Organic Beef

[nzwasp]

I got an email from our beef supplier today, they are taking orders for the year.

Heres their page if anyone is interested:

http://www.trailsendbeef.com/howtoorder.html

[Graham_A_M]

So the smallest you can order is a quarter? Hmmm, anybody want to split a quarter with me potentially? a quarter is WAY too much beef for a single guy lol.

[nzwasp]

A quarter will be about 80lbs of meat I reckon.

[A790]

Just received my quarter cow from Wineglass Ranch. 206 lbs = $822.80

http://i.imgur.com/R1BEbn1.jpg

[KRyn]

Hey A790, could you post a break down of what cuts of meat you received in your order?

[A790]

Lots of beef sausage, approximately 90 hamburgers, 6 roasts, 6 large packages of hamburger, 16 New York steaks, 3 filet steaks, 8 packages of stir-fry beef, 6 packages of of stew steak...

I haven't gone through everything yet. I know there's a bunch I haven't mentioned.

[KRyn]

Originally posted by A790
Lots of beef sausage, approximately 90 hamburgers, 6 roasts, 6 large packages of hamburger, 16 New York steaks, 3 filet steaks, 8 packages of stir-fry beef, 6 packages of of stew steak...

I haven't gone through everything yet. I know there's a bunch I haven't mentioned.

You should sell me a NY Strip, I would love to do a side by side comparison of their beef versus what I usually buy!
:D

[A790]

Originally posted by KRyn


You should sell me a NY Strip, I would love to do a side by side comparison of their beef versus what I usually buy!
:D
Sure man :)

[zipdoa]

Did you get tenderloin? That's what I'm most interested in...

[sputnik]

Originally posted by zipdoa
Did you get tenderloin? That's what I'm most interested in...

If you really like good cuts of beef, buying a 1/4 or 1/2 cow will be disappointing. I did it once and you quickly realize how little of the cow are actually good cuts (tenderloin, striploin and rib).

Most of what you will get is ground beef, sausage (if you place does them), tougher roasts (chuck, rump, crossrib, round) and stewing beef.

The other issue I have is the guys selling the half or quarter cows do the cutting themselves (to save money) but they often tend to be terrible butchers. I have had steaks/roasts from a variety of these kind of guys on several occasions and often the recognizable cuts (tenderloin, strip, ribeye etc) weren't cut properly.

[nzwasp]

The guy who we got our half pig from sent it to a terrible butcher some of the ground is 1lb some is 4lb. Its all wrapped badly. The pork chops are cut poorly.

I've never had a problem with beef though

[Jeeper1986]

my family gets there beef from them, the meat iss soo soft even after being frozen doesn't gum up and always juicy

[A790]

Originally posted by sputnik


If you really like good cuts of beef, buying a 1/4 or 1/2 cow will be disappointing. I did it once and you quickly realize how little of the cow are actually good cuts (tenderloin, striploin and rib).

Most of what you will get is ground beef, sausage (if you place does them), tougher roasts (chuck, rump, crossrib, round) and stewing beef.

The other issue I have is the guys selling the half or quarter cows do the cutting themselves (to save money) but they often tend to be terrible butchers. I have had steaks/roasts from a variety of these kind of guys on several occasions and often the recognizable cuts (tenderloin, strip, ribeye etc) weren't cut properly.
I haven't experienced this yet. The meat was butchered by Balzac Meats and seems to be done well.

I've had some of the burgers, sausages, rib steak, and stir fry meat. All was delicious and tender. A semi-sweet flavor that is really different than what I was buying at Safeway/Co-Op/etc.

The sausages in particular were just killer, damn. I'm glad I got like 15 packages of those lol

[D'z Nutz]

Originally posted by A790
http://i.imgur.com/jMxfRCV.jpg

217lbs of organic beef from WineGlass ranch :)


Originally posted by killramos
^Is it even worth it to buy good high quality meat that you are just going to freeze?

Serious question.


Originally posted by A790

Yes.

The difference in flavour and texture is very apparent. When we got our first shipment last year we went to Costco and bought AAA New York Strips. We thawed two of our organics and grilled them with the Costco steaks. Same seasoning,cook time, relative thickness, and grill.

The organic steaks were better. Not "night and day" better, more like going from a BMW 328 to 335 better.

We paid $4.89/lb, butchered and delivered.


Originally posted by killramos
Interesting. Cant say no to the price esp if you already have a deep freeze. might be something to look into. What kindof cuts did you get? I cant imagine they are ALL steaks? haha.

How long does that last you?


