Sides of Beef

We sell sides of beef, beef hind quarters and beef front quarters.
 All our beef is GRADED USDA Choice, Yield Grade 2. 
[We purchase our hanging beef from Stovall Packing Company
in Poplar Bluff, MO.]

Prices change weekly.

  Our beef is only available for sale in our store in Jackson, MO.
 We Do NOT Sale any type of meat products on our Website!

All of the sides of beef we sell are dry-aged 7 to 14 days.  If you are not familiar with dry-aged beef and its benefits, you can read more about it on our page on Dry Aged Beef.

This prices are as of October 11, 2012.

Prices:  Are for the dressed (hanging) weight before the beef is processed.
The price does NOT include our 49¢/lb. charge for custom cutting, wrapping and freezing:

Sides of Beef -  $2.60/lb. (Average Weight of Side of Beef is 300 - 350 lbs.)
Hind Quarters of Beef - $2.77/lb. (Average Weight of Hind Quarter is 145 - 170 lbs.)
Front Quarters of Beef - $2.51/lb. (Average Weight of Front Quarter is 150 - 175 lbs.)

[Average cutting loss is 30%.  So on an average 300 side of beef, you would receive approximately 210 lbs. of take-home/edible meat.]

We buy our beef from Stovall Packing House in Poplar Bluff, MO.  We do not mark up the cost of the beef we sell.  We only add our standard 49¢/lb. processing charge!

We now have a FREE PDF available "Buying Beef For The Home Freezer" - just left click here to view it or right click here and chose "Save Target As" to download the file to your computer!

(COMPLETE) Cost Estimate of
Beef by the Side

"Hanging weight" is the weight of a side of beef as it hangs on the rail in a meat cooler. The locker operator purchased the side from a meat packer on a hanging weight basis and also sells it to the consumer that way.

Some sides of beef are fatter than other sides of beef. Because excess fat is removed during cutting, carcass fatness will affect how much take-home meat a side of beef will yield.

YIELD FROM A VERY LEAN, CHOICE 300 LB. SIDE

Fat & bone (waste) 15%

Usable meat cuts
225 lb. take-home meat 85%

YIELD FROM AN AVERAGE, CHOICE 300 LB. SIDE

Fat & bone (waste) 30%

Usable meat cuts
210 lb. take-home meat 70%

YIELD FROM A VERY FAT, CHOICE 300 LB. SIDE

Fat & bone (waste) 45%

Usable meat cuts
165 lb. take-home meat 55%

The above illustrations are for USDA Choice sides and are most commonly available from Yield Grades 2, 3, and 4. The highest quality grade of Prime is most commonly available from Yield Grades 3, 4, and 5. The lower quality of Select is most commonly available from Yield Grades 1, 2, and 3. Standard, lower in quality than Good, is most commonly available from Yield Grades 1 and 2.

All beef sold hanging weight will lose some of its weight in the cutting and trimming process no matter how lean the side of beef is. The amount of fat and bone that must be trimmed (cutting loss) from a side thus has an influence on the price per pound of meat that is finally wrapped and frozen for you.

Ask your locker operator to explain to you how to figure the approximate price per pound of meat you will take home. Remember, this is only an approximation and will vary with how you want your beef trimmed and boned.

TAKE-HOME MEAT PRICE

To find the approximate cost per pound of cut and wrapped meat, divide the price per pound "hanging weight" by the percent take-home meat.

Here's a picture of 2 Sides of Beef (1 Whole Beef) hanging in our cooler.

Just click on the picture to see a larger view.

This diagram shows a Side (1/2) of Beef with its 8 Primal Cuts: Chuck, Rib, Loin, Round, Shank, Brisket, Short Plate, and Flank.

You can find out more of what cuts are available on a side, quarter or whole beef on the following page of beef charts!

Also the real cost of Sides and Quarters of Beef

Ask The Meatman's Own
"How To Process Beef" Video!!

1 Hour & 14 Minutes of Learning How To:

• Make The Primal Beef Cuts

• Make Sub-Primal Beef Cuts

• Make Retail Beef Cuts

• Freezer Wrap Beef Correctly

• Sharpen Your Knife Correctly

• Use A Steel Correctly

Yield Grades

USDA yield grades identify the "quantity" or "cutability" differences among carcasses. Yield grades are 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, and are a numerical representation of the expected percentage of closely trimmed, boneless retail cuts from the round, loin, rib and chuck. This percentage of retail cuts is the carcass cutability (Table A).