Going in on half of cow

I think I have convinced my brother to go in with me on half of a cow. What cuts should I list as my preferred cuts? I'm not trying to screw him over our anything but figure that with my ability to sous vide(crock pot with temp controller and aquarium pump) and smoke(WSM Smokey Mountain 18.5) as well as grill, pan fry and broil should give me the ability to branch out and do more than him.

May have to try and do the same with a pig this summer.

Definitely the tongue.

... and the brain. :rockin:

Not to sound greedy, but I think I'd want the rib, loin & brisket cuts most of all. Those cuts are usually well marbled & the sources for the best steaks & roasts. You'd still give him a choice of cuts from 6 other parts of the critter, not to mention things like ground & stew meat; which you might want to split.

You could always just split everything equally, more or less; meaning you each get 1/2 of everything. 1 thing you should definitely hold out for (if it's available) is the heart. If you've never had heart, this might be your chance. I love it, nice & dark & chewy...
Of course if you don't like heart, you might let your brother have it, or feed it to the dog/cat, they'll love it.

Here's a chart that you might find useful in making your choices:
http://www.beefretail.org/CMDocs\BeefRetail2\Education\BeefMadeEasy Cut Chart 8x11.pdf

I'd love to in 1/2 on a critter with somebody, but I'd need to buy a big freezer 1st.
Regards, GF.

The brisket is definitely something I am thinking of calling dibs on. He doesnt smoke meats so I can definitely have a good argument for that one. Rib would be great, but I would be willing to split that. Have not really been exposed to organ meats much. Since my parents didnt like them, they decided to not force them on us.

Halves is the most equitable, but if he can't or won't cook some of that stuff properly, it's *kinda* wasted. I suggest talking to him about it. He may prefer to get more of the everyday stuff anyway.

We did half a hog last summer and without trying it's almost gone. I'd love to get half a beef to go with it this year, but our freezer is JUST big enough for the whole hog (Had to store my sister's half until she had room in their freezer). Now I have to convince my wife we need a larger freezer for all that meat so I can repurpose our smaller freezer into a kegerator or fermentation chamber!

I figure that if nothing else I have the freezer space (I can convert my chest freezer ferm chamber back to a freezer, and make one of my two spare refrigerators into replacement ferm chambers, and would have my kitchen freezer as yet more freezer space.

Before the days of sous vide, they had these contraptions called "ovens." People would do crazy sh** like roast a brisket in it. I'm sure your brother has one and can cook any part of the cow in it.

What you meant was "I want to have the more choice parts of the cow. Can I justify it?"

Split it evenly.

Just go halfsies. You'll have so much meat, you won't know what to do with it.

I do a whole cow with three other guys (that's a quarter a piece for you math geniuses) and we never argue over much. If I want a cut I don't have, I'll just go buy it. Still much cheaper in the long run.

Beef shanks are usually ignored, they will cut the meat off and throw it in with the grind for ground beef. If you get some big meaty shanks you got some good eating for a slow cook beef shank braise, red wine and some rosemary. If you have a pressure cooker even better. The less meaty shanks make for fantastic soup bones.

I urge you to ask him if he wants the tail, and if he says no, swoop in and grab it. One of the most enjoyable meats on the planet if cooked properly.

Thats the one cut that doesnt lend itself so well to equal distribution amongst two buyers.

DrunkleJon said:

I think I have convinced my brother to go in with me on half of a cow. What cuts should I list as my preferred cuts? I'm not trying to screw him over our anything but figure that with my ability to sous vide(crock pot with temp controller and aquarium pump) and smoke(WSM Smokey Mountain 18.5) as well as grill, pan fry and broil should give me the ability to branch out and do more than him.

May have to try and do the same with a pig this summer.

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I'd probably divide it equally in half, but if he doesn't smoke meat then maybe he'd just leave you with all meats that are good for smoking. It seems like a lot though. In the end, whatever you decide, I'm coming to dinner...I'll bring beer.

ericbw said:

Before the days of sous vide, they had these contraptions called "ovens." People would do crazy sh** like roast a brisket in it. I'm sure your brother has one and can cook any part of the cow in it.

What you meant was "I want to have the more choice parts of the cow. Can I justify it?"

Split it evenly.

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Actually, I am not trying to be a greedy d*ck or anything. I know that we both like the good cuts, and I have no problem sharing, splitting, etc. I was thinking a brisket would be better if smoked (and cost a whole hell of a lot less than buying one separate). I was just asking what parts I might want to prioritize in a case where even splitting may not be as much of an option.

Definitely would be splitting the good steak cuts.

DrunkleJon said:

Actually, I am not trying to be a greedy d*ck or anything. I know that we both like the good cuts, and I have no problem sharing, splitting, etc. I was thinking a brisket would be better if smoked (and cost a whole hell of a lot less than buying one separate). I was just asking what parts I might want to prioritize in a case where even splitting may not be as much of an option.

Definitely would be splitting the good steak cuts.

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I don't sous vide, got tired of my smoker, and don't grill enough to be considered an american. But if I were going in for half a cow I'd demand equal shares of everything. Would a brisket be better smoked? Not always. My wife makes a fantastic brisket in the oven.

I've split a cow with my sister and her husband a few times. Well, I take 1/3, they take 2/3. We try to split everything relatively evenly when possible. There's only one brisket, so I take it (I have a smoker) and invite them over to dinner when I smoke it. There is only one flank and skirt (typically), so we each take one of those. I take the tongue, liver, and heart because my sister's husband would rather drop dead than eat offal. We specifically ask for the shank and oxtail, and ask them to make more ground beef out of some of the round cuts. I'm not fond of round...
As for steak cuts, my favorite is rib eye, then NY strip or t-bone, then tenderloin, then sirloin. (I was a meat wrapper for a while and grew up with a family that raised their own beef as well, so I've eaten a lot of beef in my life!) Things like tri-tip or flatiron may be included, depending on the way the butcher breaks down the steer. They're both pretty good as well. Again, round (eye, top, bottom) is by far my least favorite, and my sister's. We just try to split the top choices as evenly as we can, it works out well.

flank steak is probally my favourite steak, though I would split even where possible, or indeed, take a piece you can do well, but invite em over when you make it.

Try to get the cap from the rib so you can grind it by itself and make the best burgers in the world. Also, have the butcher take the rib bones off the prime rib in one whole rack (well 2 racks really, one per side). Smoke the ribs (that was staff lunch at the CN Tower almost everyday for years lol). The "chain" from the tenderloin is probably one of the most tender pieces of meat on the cow, don't let the butcher chuck it in the grind. Its not a pretty piece of meat but a joy to eat. I would also second the "shank", "tail" and "flank" suggestions. And also add on that the cheeks are beautiful when cooked till they fall apart.

Also if it were me, I'd try to work out a deal like he takes both tenderloins and both strip loins and I get both ribeyes and both racks of ribs. But that's just personal choice as I think that the tender and loin are very overrated cuts of meat and anything off the rib primal cut is where it's at. Although most people probably wouldn't see it that way.

Mom used to slice beef heart & cook it in this brown gravy till tender & veal-like. Now I gotta see if I got the books with that recipe in it?! Even Steven is good, but I'd like the pit-friendly bits myself. We got a side of beef once at home, & they gave us free hot dogs, chicken etc. An 18 cubic foot freezer had to be properly arranged to get it all in there!

SmokeyMcBong said:

And also add on that the cheeks are beautiful when cooked till they fall apart.

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After a day of San Diego brewery visits, I went to restaurant and got bourbon braised beef cheeks. Damn, that was good!