Originally posted by spikerS
I am interested to know what that batch cost as well. Looks to be a 1/4


Originally posted by Strider

Originally posted by A790
We paid $4.89/lb, butchered and delivered.

Is that hanging weight?
Do you freeze it like that or vacuum seal?


Originally posted by killramos
Interesting. Cant say no to the price esp if you already have a deep freeze. might be something to look into. What kindof cuts did you get? I cant imagine they are ALL steaks? haha.

How long does that last you?

Guessing that's a 1/4 cow, so you get some of everything, including weird cuts that you won't know what to do with. Definitely not all steak.

I'm curious how it compares to supermarket price, but that would be a lot of effort to calculate because you'd have you account for every different cut.


Originally posted by killramos

Originally posted by A790

217lbs of organic beef from WineGlass ranch :)

Originally posted by A790

We paid $4.89/lb, butchered and delivered.

Originally posted by spikerS
I am interested to know what that batch cost as well. Looks to be a 1/4
If i was to guess its in the range of $1,061.13 :bigpimp:

Quoted from the latest purchase thread. Inquiring minds want to know.

[killramos]

Alright so moving the convo over from the latest purchase thread:

Re: Wine Glass Ranch their website has tons of info on cuts.

exerpt:


Currently our beef is available from December to June only. You can place your order at anytime but it is a first come first serve basis. It is recommended that you place your order at least 3 months in advance of your preferred delivery date.

When you place an order we will offer suggestions regarding the different options for each cut. the goal is to customize your order to suit your needs.
For example: Do you want the T-bone whole or divided into New York strip and fillet mignion? Do you want the Prime Rib as steaks or roasts? How big do you want your hamburger packages?

Minimum order size is 1/4 beef. This means you get 1/4 of all the cuts! Your order will include Prime Rib, T-bone, Cross Rib, Sirloin, Chuck, Round, Ground Beef, Ribs, Shank (soup bones).

A 1/4 beef will be delivered in 3 to 4 legal sized boxes (14”x10”x8” each).
If a 1/4 beef is too large we recommend splitting it with your friends. Just spread the frozen packages on the kitchen table and divide it up!

http://wineglassranchalberta.com/natural-beef/

A790, how long did your order take if you wont mind me asking? Can you give us an idea of how much of each cut you got for a 1/4 cow?

[ercchry]

damn, dry aged too.... i should do this one day

[speedog]

Sort of on topic - I happened to be at Balzac Meats yesterday and much to my surprise, elk steaks were cheaper than beef. Butcher there said there is a shortage of beef across North America that is pushing beef prices upwards - never thought I'd see the day when cuts of elk would be cheaper than beef.

[ercchry]

Originally posted by speedog
Sort of on topic - I happened to be at Balzac Meats yesterday and much to my surprise, elk steaks were cheaper than beef. Butcher there said there is a shortage of beef across North America that is pushing beef prices upwards - never thought I'd see the day when cuts of elk would be cheaper than beef.

how does that place work? do they have an actual retail front or do you call them, place an order and just pick up?

[A790]

Originally posted by killramos
A790, how long did your order take if you wont mind me asking? Can you give us an idea of how much of each cut you got for a 1/4 cow?
We ordered in December (when were down to our last 25% from the last order) and they gave us a delivery of sometime in March (today, hooray!).

$4.89/hanging lb, butchered by Balzac meats and delivered to your door.

They came pre-frozen wrapped in wax paper. We tossed them in the freezer and will eat them throughout the year. We never had any problems and the flavour is consistently good.

Ballparking it, I have:

12-14 New York strips
6-8 filets
8-10 chuck steaks
4 packs of short ribs
6 roasts of varying cuts (tip, etc.)
10lbs of hamburger
2 boxes of premade hamburgers (an extra $10 each)
About a dozen smaller cuts labelled "stir fry"
About a dozen medium-size cuts labelled "stew"

It's nearly identical to what we got last year.

We more or less eliminate beef from grocery shopping for at least six months after receiving this, and we will still have ample meat for the next six. We love to slow cook stuff and the stew beef & roasts are bloody amazing. I can't get over the difference in flavour (my wife bitched and complained every time we bought a roast from the grocery store after we ran out at home).

Travis (owner) will call you to sort out the kinds of cuts/etc. you're looking for. You can choose to get sausages made, hamburgers, etc. It's a mom and pop shop though so remember that when you talk to them- you're talking to a rancher, not an order taker :)

EDIT: We ordered a 1/4 cow. No, you don't get all steaks. You get a good selection though, and we used it as an opportunity to learn how to prepare other cuts of beef.

[A790]

Unrelated, I was looking for "before" photos of my kitchen and it seems there's one posted above! :D

[killramos]

Is it just you and the wife or are you feeding kids with that?

