Ahh, butchering....

 So, we butchered our cow this last weekend. Ugh, what a job. But it's sooo nice when it's done! We slaughtered him 2 weeks ago and let him hang until this last weekend. We were going to let him hang longer but I think we waited a bit long for this and the weather is starting to warm up, somewhat, so we went ahead and cut him up. Since we only do this once a year, all I can say is thank goodness for youtube! I never remember all the specifics for cuts beyond the backstrap/tenderloin area. My favorite channel for this is the Bearded Butchers.

We did a lot of roasts, a lot of hamburger and some steaks. He wasn't a terribly large steer but he should last us until this fall or early winter when we'll do the other one. We'll have a bunch of chickens this summer, too, that will help stretch the beef. I'm hoping to find some weaner pigs but right now (4-H season), they're going for $200-$300, not affordable. I sure miss having some pork, though. Mmmm, chorizo, carnitas.....

Anyway, back to butchering, I obviously don't have lots of pics of the process since I get all messy and don't want to bloody up my camera, but here's our setup before getting started. We just tape a shower curtain to the table to help with cleanup, have some sharpish knives and go at it. This year we have a meat band saw as well. It's el cheapo with no identifying information anywhere, but it was still somewhat helpful. Helpful enough to know we are going to keep an eye out for a good one. We still had to cut the big sections down with the sawzall so they'd fit on the bandsaw, but that's still way better than cutting the whole stinkin' cow with a hand saw and a sawzall. I have several large cuts on my table from that dang saw. Oh well, farm table and all.

Here's in the middle of things, after a lunch break.

Then, when it's done it's clean up time. That's almost as much work as the butchering itself. We have to take the saw completely apart to clean it. Cleaning the sawzall is a bit of a chore as well. Then the grinder and all the cutting boards, knives, etc. Fortunately the table is pretty easy, just untape the shower curtain, wad it up and throw away. I'm not big on disposables, but sometimes it's worth it. I need to keep in mind over the next year to pick up a heavy duty vinyl shower curtain, then I could reused a couple times. I then spray the table down with vinegar and give it a good wipe down.

All the scraps go to the dogs. They got their daily ration and then I portioned it up and froze it. The dog food freezer is now at full capacity. The chickens got some of the action as well, as did the cats. Everyone was fat and happy. 

In a very non homesteading moment, dinner for us was pizza. Hubby ran into town and picked one up. That's rare for us, but it's hard to want to cook when you're still getting the butchering smell out of your nose and off of your hands so pizza it was.

Cheers to a full freezer!