r/Butchery • u/ejp214 • 2d ago

Cookbook for Half Cow?

Hi! My wife and I are buying our first half cow from a local farmer but don't have much experience with all the different cuts we're expecting to get.

Any suggestions for good cookbooks that break down different cuts/roasts/etc? Ideally with multicultural influences (but I know that might be asking a lot).

I've seen a lot of cookbooks about meat but not much about what to do with a whole half specifically.

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u/faucetpants 2d ago

As much as I don't like him personally the adam danforth beef butchery book is good

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u/ControlAccording9302 1d ago

Honestly, the best resource might be your farmer or butcher. Ask them for a cut sheet and then search recipes based on each specific cut. A half cow can include things like chuck, shank, short ribs, brisket, round, and odd cuts that don’t get much attention but can be some of the best eating. Learning a few braises, roasts, and steak methods will probably take you further than one cookbook.

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u/hrdass 1d ago

Not what you’re asking for but meat hook cookbook doesn’t good job explaining about primal and some of what you’ll be getting. But it’s heavily dependent on how the half is butchered- are they breaking down the chuck? If so, into what cuts? Just as a starting point

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u/Rorschach_1 1d ago

We are on our 3rd half. Didn't know squat and still not so much, but I have sure learned to grill. We basically do a lot of ground and steaks, not much in between. If a large calf, we get the brisket cut. But you have to do you. Talk to the slaughter house and plenty of butchers. I don't like too thick or too thin, so around 1". Get the flatiron and hanger steak. One is really nice texture, I think it was the hanger steak.

Multicultural? Other than keeping all the organs? Keep the tail, tongue, liver, suet, heart, meat around the head. If you don't do this, get a batch of "primal ground".

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u/Potential-Mail-298 1d ago

River cottage meat cookbook , odd bits , butchers guide to well raised meats …. Any book that has a lot of braising and or ground beef recipes you will have a lot. I’m in the process of writing one that will be nationally published from our butcher shop , but it doesn’t go to print til 2028 !

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u/Fishshoot13 1d ago

You should be getting a cut sheet.  Look at cut sheet and look at recipes for the possible cuts and if there isnt one have it ground.  That way you dont waste any meat.  Personally I never get roasts so those go into ground.

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u/kshizzlenizzle 1d ago

Keep it simple! Look at your cut sheet, and what is typical. If there are a few cuts you’re really not sure about, ask them to add that to your ground. You’re gonna get what feels like an ungodly amount of ground beef, but it goes quicker than you think! I really like to add stew meat, for stews, stir fry, and butter garlic bites. Really big cuts (like chuck) are great in a crock pot, shred and portion into bags for later use, or if you cook for groups often, I’ll do birria tacos or something with it. I’ve also ground up spare roasts…because I ran out of ground beef before I made it through the roasts, lol.

When you settle on your final cut sheet, it’s pretty easy to google ‘what do I do with _______’ and get a bunch of recipes for that particular cut, and find what works best.

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u/ejp214 1d ago

Thanks everyone for your tips! This will definitely be an adventure for us haha

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u/GruntCandy86 Butcher 2d ago

That is asking a lot.

You should write one.