In 2025 we are making some adjustments to our beef program. We will be offering shares as small as ¼ like before but we will also be offering even smaller amounts through our Clover Club.
At Lake Joy Farmstead we take great care of our cows. The cows that live on our farm are 100% grass-fed and grass finished. We use the very best haylage and alfalfa from throughout Washington state. We also buy live beef from partners that might have a grain component to their diet, if a lot more marbling is your thing but to be clear, the beef on our farm is grass fed and grass finished. All of the beef is primarily Angus beef and score between USDA Choice and Prime.
How it Works
When you select your portion, we work closely with the butcher to cut your animal to meet your family’s needs. We estimate the hanging weight of the beef to be 650-850 lbs. per carcass (many factors make this a wide estimate) putting a share (1/2 beef) between 325-425 lbs. A quarter share is cut in half of this number. There can be some confusion on the difference between live weight, hanging weight and freezer weight so we did a deeper write up on it here.
Once the animal in its new condition is weighed, you will then be put in contact with the butcher to select your preferred cuts. For a sample cut sheet, read here. You’ll pick up your beef from that local butcher and you pay the butcher to custom cut to your specifications.
THE TYPICAL CUTS
- Sirloin Steaks – great for fajitas, carne asada, and any meal that needs good strips of beef.
- Rib Steaks – your classic ribeye, either bone in or boneless and thickness at your preference.
- T-bone Steaks – the Porterhouse and the T-bone come from the same basic part of the cow where technically the difference is in the thickness, 1.25 inch for porterhouse and anything else a T-bone. When you choose T-bone you are saying no to the tenderloin and New York steaks, as those are the two parts that make up each side of the “T”
- New York Steaks – If you say no to the T-bone then you are saying yes to the New York steaks. You get to pick the thickness.
- Tenderloin – the “other side” of the T-bone, but you get to choose whether you want it as a filet (intact) or into medallions.
- Chuck Roasts – the best of the roasts. Great for roast beef or smoked as pulled beef.
- Sirloin Tip Roast – usually tied with butcher twine and can be cooked as roast beef. We like pan seared and smoked, chilled and sliced thin.
- Top Round Roast – great for jerky or sliced thin and then pan seared.
- Bottom Round Steak – great for jerky or same as the top round.
- Short Ribs – you can have these cut as long, short, halved or flanken (which is the classic Korean-style short rib at 1.2 inch thickness)
- Stew Meat or Kabob
- Tri Tip – very popular, especially on the West Coast, you can leave whole and sear and smoke slice thin for an excellent meal.
- Brisket – great for Texas-style smoked, corned beef and pastrami
- Burger – whatever is left over from all of the trimmings becomes the grind. These are portioned into 1 pound tubes for easy storage and use.
- Soup Bones – for soup, with a little meat on them.
- Bones – for stock/broth, no meat on them and full of marrow which is great for gelatinous stock.
- Bones – for dogs
- Other – this includes oxtail, special cuts like organs.
Deposit and Prepayment
We ask for a larger up-front deposit for the beef shares. This is because if you cancel for any reason (such as moving out of the area for a new job), Federal law and the shortage of independent processing make it almost impossible for us to resell your custom share. The deposit is $250 per quarter. If you want a half beef share, it is then $500, and whole is $1,000.
If you are interested in reserving a share, or would like more information, fill out the form at the bottom of this page, or send us an email.