Our Cuts

We get a number of questions about our cut selections for beef, lamb and pork. Our standard cutting instructions (see below) are based on what has worked for our customers over the years. However, for customers who order any one of the following, you are free to choose your own butchering instructions: whole or half beef, whole or half hog, or whole lamb. If you aren’t sure what you want we can assist you. You may also want to review the following publications from Virginia Tech Cooperative Extension.

Garden Mountain Farm Standard Cutting Instructions

Beef quarter – we cut all our beeves as mixed quarters. This means that the cuts from a side (one-half) of the beef are divided equally between two quarters. As noted above, if you order either a half or whole beef you may specify your own cutting instructions.

Cuts you will receive:

Rib eye – we cut these 1 ½” thick
Porterhouse – we cut these 1 ½ “ thick
Sirloin steaks – we cut these 1” thick
Filets – we cut these as small steaks
Chuck roast – we cut these 2” thick and they typically weigh 3 to 4 pounds
Rump roast – these are typically 3 to 4 pounds each
Brisket – ½ of the whole brisket is included
Shanks – we normally package 1 to 2 shanks per package cut approximately 2” thick (1 ½ pounds)
Ribs – approximately 2 pounds per package
Stew beef – 5 pounds per quarter in 1 pound packages. Remember, any roast can be cubed for stew.
Soup bones – there are the new bones which make great stock
Liver – we do not include the liver in the quarter
Heart – we do not include the heart in the quarter
Tongue – we do not include the tongue in the quarter
Ground – we package ground in 1 pound packages

As a rule of thumb the following percentages make up a quarter:
40/30/30 – ground/steaks/roasts

Pork quarter – we cut all our hogs as mixed quarters. Cuts you will receive.

Chop – 2 per package, 1 ¼” thick
Ham steaks – these are cut from the leg and are cut ¾” thick. We include one steak per package. They are great marinated and grilled
Spare ribs – ½ rack per quarter
Bacon – this is uncured side meat cut thick. It is not seasoned.
Fat back – we will include a couple of pounds per quarter
Shoulder roast (boneless) – 3 to 4 pounds each
Backbones – these are great for making stock.
Ground pork - 5 pounds per quarter in 1 pound packages
Country sausage (mild) – these are 1 pound packages of breakfast sausage. You can substitute link sausage in an equivalent quantity for $2.00/lb (Hot Italian, Sweet Italian, Bratwurst)

Lamb – we only sell whole lambs. Most lambs only yield 30 to 40 pounds of meat. Cuts you will receive.

Chops – 1 ½” thick, 4 per pack.
Legs – 1 bone-in, 1 boneless
Shanks – 2 per package
Shoulder – 1 each per lamb, boneless. The second shoulder goes into stew and ground
Stew – ½ half of all trimmings
Ground – ½ of all trimmings
Soup bones (neck bones) – these make great stock
Organ meat – included