Butcher Cow Age

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pricefarm

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How old is to old to slaughter a cow for meat and it still be good? I would be grinding it all in burger. I know they kill old cows every day but would you kill one to eat that's 10 or 12 years old ?
 
Any opportunity to post this article is a good one : https://www.texasmonthly.com/bbq/old-cows-texas-steaks-heartbrand/

Marketing 101.

If your cow is 12 years old and in good health it will likely make pretty tasty hamburger. My experience with steaks is that they are fine taste wise, but they are tough. I've never kept any roasts but I'd imagine that if you braised them long enough they'd probably be ok.

But read the article -- maybe you can market the animal as "live aged" and "grass fed" for a premium to someone around Charlottesville ;-)
 
Hmmm, all depends on her condition more than age. If she's smooth to fat, BCS 6+ she'll probably be fine. I know if you feed younger cull cows enough corn you can turn their yellow fat to white fat. That brings a premium from the packers.
If you can count her ribs and she's sucked in at her hooks I probably won't eat her at any age, but that's just my opinion.
 
It should be fine for burger. I've got a 12 year old in the freezer now. She was slow, and wouldn't have been able to make it through the sale. She had lost some condition, so it's very lean, but good in tacos, chili, spaghetti, etc.
 
As noted, if she's a BCS of 6 or better she'll make good burger. Depending on your preferences anything that benefits from mechanical tenderizing (by the butcher or you) or traditional long slow braising e.g. pot roast, stew, ribs, shank/soup bones etc will make for good eating.
 
I grew up eating 12-14 year old Holsteins (cull cows). My grandpa would pen them up and give them all the shelled corn they could eat for a month. Meat was always good. I have a 7 year old red angus with an attitude problem that was late calving last year. I'm doing the same to her. She goes in 7/7 and she's as big as a house. As long as you have some new fat on her, her meat will be good
 
If it was me, I would sell the cow and use the money to find a young cripple animal. Preferably about 700lbs. Pour some good high fat feed to it for a couple months and have a good animal to process.
 
Fat or not, it'll still make good burger. Worst case you may need to buy a little fat to mix in, but unlikely. I've butchered old thin cows before, even tried some steaks. Taste was fine. Tenderness, not so much.
 
sstterry said:
Question. If you are taking an older cow just to be ground up, does the carcass still need to age? If so why?

Maybe not truly "age" but we had a fat hfr who's back legs gave out. We had her all ground in to hamburger. The butcher still let her hang a week. They said there would be less blood/serum in the hamburger that way.
 
SBMF 2015 said:
sstterry said:
Question. If you are taking an older cow just to be ground up, does the carcass still need to age? If so why?

Maybe not truly "age" but we had a fat hfr who's back legs gave out. We had her all ground in to hamburger. The butcher still let her hang a week. They said there would be less blood/serum in the hamburger that way.
That answers my question. Than you.
 
SBMF 2015 said:
sstterry said:
Question. If you are taking an older cow just to be ground up, does the carcass still need to age? If so why?

Maybe not truly "age" but we had a fat hfr who's back legs gave out. We had her all ground in to hamburger. The butcher still let her hang a week. They said there would be less blood/serum in the hamburger that way.
Some will grind after only hanging a day or two. Lots of "blood" when you thaw the burger. Nasty, and a way to lose customers.
 
Stocker Steve said:
SBMF 2015 said:
sstterry said:
Question. If you are taking an older cow just to be ground up, does the carcass still need to age? If so why?

Maybe not truly "age" but we had a fat hfr who's back legs gave out. We had her all ground in to hamburger. The butcher still let her hang a week. They said there would be less blood/serum in the hamburger that way.
Some will grind after only hanging a day or two. Lots of "blood" when you thaw the burger. Nasty, and a way to lose customers.

I would say so. That's terrible. I often wonder how much better my venison would be each year if my processor would let them hang.

The processor we use (different from our deer processor) let's them hang 2 weeks weather it's a prime steer or cull cow. Really helps with the tenderness.
 
BigBear56 I often wonder how much better my venison would be each year if my processor would let them hang. The processor we use (different from our deer processor) let's them hang 2 weeks weather it's a prime steer or cull cow. Really helps with the tenderness.[/quote said:
I was at a New Years eve party in a previous life where talk turned to deer hunting. The host invited us to see his buck, that was still hangin in a detached garage. We all trooped out with drinks in hand to see the sunken eyed evidence.

I asked him that spring if the deer was processed yet. He said yes - - there was a prolonged thaw in late February so he decided cut it up after 4 solid months of hang time. Very tender!
 
Stocker Steve said:
BigBear56 I often wonder how much better my venison would be each year if my processor would let them hang. The processor we use (different from our deer processor) let's them hang 2 weeks weather it's a prime steer or cull cow. Really helps with the tenderness.[/quote said:
I was at a New Years eve party in a previous life where talk turned to deer hunting. The host invited us to see his buck, that was still hangin in a detached garage. We all trooped out with drinks in hand to see the sunken eyed evidence.

I asked him that spring if the deer was processed yet. He said yes - - there was a prolonged thaw in late February so he decided cut it up after 4 solid months of hang time. Very tender!

Now that's aging your meat!!!! Wow
 

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