High fuel cost and wood

[Jstpssng]

I took a meat cutting course as an elective years ago. I never really used it except to cut up a few deer, but it was a good class and I still refer to the textbook occasionally.
One thing I remember was when we had the beef lab and the instructor was showing us how to cut the piece of meat; he would slice off a piece and pop it into his mouth, raw.

 

[51allis]

I volunteer 1 day a week at a butcher shop except during the busiest part of the farm season (non-USDA) - Used to do more, but can't anymore. Have learned a lot over the past several years.

For example, You don't "have to" hang beef, but it does taste much better if you do. Big corporate shops (Tyson, etc - what you get in stores) typically don't hang meat, they wet age it - vac pack primals while fresh and let it soak in the blood till it gets to the store where it gets cut into steaks, roasts etc.

The other thing I've learned is that hanging more than 10-12 days is really a waste. At around 7-10 days the fat is firm, blood has dried and/or redistributed back into muscle and the meat hasn't started to mold. Letting it hang 3 weeks + (what most big city folk say they have to get) causes a lot of exterior mold that has to be cut off and trashed (making yield much less - anywhere from 10-30# of meat in the trash).

One of the side benefits I get from helping them out is that I only get charged for supply costs when I get things processed - vac bags, spices (sausages, ham etc), etc. For me it's a win, win situation I learn, help him out and get almost free processing. During COVID when Tyson was shut down, the shop was able to get pigs from Nebraska off the feed lots delivered down here in AR for $150 ea because they got to big for Tysons equipment. I bought two, processed them and not have a 29 ft3 chest freezer full of pig (one was nothing but sausages (country & Italian), grind & smoke (ham, bacon,picnic etc) the other was mostly chops, roasts ribs etc - of course the hams & bacon and any scraps went to more sausage. All total (less the cost of another chest freezer), the two pigs cost me ~$350 and should last the wife & I about 2 years. One of our cows just got processed that filled another 29 ft3 chest and that cost me ~$100 in processing fees. Not bad for 2-2 1/2 years of prime quality meat. Once a year we process a lamb (around easter) at the shop. I've also learned how NOT to mangle my deer, another added advantage. For chicken, we still process that ourself as we need it he only processes 4 legged farm critters & deer.

You'll have fun (if you like to learn), it can be hard work (especially in the kill room), and typically shops will let you in on some of the perks.

WOW!!! Impressive education you got from volunteering etc. and the best part?? You now have that info to help teach someone else, dang I wish I lived close to you Thanks for all the info.

 

[tjandrews]

I volunteer 1 day a week at a butcher shop except during the busiest part of the farm season (non-USDA) - Used to do more, but can't anymore. Have learned a lot over the past several years.

For example, You don't "have to" hang beef, but it does taste much better if you do. Big corporate shops (Tyson, etc - what you get in stores) typically don't hang meat, they wet age it - vac pack primals while fresh and let it soak in the blood till it gets to the store where it gets cut into steaks, roasts etc.

The other thing I've learned is that hanging more than 10-12 days is really a waste. At around 7-10 days the fat is firm, blood has dried and/or redistributed back into muscle and the meat hasn't started to mold. Letting it hang 3 weeks + (what most big city folk say they have to get) causes a lot of exterior mold that has to be cut off and trashed (making yield much less - anywhere from 10-30# of meat in the trash).

One of the side benefits I get from helping them out is that I only get charged for supply costs when I get things processed - vac bags, spices (sausages, ham etc), etc. For me it's a win, win situation I learn, help him out and get almost free processing. During COVID when Tyson was shut down, the shop was able to get pigs from Nebraska off the feed lots delivered down here in AR for $150 ea because they got to big for Tysons equipment. I bought two, processed them and not have a 29 ft3 chest freezer full of pig (one was nothing but sausages (country & Italian), grind & smoke (ham, bacon,picnic etc) the other was mostly chops, roasts ribs etc - of course the hams & bacon and any scraps went to more sausage. All total (less the cost of another chest freezer), the two pigs cost me ~$350 and should last the wife & I about 2 years. One of our cows just got processed that filled another 29 ft3 chest and that cost me ~$100 in processing fees. Not bad for 2-2 1/2 years of prime quality meat. Once a year we process a lamb (around easter) at the shop. I've also learned how NOT to mangle my deer, another added advantage. For chicken, we still process that ourself as we need it he only processes 4 legged farm critters & deer.

You'll have fun (if you like to learn), it can be hard work (especially in the kill room), and typically shops will let you in on some of the perks.

We never did "hang" the meat any longer than enough to let it cool out, usually overnight, because the meat cuts easier if it's cold. Same thing for deer. We always thought it tasted great.
The idea of hanging meat to age it until it was old enough to get up and walk away again never had any appeal for us. Not to mention that the longer it hangs in our facility before processing, the more difficult it is to keep clean, and the longer it's in the way of the usual activities for that area.

We haven't done a bovine in years, but still process deer for ourselves. One thing I miss though is the corned beef and the sauerkraut my mother used to make. That stuff they sell in the stores is terrible in comparison.

