan Family Farm!
Thank you for letting us be your farmers!
Jackie
