Cutting Instructions for Bennion Beef Angus and Wagyu/Angus Cross.

Jan 4, 2021

Instead of using a sheet from the butcher, I’m making one of my own for Bennion Beef customers. Why? Because there are a lot of questions that get unanswered–questions that you may not know to ask? Can I get bones? Brisket? Brains? (The answers are yes, yes, no.) Can I get more steak and less hamburger? (Yes, sorta…there are limits to how much loin exists. One note: these decisions are for those ordering a half, or side, of beef. For those ordering a quarter or less, the decision needs to be made for more than one party and those don’t usually dovetail together. Back to my point about limitations: most beef sides have approximately 20% steak, 30% roasts, 10% ribs, and the remaining 40% as ground or stew meat. Another point, the Wagyu/Angus cross that we sell is more marbled and tender and makes some usually tough cuts (from round and rib) easier on the teeth and jaw. So I may not have the same recommendations for Angus as the Wagyu Cross; getting more grillable meat from the Cross, which is another reason to buy it. Let’s get started. Use list at the bottom to record you order.

Paper or plastic wrap? The plastic costs 10 cents more per pound or about $40 more per half. The more you move the meat, the more the plastic tears. The more bones in the cut (Roast or T-bone) the more it tears. The larger the cut, the more plastic is prone to leak air in. I get paper for my own use and plastic for resale.

Steak thickness ¾ inch is typical, but with today’s grillers like thicker steaks, ordering 1” up to 2”. I like 1 to 1¼ inch.

How many steaks per package? Two is the  minimum

The rib primal This is the 8 lb primal that is highly marbled. Do you want it cut into rib steaks (with bone), or ribeye steaks (without bone) or a fancy rib roast (with or without bone). My chef son tells me the bone makes the steak cook more unevenly–being rarer near the bone. You can order “bone-in” and decide to cut it out later. Another possibly is a tomahawk rib steak that has a few inches of bone to hold and have. Also, one can mix and choose a 4-lb roast and the rest steaks.

T-bone or NY Strip steaks? You can have the strip steaks separate from the tenderloin, or as T-bone.

Tenderloin? Even with T-bones, there will be some tenderloin by itself. You can have the tenderloin cut into medallions or left intact to roast.

Sirloin: Do you want any roasts?

Tri-tip (1.5 -2 lb roasts great for grilling) ?

Do you want the bottom roast cut into steaks? This is a good option to get more steak, and with the tenderness of the Wagyu/Angus Cross, this should work but the butchers reflexively leave it as a bottom roast. We can try and request it again.

Now the Chuck, or Shoulder. This primal makes the most flavorful roasts, but can also be cut to include two Flat-Iron steaks. And you can ask for Ranchera, which are thin ⅜” to ½” steaks that are great for making Carne Asada. (The thin cut makes it easier to marinade and grill.) Or you can mix and match the flat-irons, some ranchera, and the remainder into pot roast. 

What size roast? 3-4 lb is typical, but you can go smaller or larger. A 5-lb roast is something you would serve for Christmas Dinner for 10 people.

The short ribs options are English style with approximately 5 inch bones that make a nice 2-lb roast for the oven, or for smoking. Another options that works especially well for the Wagyu/Angus cross is Asian cut (also called Flanken) which is cutting perpendicular to the bone and ⅜ inch thick. This is not steak, per se, but if you like grilling, these fatty pieces are a delicacy. Marinade overnight in a Korean BBQ marinade, and grill medium heat for 7 minutes per side. Third option is ground beef.

The shank bones. If you like some great soup with marrow from the bones, this is the place to get Osso buco also called caldo del Res. Otherwise the butcher can strip the bones and either make stew meat or throw it into the hamburger pile. Or you can order a bone-in shank roast, but I would be careful unless you are a top-level smoker. 

