First beef nerves! - Is it normal??

CarolineL · Post by **CarolineL** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 1:07 pm

We're collecting our first Dexter beef this afternoon and I'm really nervous! We have a list of customers who are all expecting top quality beef and what if ours happens to not be?! No reason why not, 100% grass-fed, happy, stress-free life. I've just got the jitters!

Can any one tell me if this is normal?!

Thanks!
Caroline

Duncan MacIntyre · Post by **Duncan MacIntyre** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 1:39 pm

You may be going down with staggers. See your vet immediately. :D

Of course it is normal, and of course it will all turn out ok. There is something special about your own first beef. Enjoy it.

Duncan

CarolineL · Post by **CarolineL** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 2:33 pm

Thanks for the reassuring words Duncan!
Will let you know what response we get...
Best regards
Caroline

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 4:32 pm

We panicked as well but when the responses came back with most people saying it was the best beef they'd ever tasted, it all seemed worth it. Just to know we could produce beef as good as we had already tasted from other farms gave us a lot of confidence. As Jimmy says "It'll be fine."

Rebecca · Post by **Rebecca** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 4:03 am

Well our vet only works with cattle, mainly big dairy herds. Over the 5 years since we got rid of the big animals and got the dexters he has gone from writing them off as a novelty to respecting them for what they are. Mind you dehorning has had a lot to do with that!! He calls them small cows with big attitude (some of our first cows had tricky temperaments, but breeding for temperament has got rid of that). Initally he was astounded by their milking ability for their size and told me that was because they are dairy animals. I have constantly told him they are DUAL purpose, and after observing how they mature (he is particularly impressed by the maturation rate in young bulls) he is finally conseding that they really are a dual purpose breed. After years of telling him how good the beef was he bought a side 6 months ago. Talk about nerves!! I was so worried he would get one that wasn't up to scratch. I needn't have worried - he is suitably impressed and will be back for more. It is a good feeling!!

Edited By Rebecca on 1253415835

jeanthomas · Post by **jeanthomas** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 8:46 pm

Tell me about it!! Sold cow in calf, heifer at foot and yearling steer which my son had turned into a pet, then anounced he would not eat him, to my vet. His wife was not impressed, but today, yes sunday afternoon when the neapolitan mastiff went wrong for the 50 million time (mere exaggeration), she actually admitted she was wrong and dexter beef was the best!! She said it was the best beef she had ever eaten!! Yet another convert.

jean in sunny suffolk!

CarolineL · Post by **CarolineL** » Thu Oct 08, 2009 3:22 pm

Thanks to everyone for the reassuring words. Pleased (and extremely relieved) to say that the beef was a great success! It tastes fantastic and we have received lots of great feedback with people already booking their next box! Phew! Only thing is we have sold nearly all of it and there's hardly anything left for ourselves!(we did keep most of the fillet though!) It really reminded us of why we started with Dexters in the first place.

One of my biggest worries on the day was if we had pre-sold too much - I had no idea how many joints/steaks/packs of mince etc we were going to get. In the end we just had enough for our box customers with a few packs of sirloin steak and quite a few 1/2kg packs of stew steak left for people who just wanted to try it (they all want a box next time now!)

If it would be useful I could put together the list of how many packs of each thing we got and an idea of weights and put them on here? Obviously it will differ depending on size of animal etc but it might be helpful for people in the same situation I was a couple of weeks ago?!

Thanks
Caroline

Post by **Mark Bowles** » Thu Oct 08, 2009 6:07 pm

I got back a 28 month non-short steer this week, he was big but could have been slightly better covered. He was out of a short cow.The weight of meat we got back was 149.7kg split by the butcher into 8 equal packs. Sold 7, kept 1 for ourselves so after killing and butchering costs we made just short of £1000.
The power of dexter beef!

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:03 pm

We are taking orders now for 5-6 months time. Have very little for ourselves and will run out soon. Might have to buy some! (joke).

Colin · Post by **Colin** » Fri Oct 09, 2009 9:33 pm

What and how many joints/steaks goes into making up a box ? I've been selling our first dexter beef since August, but as individual cuts. Be nice to sell in quantity.

Colin

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:34 am

Colin

If you go to our website at www.broomcroft.com and follow the link under our signature to our information site, there is a Download on there called Dexter Carcass Stats. In that file you will see various animals where the meat has been recorded (thanks to Penny). Obviously it depends upon how you butcher it. With small animals we will get no fillet, it gets to become part of the sirloin I think, for example. (Or maybe he takes it home and eats it!).

Edited By Broomcroft on 1255160140

Broomcroft · Post by **Broomcroft** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 8:45 am

Or here's the averages in kilos where minute steaks have been made out of some joints:

Joints
Topside 13.05
Silverside 9.15
Top Rump 1.23
Forerib 9.05
Brisket 6.24
Thick Rib 5.59
Steaks
Fillet 2.86
Sirloin 10.15
Rump 6.78
Minute 2.70
Braising Meats
Braising Steak 7.66
Stew Steak 16.75
Shin 0
Minced beef 21.02

Edited By Broomcroft on 1255160892

debra wiltshire · Post by **debra wiltshire** » Sat Oct 10, 2009 2:26 pm

I see that there is an entry on the latest society newsletter (sept 2009) headed 'society dexter cattle beef scheme'. Their aim is if I have read it correctly, is to help with educational and practical support..

Im always available for education and practical help! I for one will be contacting them

CarolineL · Post by **CarolineL** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:54 pm

Hi Colin

I will get my hastily written lists of what went into each box into some sort of order and will put info on here - we did 5kg and 10kg boxes. Certainly a good way to sell as you don't get left will all the cheaper cuts (although these are just as delicious when cooked long and slow!) and have an idea up front how much money you are going to get.

There's also some useful info on the discussion forum earlier which I found really helpful - I think I typed 'meat box' into the search box.

Thanks
Caroline

Colin · Post by **Colin** » Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:13 pm

Great thanks Caroline I'd appreciate that.

Clive are each of the boxes you sell 1/8th of all your listed joints and steaks ?

Colin