Cut sheet guide

When you buy a half or quarter, you tell the butcher how to cut it. Here's what each choice means, and how it shifts what you take home. Pounds are estimates for a half.

Bone-in or boneless

Mostly bone-in A mix Mostly boneless

Bone-in steaks and roasts weigh more on the package and many people like the flavor. Boneless means less weight to store and more of it is meat. Bone-in loin cuts aren't allowed from cattle 30 months or older.

Roasts turned into ground beef

Roasts make slow-cooked meals and leftovers. Turning them into ground gives quick weeknight meals.

Stew meat

Stew meat is cut from roasts, so it comes out of your roast pounds.

Steak thickness

1 inch 1¼ inch

Same pounds of steak either way. Thicker steaks mean fewer, bigger steaks.

Extras to ask for (they're small) Short ribs Soup and marrow bones Organs: liver, heart, tongue, oxtail

Short ribs come from meat that usually goes into ground. Bones and organs are weighed separately by the plant and aren't in the totals here. Ask the plant what it can save; not every plant offers every item.

—lb of packaged beef from a half, estimated

Your half	Estimated lb
Steaks
Roasts
Stew meat
Ground beef

Based on a half at about 403 lb hanging weight and the carcass cutting yields in our beef guide. Your real cut sheet is reviewed with you before harvest.