The round/rump or backside of the animal can weigh up to 60 lbs per half beef. These cuts are less marbled but there is a boneless top round steak or “London Broil” cut that makes a great grilling delicacy, although more desirable when the beef is Wagyu cross. Likewise, one can cut sections into ¼ inch strips for “Philly meat” that can be pan-cooked briefly and thrown in a crock pot for warm sandwiches (Best with Wagyu), and put in 1-lb packages. Stew meat can be ordered from the round as well as from trim, or put the round into ground. The rump roasts are less-marbled but have a consistent texture for nice roast beef sandwiches the next day. Also you can get ½ inch round steak, or the butcher will put it through a tenderizer machine to make Cube steak to cook as chicken-fried steak. Again, one can mix and match, so just say how much you want of London Broil ________, Philly (some butchers) ______, Cube steak _____ Roasts_______ Stew meat ______ and ground _____.

Brisket? Full packer (8-12 lb) that smokers love for 10 plus hours, or cut in half for oven roasting as corned beef, or made into ground, or into bacon with additional cost. 

Flank steak, the original “London Broil”? Or put into ground?

Skirt Steak? (the original fatty carne asada) Or put into ground

Do you want any extra bones for the dog or large-scale broth making?

Size of ground package? 1 lb is typical

Do you want any hamburger patties? The butchers charge a little extra (30 cents/lb) and most want a minimum 30-lb order to make it worthwhile, but if you do a lot of burger grilling, that is an option. Order it in 1 or 2-lb packages.

Organ meat: Optional, but doesn’t usually cost extra when ordering a half beef. Includes liver, heart. tongue, Oxtail (makes great soup) Only one per beef so you may need to fight for it.

Special processing which costs extra but is still cheaper than store bought.

Bratwurst _____________. Springville Meat has many flavors.

Jerky in ¼, ½, or 1 lb packages ____________. This can be made from the round of the animal, or a “chopped and pressed” jerky can be made from ground beef–the latter works very well with the Wagyu Angus cross because of its characteristic buttery fat. If you want to make your own jerky, just order some of the round cut into ¼ inch strips. Again, Springville Meat has many recipes.

Bacon. I have had the brisket smoked into bacon and then sliced and it is great in a sandwich or in a bacon burger. Be warned that it still tastes like brisket. I haven’t tried it yet, but some in the Wagyu community will have the skirt and flank cured and sliced. These are the fatty parts and ought to be good.

Conclusion. Usually the instructions are a trade off between steaks and roasts and what you are comfortable cooking. But if you want to maximize grilling, order the chuck cut into flat iron steak and ranchera, all short ribs as Asian cut, all sirloin as steak and tri-tip, get the flank, skirt, and London broil; heck, you can even get the round cut into ½ inch steaks to grill. Get the hamburger all made to patties and bratwurst, and the heart to marinade and grill like the Nicaraguans do.

If you want to maximize roasts, get all the chuck and round as roasts, the bottom sirloin, and even the rib loin. Have the short ribs cut into 3 lb English cut. Heck, we can even ask for some shank roasts that will be half bone but flavorful.

If you want all hamburger, don’t get a half from our stockers! I’ll sell you quantities from middle-aged cows that will be flavorful and cheaper.

————COPY AND PASTE THE SECTION BELOW AND EMAIL IT TO BENNIONBEEF@GMAIL.COM——————–

Name ____________________ Calf# ________ phone ______________

Paper or plastic wrap? ______Paper _______

Steak Thickness _____________

How many steaks per package? ____________

What size roasts? ___________

The rib primal? ______ribeye boneless_______________

T-bone or NY Strip steaks? ____ ___________

Tenderloin? _____medallions or whole__________

Sirloin: Do you want any roasts _____no ________,

Tri-tip _________________.

Do you want the bottom sirloin cut into steaks? _________

Chuck ___________________choose among flat iron, ranchera roasts.

short ribs: asian, english or ground. _________________

shank bones. _soup or ground________________

Round London Broil __________

Philly ____________.

Cube steak ___________

Roasts___________

Stew meat ____________

ground _____________

Brisket? ____________

Flank steak? ___________

Skirt Steak? ___________

extra bones? ________

Size of ground package? 1 lb is typical

hamburger patties (min 30 lbs) ____________

Organ Meat 

Liver ________________

Heart _______________

Tongue ______________

Kidney/ Kidney fat ______________

Oxtail ____________

Special processing: jerky ________________

bratwurst ___________

Bacon_____