BEEF PROCESSING
So many options!
Purchasing beef directly from Texas Ridge gives you many choices you don't get at the butcher store, or even from many local producers.
If you are ordering a whole or half beef, you can choose to have your meat processed at our standard processor or a processing facility near you. We can help you select a processor, scheduling the processing, customizing your cut sheet order, and assisting with pick up or delivery.
If you're not ready to commit to purchasing a whole or half beef, Texas Ridge processes a limited number of animals under USDA inspection to allow you to purchase individual cuts of meat or smaller "sampler" packages. Texas Ridge is happy to facilitate USDA processing for customers, and it makes it possible for restaurants and retail outlets alike to offer our meat to their customers.
If you are ordering a whole or half beef, you can choose to have your meat processed at our standard processor or a processing facility near you. We can help you select a processor, scheduling the processing, customizing your cut sheet order, and assisting with pick up or delivery.
If you're not ready to commit to purchasing a whole or half beef, Texas Ridge processes a limited number of animals under USDA inspection to allow you to purchase individual cuts of meat or smaller "sampler" packages. Texas Ridge is happy to facilitate USDA processing for customers, and it makes it possible for restaurants and retail outlets alike to offer our meat to their customers.
Harvest
Cattle are extremely sensitive to stress, which can impact their harvest weights and affect the flavor of the meat. On our farm, our cattle lead a totally stress free life, but loading them in a trailer to head to the processor immediately creates stress. That's why, whenever possible, we prefer on-farm harvest. In that case, the butcher comes out to our farm and harvests the animal while it's happily grazing with its pasture mates. From there, the butcher transports the animal back to the plant to hang and complete the processing.
There are NO local USDA processors who perform on-farm harvests. To mitigate stress in live animals we transport to a processing facility, we deliver them a day or more before harvest is scheduled to allow them to eat, drink and recover from travel before they are harvested.
There are NO local USDA processors who perform on-farm harvests. To mitigate stress in live animals we transport to a processing facility, we deliver them a day or more before harvest is scheduled to allow them to eat, drink and recover from travel before they are harvested.
Processing
For local processing, we prefer to take our cattle to Garfield Meats, or whenever possible, schedule an on-farm harvest. They are extremely knowledgeable butchers and offer excellent customer service. Additionally, they offer shrink wrap packaging as their standard wrap option, rather than paper wrap, which has been shown to greatly extend the life of frozen meat over paper wrap.
Due to an extremely limited number of USDA inspected processing facilities in the region, we take our cattle to either Vandal Meats in Moscow, ID, or LPCA in Odessa, WA. Both are licensed, USDA inspected processing facility but due to the challenge of scheduling and/or their distance from Deary, we must charge an additional $0.10/pound on your meat if you elect to have your whole or half beef processed under USDA inspection.
If you'd like to use a different processor than our standard processors, please let us know.
Due to an extremely limited number of USDA inspected processing facilities in the region, we take our cattle to either Vandal Meats in Moscow, ID, or LPCA in Odessa, WA. Both are licensed, USDA inspected processing facility but due to the challenge of scheduling and/or their distance from Deary, we must charge an additional $0.10/pound on your meat if you elect to have your whole or half beef processed under USDA inspection.
If you'd like to use a different processor than our standard processors, please let us know.
Meat packaging options
There are three standard wrapping options in the meat industry. They are paper wrap, shrink wrap and vacuum seal, (aka cryovac). An overview of each is provided below:
Paper wrap
This is traditional butcher paper wrapping. Often, butcher paper is lined with plastic to prevent meat juices from saturating the paper. This wrapping option protects your meat for up to one year in the freezer.
Shrink wrap
This is a clear plastic film that is flash heated to shrink around the meat prior to freezing. Usually a double layer of shrink wrapping is applied for maximum protection of the meat. Shrink wrap is designed to prevent airflow to frozen meat which could cause freezer burn. Once meat is thawed, the wrap is no longer impermeable, and it is normal to see juices leaking out. Shrink wrap is extremely durable and resists tears and spoilage. Shrink wrap protects the meat for up to two years in the freezer, which is double the lifespan of paper wrap. It is our preferred wrapping option.
Vacuum seal
This is a clear plastic bag which is sealed after extracting all air from around the meat. Vacuum seal is very costly and is not available locally. It is delicate, punctures easily, and leaks in the seal will cause freezer burn almost immediately. If the seal is intact, vacuum seal protects meat for up to 2 years in the freezer.
Paper wrap
This is traditional butcher paper wrapping. Often, butcher paper is lined with plastic to prevent meat juices from saturating the paper. This wrapping option protects your meat for up to one year in the freezer.
Shrink wrap
This is a clear plastic film that is flash heated to shrink around the meat prior to freezing. Usually a double layer of shrink wrapping is applied for maximum protection of the meat. Shrink wrap is designed to prevent airflow to frozen meat which could cause freezer burn. Once meat is thawed, the wrap is no longer impermeable, and it is normal to see juices leaking out. Shrink wrap is extremely durable and resists tears and spoilage. Shrink wrap protects the meat for up to two years in the freezer, which is double the lifespan of paper wrap. It is our preferred wrapping option.
Vacuum seal
This is a clear plastic bag which is sealed after extracting all air from around the meat. Vacuum seal is very costly and is not available locally. It is delicate, punctures easily, and leaks in the seal will cause freezer burn almost immediately. If the seal is intact, vacuum seal protects meat for up to 2 years in the freezer.
