I didn't get drawn for any hunting tags, no deer or elk this year! so I'm trying to figure out a way to get a good deal on beef. I would like to do some serious canning. I saw a 1/4 of beef for 440 dollars. Not sure if this is a good deal.
Thats a pretty good price for quality beef around here given todays store bought prices! We used to be able to get a full side for a little more then that, but the last time I bought a full side, it was around $670! Still, thats butchered to my specs, wrapped, labeled, and iced ready to go!
Depends on how much of what cuts you get. $440 for ? pounds of what? If it’s 100 pounds of ribeye, you got a steal. Even 100 pounds of lean stew meat would be a good deal IMO. Already cut up and ready to can. One pint will hold about a pound to give you a visual. I would love to have 50 quarts of canned stew meat. It will likely be a mix of steaks, roast, stew and ground meat unless you tell them you are canning it and ask them to cut it accordingly. I would like to hear how it turns out for you.
I will mention that pork prices are likely to go up with the recent Chinese swine flu outbreak. I'm probably going to set aside some pork and bacon in the freezer.
I would go the freezer vac pak freezer route myself and do the canning if there was a extended power outage. Would be a shame to Chop ribeyes, t bones and strips up fer canning unless there was no other choice I can hook you up Just gotta come pick it up LOL. One smallish 190 pound butcher hog that will hang at around 120 pounds that no one wanted because it was not one of the 300 pounders $1.25 per pound on the hook to me and .65 cents per pound to the packing plant. LOL one is not worth me taking in for HACCP processing and my next finishing group of 80 won't be ready until September
Probably going to just keep that one and use it for our fall customer appreciation cookout. THEY WILL EAT THAT PIG ONE WAY OR ANOTHER ! LOL
I decided on canning for long term storage and the ability to go without a freezer. I will update after i look more and try and get the best deal I can.
My Grandpa always said a 120 lb dressed hog was the best for BBQ'ing , the fat ratio was about right for an open pit BBQ . Little bit of a far piece to drive for a 120 lbs of pork . Otherwise , I'd be on the way .
If I put up meat I'll probably make crispy carnitas and the put up half in lard and the other half pressure cooked carnitas in lard. I'll test how it keeps and get back to you in 2029