Disappointing butcher yield

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Red Boots Farm

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Our usual butcher was booked so far ahead we were forced to find another one for our British White beef steer. Picked up the beef today and was disappointed on a number of fronts, which is sad because this was the first calf we raised here and were really looking forward to great yield as big as he was. The hanging weight was 850 lbs. Of the two quarters we brought home (one for us and one for a family member), one yielded 116 lb (55%) and the other, 107 (50.5%). The discrepancy between the two was in the steaks and roasts. I had asked about fat cover and they said "it's right where it needs to be" so there wasn't excess outer fat to trim. The steaks were huge too so I just feel the yield is off somewhere.

We typically get about 60-65% conversion from hanging to finish. For comparison, our largest steer was 880 lbs hanging weight and we got about 132 lbs of meat per quarter, and that steer had excess fat cover, the butcher told us.

In addition, this new butcher didn't stamp the customer name or date on the packages; there were blood spills on several of the packages; they surprised us with a higher price upon pickup (their prices went up in the week between quoting us and picking it up and they didn't inform us); they refused to hang for 10 days (they only do 7); charged us for organs; and they never asked about brisket (they just ground it) or cuts like strip or porterhouse - instead just sticking to the plain and simple.

I guess we're spoiled with our regular butcher, who is very skilled, gets great yield out of a carcass and always does the brisket and porterhouse. Also, they throw in all the suet, organs, and dog bones for free that we want.

Thoughts?
 
Our usual butcher was booked so far ahead we were forced to find another one for our British White beef steer. Picked up the beef today and was disappointed on a number of fronts, which is sad because this was the first calf we raised here and were really looking forward to great yield as big as he was. The hanging weight was 850 lbs. Of the two quarters we brought home (one for us and one for a family member), one yielded 116 lb (55%) and the other, 107 (50.5%). The discrepancy between the two was in the steaks and roasts. I had asked about fat cover and they said "it's right where it needs to be" so there wasn't excess outer fat to trim. The steaks were huge too so I just feel the yield is off somewhere.

We typically get about 60-65% conversion from hanging to finish. For comparison, our largest steer was 880 lbs hanging weight and we got about 132 lbs of meat per quarter, and that steer had excess fat cover, the butcher told us.

In addition, this new butcher didn't stamp the customer name or date on the packages; there were blood spills on several of the packages; they surprised us with a higher price upon pickup (their prices went up in the week between quoting us and picking it up and they didn't inform us); they refused to hang for 10 days (they only do 7); charged us for organs; and they never asked about brisket (they just ground it) or cuts like strip or porterhouse - instead just sticking to the plain and simple.

I guess we're spoiled with our regular butcher, who is very skilled, gets great yield out of a carcass and always does the brisket and porterhouse. Also, they throw in all the suet, organs, and dog bones for free that we want.

Thoughts?
As to the different cuts, that varies from processor to processor, but they should ask you.

Edited because I misread the weights.
 
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Not a lot of yield. The last two I had butchered were yearlings weighing 700-800 lbs. The meat was so tough it had to pressured to be eatable, also soaked to get the excess blood out.
 
Do you know why that was? Did they not hang long enough?
Probably didn't hang long enough on the excess blood. They both dressed out more than I figured, as I even questioned when they told me the dress weight. They had several lined up to kill that day as most were old Holsten cows.
 
Sounds like you found out why they were available. Sorry it worked out that way. It would be a one and done for me.

I am sure i will be called a cynic but really hard to prove a steak here roast there a couple pounds of burger from each one. Always wonder how good the butchers family eats.
 
Sounds like you found out why they were available. Sorry it worked out that way. It would be a one and done for me.

I am sure i will be called a cynic but really hard to prove a steak here roast there a couple pounds of burger from each one. Always wonder how good the butchers family eats.
There was a local notorious for shorting customers. Thankfully he sold out a few years back.

Dewig's across the river in Indiana got tons of business from here because of it, their reputation is spotless.
 
The hanging weight was 850 lbs. Of the two quarters we brought home (one for us and one for a family member), one yielded 116 lb (55%) and the other, 107 (50.5%).



Thoughts?
Just so we can follow you -

What was the live weight?
What was the hanging weight? 850
Take home? (116+107)x2 = 446

Is that right?

If I have your numbers right, I would have expected about 600 take home.
 
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Sides hanging always weigh a few pounds different. Front quarters have a lot higher bone to muscle ratio.
If he weighed 850 hanging, then he weighed around 1,416 live. That's pretty good for a wht park.If
All in all doesn't sound to far off.
 
Yeah, it might be a little low but not by a lot. If the "average" take home is 60% of hanging, that would be 510 lbs. of packaged meat. The other two quarters could have been heavy. Without knowing the weight of the other two quarters there's no way to know.
 
Sides hanging always weigh a few pounds different. Front quarters have a lot higher bone to muscle ratio.
If he weighed 850 hanging, then he weighed around 1,416 live. That's pretty good for a wht park.If
All in all doesn't sound to far off.
If live was 1,416 I calculate 608 take home

1642859886814.png
 
Of the fronts weigh 116 and 107 that's 223. That would make the back quarters 192.5. Retail sides that weigh 308 & 299.5,
I was just figuring he yielded 60%, but if he was full 58% isn't out of the realm.
 
I've always heard take home is around 60% of hanging.

 
Of the fronts weigh 116 and 107 that's 223. That would make the back quarters 192.5. Retail sides that weigh 308 & 299.5,
I was just figuring he yielded 60%, but if he was full 58% isn't out of the realm.
The butchers here don't split front and back, they cut up a half and both people get equal portions of same cuts. I'm guessing if a cut comes up unequal they grind the one extra then split burger equal. Take home weight may vary on each half depending how each was cut but the quarters from same half will be equal.
 
I've always heard take home is around 60% of hanging.

From your link

In summary, the amount of meat that is cut and wrapped for consumption will be much less than the live weight of the animal. A 1400-pound beef animal will yield a hot carcass weight of approximately 880 pounds. Once cooled, the carcass weight will be approximately 840 pounds. When deboned and trimmed, there will be approximately 570 pounds of product to fill your freezer.

My calculation of a 1,400 pound live weight
1642861225720.png
 

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