St. Phatty
Active member
I had a neighbor who was in a pinch sell a dead cow for $50.
She had died in calf-birth via prolapsed uterus. That part I did not eat (or pickle ?), it went into the compost pile.
The end pile of meat in bags, 5 to 10 pounds each bag, measured 14 wide by 18 deep by about 3 feet high in the freezer. Solid cow meat.
I foregone on the motorized grinder & went with the manual.
I procrastinated on dealing with the corpse while I dealt with garden stuff.
I subsequently learned ... 1 million squirming maggots, yes that really is a sound.
It was helpful in helping me figure out where to put my first serious non-vegan compost pile ... as near the dead cow as possible.
It was butchered on a blue tarp in temps right around 30 F. I had 2 knives.
All you have to do is make the same motion (cutting motion) about 10,000 times - and not cut yourself.
I don't think my filets were butcher shop quality. But I did get most of the meat.
And the chickens LOVED the maggots !!!
He gets his burger beef from his dad, a casual farmer in ND, then he goes to the local market here & buys a package of bacon ends & pieces; he trims the excess fat from the bacon and then he mixes 1 lb. beef to 3 ounces bacon. He grinds it twice to mix it well.