[A790]

Originally posted by killramos
Is it just you and the wife or are you feeding kids with that?
Just us.... and hopefully it says that way. lol

[killramos]

Originally posted by A790

Just us.... and hopefully it says that way. lol

:thumbsup:

Seriously considering calling in an order. that sounds fantastic. Think of all the beef jerky that could be made :drool:. Even with the shittier cuts.

[A790]

Originally posted by killramos


:thumbsup:

Seriously considering calling in an order. that sounds fantastic. Think of all the beef jerky that could be made :drool:. Even with the shittier cuts.
Definitely worth a conversation for sure. Some people may not find value in it, but for us, we figure it saves us a few hundred bucks (at least) in meat per year and the quality is definitely worth the investment. I posted this on FB and two of my buddies (that have eaten the beef before) asked to come over for a bbq... hmm, wonder who's providing the meat? lol

[speedog]

Originally posted by ercchry
how does that place work? do they have an actual retail front or do you call them, place an order and just pick up?
You can do both, they sell right out of where they cut things up and do their packaging - if someone is squeamish in the least bit with respect to that process, then it would best to not go inside there at their location north of Cross Iron Mills.

You can call and place an order and then go and pick it up.

[msommers]

I'd like to do this sort of thing with either buffalo or elk, and split it amongst a few people. Both are big animals! Of course I'd rather moose but not commercially sold.

Thinking of all that red meat makes my mouth water, and my heart hurt

http://images.rapgenius.com/291451c229f4c89bcb218b22cefdedc9.576x432x1.jpg

[iron_man888]

I'm torn between Highwood Valley and Wineglass.. has anyone tried both ? any difference in taste/quality?

[black_2.5RS]

I was due to get a 1/2 cow from wineglass and they told me it died because it ate garbage. Not sure where they keep their cows or what they're feeding them but I opted to go somewhere else where for my cuts.

[8Ball]

Any difference between these guys and red deer lake meats? The one near Shaughnessy http://www.rdlmeats.ab.ca

[Kritafo]

Originally posted by msommers
I'd like to do this sort of thing with either buffalo or elk, and split it amongst a few people. Both are big animals! Of course I'd rather moose but not commercially sold.

Thinking of all that red meat makes my mouth water, and my heart hurt

http://images.rapgenius.com/291451c229f4c89bcb218b22cefdedc9.576x432x1.jpg

You should give https://www.crmr.com/ranch/ a call, talk to Terry, he would put a package together for you. We get all our elk and bison from them.

[R154]

Originally posted by black_2.5RS
I was due to get a 1/2 cow from wineglass and they told me it died because it ate garbage. Not sure where they keep their cows or what they're feeding them but I opted to go somewhere else where for my cuts.

I dont know why I found this hilarious, but I did.

[msommers]

Originally posted by Kritafo


You should give https://www.crmr.com/ranch/ a call, talk to Terry, he would put a package together for you. We get all our elk and bison from them.

Sweet that's awesome thank you!

[CanmoreOrLess]

To bump an oldish thread, anyone buying organic beef as of late? I'm looking to buy a 1/4 or half section of organically raised beef. Tired of getting hosed buying a few times a month from the local farmers' market.

[CanmoreOrLess]

Beyond now filled with tofu eaters? BUMP!!

[rob the knob]

you life be better with no cow meat. do not fool by calling it beef. you eat cow. you ever see what cow poops? you scared of horse eating, then eat cow?

[CanmoreOrLess]

Originally posted by rob the knob
you life be better with no cow meat. do not fool by calling it beef. you eat cow. you ever see what cow poops? you scared of horse eating, then eat cow?

Is someone mixing his meds again? Yup.

[A790]

I'm getting another quarter in December. At $5.25/lb now...!

[CanmoreOrLess]

Originally posted by A790
I'm getting another quarter in December. At $5.25/lb now...!

Your meat manna is one of three places on my list. It is actually in the lead. I was at the Farmers' Market on the weekend, serious sticker shock over in the beef stall. Time to move to the country and raise a lot of beef.

[nzwasp]

Well the farmers market is a lot more expensive than buying direct from the farm.

[CanmoreOrLess]

Just got a quote from WineGlass Ranch:



We are sold-out for our December delivery (that is our first delivery of the year). We will have some available for January.

The price is $5.25 / lb hanging weight (hanging weight is the bone-in weight). That works out to be ~$1000 - $1200 for a ¼, depending on the finished weight of the animal. The price includes cutting, wrapping and delivery to the Calgary area.

