Meat Yield

[stocky]

A neighbor had a 1200 lb 2 1/2 year old freemartin butchered. She was in real good condition, maybe even a little on the fat side. She was a real nice angus/limo cross, meaty heifer. He had all the meat boned out and ground into hamburger. He got 325 lbs of hamburger and feels he has been cheated. With that size and type of animal, what would be the general range of total weight of ground meat would you expect? I had never butchered one that big, so I told him I have no idea.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I'm in the same boat as you, I've never butcherd anything that big. But I would agree that it is not right, almost seems impossible that there was more than that.

 

[NMVaquero]

Definitely short.

 

[backhoeboogie]

He is around 160 lbs short.

Live weight should yield about 60% or so for hanging weight. Take home package beef should yield about 40% of the live weight.

I have variances from steer to steer when one is processed. None that high. I'd be expecting just under 500 lbs of packaged meat be it burger or whatever.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

I have never had one processed as 'burger meat only, so I cannot say for sure....BUT I will say that out of a 1200 (liveweight) animal, I would expect more thank 325 lbs. I'm with boogie on this, I would be looking for at least another 160 or more pounds.

Katherine

 

[Dave]

Last year I butchered an older cow who was in good flesh but not fat. I would guess she was about 1,300 on the hoof. She hung at 650. Put her totally into burger and there was 340 pounds of burger. A 2 year old heifer in good shape should have out done this cow. One of the determining factors would be how much fat they trimmed off.

 

[Nite Hawk]

The cutability will very a fair bit between breeds, but a limo cross should do pretty good.
The question may possibly be---who butchered the animal, and was that person honest, or did he "lift" a bit of beef??
Or was this heifer heavy boned and real fat and it was cut away? ( not likely being a limo X Angus)
Only something to think about.

 

[mwj]

If that is fairly lean burger it is in the ballpark! When you look at what you put in the freezer when you butcher there is quite a bit that will not get eaten.

 

[chippie]

something else. a fat heifer can put fat inside her cavity (the organ area) and there would be waste there.

 

[Bestoutwest]

Here's a little guide I found online:
http://www.askthemeatman.com/yield_on_b ... #breakdown


I found this online, so take it for what it's worth, but it should help a bit.

 

[chippie]

thanks!

 

[stocky]

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts. It didn't seem like enough, but I know there is a big difference in cattle and that is where slaughter houses get lots of criticism. Thanks for the website, also. It is very interesting

 

[snake67]

A neighbor had a 1200 lb 2 1/2 year old freemartin butchered. She was in real good condition, maybe even a little on the fat side. She was a real nice angus/limo cross, meaty heifer. He had all the meat boned out and ground into hamburger. He got 325 lbs of hamburger and feels he has been cheated. With that size and type of animal, what would be the general range of total weight of ground meat would you expect? I had never butchered one that big, so I told him I have no idea.

We have done this several times over the past ten years.

The man comes to the house - puts his mobile cooler into the shop and plugs into my 220.

We kill the cow.

Hang her in the cooler.

Later he comes with his custom cutting trailer - all clean - stainless steel and food grade plastic inside - the whole shebang.

Wife and I help him cut and grind.

We are always in the same ball park as your friend.

You take her apart and trim and grind her.

It takes a big cow to get more than 350 pounds of burger.

From comparison - 1326 pounds on the hoof last year - weighed on my scale - killed, hung, trimmed and ground - right in my yard - 342 pounds of burger or maybe a bit more but this is the number that sticks in my head.

Bone content, weight in guts, hide, head, feet and legs - take them all away there is not that much left.

This guy got exactly what he should have got - the butcher was square with him.

I know it is tough to believe, but there really ARE honest slaughter and butcher outfits out there.

Not easy to stay in business if you are not.

Best to all

Bez

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I agree that some are honest. some people just don't like what they get so then it's the packing houses fault. Just like people and salebarns.

 

[snake67]

I agree that some are honest. some people just don't like what they get so then it's the packing houses fault. Just like people and salebarns.

Quite frankly I believe that MOST are honest

Agree with the rest of your comment.

Cheers

Bez

 

[denvermartinfarms]

I agree that some are honest. some people just don't like what they get so then it's the packing houses fault. Just like people and salebarns.

Quite frankly I believe that MOST are honest

Agree with the rest of your comment.

Cheers

Bez

That's really what I meant too.

 

[BettyLandercasper]

Generally it is a good idea to ask for the tenderloin by itself. It is quite a bit of meat and is sometimes the part that leaves when folks who don't know what they are asking for have a critter butchered. This part of the animal is almost always tender and of good quality.
This happened to me years ago.

 

[Aaron]

It takes a big (and good) animal to yield 500 lbs+ of actual salable product, let alone ground beef.

40% of live weight only works when you make it into standard cuts, not 100% ground beef.

1200 lbs is a pretty round number. Sounds like a guesstimate.

What usually happens here is you weigh both sides of the carcass as a 'hot weight', then you have a real number to work with in estimating pounds of end product.

A lot of fat gets trimmed, especially if your wanting lean or extra lean ground beef.

The numbers that would help in actually figure out if he was 'screwed', would be a hot carcass weight, yield grade, and what grade of burger it was made into.

EDIT: I'll also add to the list - how many days did it hang? That will affect the water density in the carcass.

 

[backhoeboogie]

This thread, and the responses, has had me pondering. Respected folks have expressed accepting a 27 percent yield on a 2 1/2 year old. I would be disappointed.

 

[hevmando]

I once had 5 pigs butchered of similar breeding, whose live weight varied 12 lbs from heaviest to lightest. 1 went to butcher shop A, 1 went to butcher shop B, 3 went to Tyson. Carcass weight of pig at butcher shop A was 27# less than the average of the other 4. These pigs only weighed about 220#, very lean and young. I took the info to butcher shop A and showed him the cut outs, and asked him whose hog I got and where the rest of my meat was. He said you got yours, and all of yours. Mind you, they had to call me to verify what 4H tag was my hog. I was disappointed. I told my story to butcher shop B and he said on beef, he could alter the take home volume/weight 50-75# based upon fat trim and leanness of burger, but on a 220 # hog, 27# seemed like a big difference. I agree, most are honest, but some only get one chance. If a butcher shop is lifting a steak, roast, chop, or burger from my animal, I should not be able to notice, and 1 or 2 packages would never be missed. 27#? Maybe a fluke, but I could not believe it. Last year I butchered a 1300- 1400# 2 1/2 yr old cow, that hung 864#, had all the best steaks cut out and rest ground into burger. Had 80-90# steaks, and 375# burger. She was finished, and was a Maine-Angus cross, heavily muscled and big hind quarters.