We often get the question "Why is the hanging weight of my beef different than the weight of the beef I take home?" this can be a difficult concept to grasp especially for our first time customers.
The measurement we use to calculate our final price for our bulk orders is the hanging weight. This is the weight that our butcher gives us after the cow has been killed, the blood drained, and the head, hide, feet, intestines, and organs are all removed.
The hanging weight is approximately 60% of the cow's live weight (weight on the hoof). This is also the most consistent way to measure the cow carcass before it is custom processed to your specifications. This is also the weight our butcher will use to charge us for processing (cutting/wrapping) fees. When you buy a 1/4, 1/2, or Whole beef from Grandma Pat's Beef, we cover all standard processing/butchering fees and then you pay us.
So what is packaged weight? This is the weight that our customers will take home after your order is custom processed to your specifications. Typically this is about 60-65% of the hanging weight.
You may ask why there is a difference, that is because the loss of weight is due to the water loss and bone loss, during the dry aging process (which is how the beef hangs for 10-14 days to tenderize it) and cutting the meat off of the bones.
Customers need to keep in mind the lower weight will not mean you are taking home less beef, it just means that you have fewer bones! (unless you request marrow or knuckle bones for making broth then you can retain some of the lost weight)
In short ALWAYS keep in mind weights are an approximation and vary between our individual cows and your customized cuts to your specifications.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions!
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