[CompletelyNumb]

Do the prices go down if you order more? Or is it flat rate at these places?

Beyond group buy 4 whole cows if we can get a discount? :poosie:

[CompletelyNumb]

2 year bump? :O

Who's still buying sides of beef here? Looking to throw in a winter order this year, looks like prices have stayed pretty stable over the last couple years.

Any new players or is Wineglass still a good source?

[A790]

2 year bump? :O

Who's still buying sides of beef here? Looking to throw in a winter order this year, looks like prices have stayed pretty stable over the last couple years.

Any new players or is Wineglass still a good source?
WG is still in the game :)

[riander5]

WG is still in the game :)

Big difference - WG Grass feeds and grain finished, Trails end is grass fed and grass finished. Depends how much that matters to you I guess. Id be curious if there is a pricing difference.

[CompletelyNumb]

Bumping this with a little more research for anyone interested:

http://i63.tinypic.com/1zqy4w7.png

[ercchry]

Nice work! Another helpful line(s) would be when ordering opens and when they predict delivery

[CompletelyNumb]

Someone PMd me asking for it, so here's the sheet from last year. It needs an update.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mQ_UPNmYRYNiOCr-X1aCvHtrCvZMUHBsGjiSemH01R0/edit?usp=sharing

[killramos]

Any benefits in “group buy”ing a cow?

For example a full cow is probably way too much for my household but a half could be promising.

[dirtsniffer]

What makes a cow organic?

[The_Rural_Juror]

What makes a cow organic?

When it's made of carbon fibre.

[CompletelyNumb]

Any benefits in “group buy”ing a cow?

For example a full cow is probably way too much for my household but a half could be promising.

Not really. The price differences were negligible when I looked into it last year. And this year with the "beef shortage" scares, most places sold out anyways, so no motive for them to offer any deals.

[GQBalla]

Just like CompletelyNumb stated, cost wise is negligible. After all said in done it was $6.50 a pound (delivered) for me

pros:
convenience (just go down to the freezer and grab meat for the next day or next few days)
super lean
If you care about where your meat comes from for ethical reasons, helping out local etc.

cons:
you get a lot of cuts I personally didn't buy, like round steak, stewing beef, t-bone, filet mignon. Usually only get ground beef, striploin and rib eyes/prime rib roasts
up right cost

while debating this bulk purpose, everyone says the price is going to be on par from just going out to the store. I put in an order before COVID pandemic in Canada, it wasn't for stock pile reasons.

Personally I would say my diet is pretty clean. I wanted to see if there was any benefits to eating grass fed versus just what I get at Costco. Just over two months now of continuing my diet mainly red meat, vegetables and a little carbs. I would say noticed no performance increase or body aesthetics that I could have achieved without eating just grass fed. I actually had to intake more fats to make up for how lean it is.

Would I do it again? probably - the convenience is worth it alone for me.

[killramos]

Is there any “grading” of what you are getting?

Like where does this rank in terms of A-AAA?

Probably ranks relatively low due to leanness?

This is something I have wanted to try to do for years but want to make sure I’m eyes wide open for it and know what to be asking for when I do it. I think knowing how I want it butchered is going to be key for me. I am probably an outlier in wanting more cuts whole rather than turning half the side into burgers.

[flipstah]

How much is a whole steer? Or is it called cow?

I could split it with my parents since they have a deep freezer.

[GQBalla]

no official grading. I did have a custom form and they gave me as many steaks as possible.

It was exciting because I do eat organ meat and they will give those to you as well. Also got a bunch of meaty soup bones which I made pho with. Kept up with the new trend of bone broth, whatever that is what i've been drinking my whole life. People say grassfed taste different, a sweeter taste? will need a better palate then mine because all I noticed is that it's leaner.

[GQBalla]

How much is a whole steer? Or is it called cow?

I could split it with my parents since they have a deep freezer.

roughly 3-4 thousand

[CompletelyNumb]

The sheet I posted is a good way to see how much price varies. Plus the cows are sold on hanging weight, and the animals do vary in size. Most of these ranches are super friendly and happy to answer your questions if you call or email them. The meat isn't rated like grocery stores from what I've seen, but you can ask the rancher and they will tell you what to expect for marbling. You can even customize the aging at many places to your tastes.

Cost wise, if your diet is already high in red meat, you will have a slight savings over grocery store prices. If you don;t eat a lot of red meat, you will find yourself with a boat load of cuts you don't normally eat which might make it feel like less of a value. I think most people buy direct for the comfort of knowing where the animal came from, how it was raised, and the overall quality of the meat. And it never hurts to have a deep freeze full of meat for the year.