What is Hanging Weight?
"Hanging weight" is the term used to describe the weight of a side of beef as it hangs up in a meat cooler with the useable cuts intact.   Whole, halves and quarters are sold to consumers based on hanging weight.  This hanging weight varies as some sides of beef are fatter or leaner than other sides of beef.   Excess fat and bone are removed during cutting, therefore, carcass fatness will affect how much take-home meat a side of beef will yield.  Keep in mind that 100% grass feeding creates a leaner carcass than what a grain fed feedlot carcass will be.

The following are examples of fat and bone removed from choice cuts.

YIELD FROM A VERY LEAN, CHOICE 300 LB. SIDE
Fat & bone (waste) 15%
Usable meat cuts
225 lb. take-home meat 85%

YIELD FROM AN AVERAGE, CHOICE 300 LB. SIDE
Fat & bone (waste) 30%
Usable meat cuts
210 lb. take-home meat 70%

YIELD FROM A VERY FAT, CHOICE 300 LB. SIDE
Fat & bone (waste) 45%
Usable meat cuts
165 lb. take-home meat 55%

The above illustrations are for Choice sides, which are the most commonly available grade.  All beef sold by hanging weight will lose some of its weight in the cutting and trimming process no matter how lean the side of beef is.  The amount of fat and bone that must be trimmed (cutting loss) from a side thus has an influence on the price per pound of meat that is finally wrapped and frozen for you.  For a discussion of Prime, Choice and Select, see Making the Grade.

*Remember, this is only an approximation and will vary with how you want your beef processed.

Making the Grade
With more than 60 different cuts of beef in the grocery store meat case, it can be confusing to know what to purchase. Let’s first start with the quality of the beef you are purchasing.

There are 8 quality grades in the U.S. meat grading system, however, only the top 3 are usually identified and sold in the retail markets.  They are Prime, Choice and Select.  Grading is based on the amount of marbling or flecks of fat in the lean cut.    

Cuts with the highest marbling are graded Prime and generally found in specialty meat markets or served in expensive restaurants.  To grade prime a carcass will carry excessive fat that will be trimmed and discarded during processing.

Choice will have less marbling and can be found in most meat cases.  Select has the least amount of marbling of the three and can be leaner and less tender.  Keep in mind that when purchasing the end cuts, such as the chuck and round roasts, the method of cooking is more important than the grade of Choice or Select.  Since Grassfed Beef is naturally leaner, you can still get moist, flavorful beef that is healthier for you.

Dry Aged Beef
In today’s world of fast food and often compromised culinary standards, dry aged beef is a rarity that only a small number of discerning consumers get to enjoy.  The term dry aged beef itself refers to an expensive and time-consuming process in which superior cuts of beef are carefully stored while they undergo a period of flavor enhancement and tenderization.  When beef is dry aged, moisture evaporates from it slowly.  This increases the flavor concentration in each morsel.  At the same time, enzymes within the beef naturally tenderize the meat so that the end product has a delightful mouth feel unlike that of most other beef products.  Our farm  is one of the few to use this time-honored technique.