 

[tjandrews]

I took a meat cutting course as an elective years ago. I never really used it except to cut up a few deer, but it was a good class and I still refer to the textbook occasionally.
One thing I remember was when we had the beef lab and the instructor was showing us how to cut the piece of meat; he would slice off a piece and pop it into his mouth, raw.

We learned from a booklet that had been put out by Cooperative Extension back in the 50s.

 

[51allis]

We learned from a booklet that had been put out by Cooperative Extension back in the 50s.

Interesting for sure, when a person wants to learn they will do it. I did the same for welding, 30 yrs ago one of the local high schools offered a free course in "adult" community education for welding, took 2 of those courses and absorbed as much I could, it was free and at night after work. That's where I learned to weld, got tired of asking relatives to weld something and the hassel they would give me about doing it. Once you learn it sticks with you for life. Even passed on that same welding education to my kid when he was 7, I taught him how to weld and he went from there.

 

[DaveinValdez]

Received my monthly fuel oil bill yesterday. $4.57 a gallon for heating oil. Diesel in $5.56.

 

[90cummins]

I topped up my red diesel tanks last summer at $3 plus per gallon. Thought it was a bit much but now I’m thankful I did.
I keep about 800 gallons on hand for peace of mind so I’m feeling fortunate knowing that if the power went out I could survive for many, many months using my fuel pinching 28v DC diesel generator to support my 4kw backup inverter which runs 4 hours/gallon.
I’m 67 with many health issues and one thing that I no longer tolerate well is cold.

90cummins

 

[Jstpssng]

One thing about hanging meat; you should at least let it set for 24 hours before freezing it to allow rigor mortise to set and work it's way out.

 

[charles todd]

Nice idea, but in my area good plumbers/hvac are just not available to install a system like that, even if they were, the cost to hire them would be outrageous. My retirement home has R29 walls and an R60 ceiling...most of it is done and trying to keep the costs down by doing all the work on my own, so far the total cost to build it will meet our budgeted price of 37K and that includes well and septic for a home that is 1208 sq' in size. I could build a wood boiler, just a plain simple one for less than $900 and install it myself saving money that way. Projected wood usage with my own homemade wood boiler would be about 3 full cord a year, 3.5 if I use a indirect water heater for domestic hot water. I'm sure a heat pump system would cost many many thousands of dollars...which I dont want to pay for if I can build my own wood boiler and just pay for the electric to run the circulator pump, I love cutting wood/splitting wood every year...its a chore that takes my mind off things and is peaceful...kinda like cutting n bailing hay. Glad your heat pump is working out for you tho'.

<$1000 for complete system online. Completely DYI installation. If you are even somewhat handy. 1 3" hole through the wall.

CT

 

[OzarkChris]

WOW!!! Impressive education you got from volunteering etc. and the best part?? You now have that info to help teach someone else, dang I wish I lived close to you Thanks for all the info.

I help neighbors out when they want to try their hand at "home butchering", usually they start out small with a pig (cow farmers 'round here will buy one or two a year for themselves and family) - usually only needs overnight in cool spot before butchering.

If they don't want bone-in cow I'll help with that too (I don't have a cow/meat bandsaw, yet ). One neighbor found a chiller type ocean container that was reasonable and had the elec co-op hook it up. A lot of us 'round here will often rent space during deer season - help him out with elec costs, but he'll turn it on if folk want to butcher a cow if they help with elec costs. He's been talking about getting a bandsaw to help him & his family and has said he'll rent the whole area out to any if us that would like to use it. Please don't get me wrong, he isn't gouging any of us. $5-10 a day for chiller and probably 1/3 - 1/2 the cost of a new bandsaw blade - typically you can get 5-10+ cows out of a blade "if you know what you are doing" (the shop I volunteer at gets around 25-30 before the blade is resharpened, but they are carbide tipped $$$$$) - I told him to expect to break, bend, destroy a blade every 2-3 cows to begin with and blades (non-carbide) are ~$25 ea, so $8-12 for the use of the bandsaw. He already had an A-frame and HF winch for stripping off hide, etc. Best guess it "should" cost his neighbors/friends about $45-80 for a 7 day rest (depend on elec rates - more cows, same price, split by # if cows/people) with them supplying vac sealer, bags (or butcher paper) and rifle/bullet to kill the cow. Vultures/critters will take care of the hide, pick bones clean (if they don't make stock) and any part of the head not kept so he doesn't have to worry about the caustic lime and paying for it to be hauled away (it will be transported to the back fourty they don't use for cows) - BTW, smoked pig jowls, better than bacon! Cow cheeks, really good fajita meat.

Most of us already have a smoker for our deer (old fridges make the best ones!) And one of the best spice companies is right in our backyard (Townsends) so making jerkey, sausage or ham, etc shouldn't be a problem for most of us.

For those that don't want to mess with it, I introduce them to the "real" butcher I volunteer with. Butcher is happy, doesn't mind me sharing his recipes with other folk (with the condition they don't turn in to competition e.g., open a butcher shop), so all are happy.

Country life the way its supposed to be!