Picking a processor is one of the biggest decisions you'll make about your beef. It decides how your animal is handled, how it's cut and aged, what you can do with the beef afterward, and what the final bill looks like. Below are the questions we'd ask before hauling, and how we answer each one. Start with Texas beef processing if you want the short version of how we work.
We're ranchers first. The Burtnett family has been in the cattle business in Springtown for four generations, and we process several hundred of our own cattle each year at this plant. These are the questions we care about for our own beef.
1. Can I sell the beef?
Ask this first, because it decides what you can do with the beef.
Our answer: yes. Every animal here is processed under USDA inspection at Est. 2918. We don't do any custom-exempt processing. You can sell your beef anywhere, including retail and commercial distribution. To see what USDA humane handling looks like here, watch What USDA Humane Handling Actually Means. More detail: USDA-inspected beef processing.
2. What's the total price, and what's included?
Ask for the full bill before you drop off, not just a starting number.
- Is the price flat, or based on hanging weight?
- Are harvest, aging, vacuum sealing, labeling, and freezing included?
- Are patties and chili meat included?
- Can I keep organs and bones, and is there a charge?
- Is anything added at pickup?
Our answer: $850 for a whole on one cut sheet, $450for a half, or $900 for two halves on separate cut sheets. That includes harvest, cutting, vacuum sealing, labeling, freezing, aging, patties, and chili meat. There's no hanging-weight fee and nothing added at pickup. The only extras are a small added charge for label claims that need USDA LSAS approval, and private label design or GS1 barcodes, which are quoted for each project. See flat fee vs. per-pound processing.
3. How soon can my animal get in?
Ask how soon they can take one animal, and a group if you have one.
Our answer: single animals and emergencies usually get in the same week. Groups of 10 or more usually take 3 to 6 weeks to schedule. See group processing.
4. How long until the beef is ready, and how is it aged?
Ask how long the carcass chills, whether the beef is aged, how, and for how long.
Our answer: the carcass chills for 72 hours. Seven subprimals (brisket, ribeye, strip loin, tenderloin, sirloin, picanha, and tri tip) get a 14-day wet age. We wet age because it gives higher yields without giving up tenderness or flavor. Plan on 2 to 3 weeks from drop-off to pickup. See how long beef should hang.
5. How much can I choose on the cut sheet?
Ask to see the cut sheet before you book.
Our answer: you choose ribeye as steaks or a roast, bone-in or boneless. You choose the strip loin as NY strips and tenderloin filets, T-bones and porterhouses (not available on animals over 30 months of age), or a whole strip and whole tenderloin. You also decide on brisket, ribs, chuck, roasts, and the ground beef lean-to-fat ratio, and you set steak thickness and roast size. See how to fill out a beef cut sheet.
6. What comes back to me?
Ask how much beef to expect and whether you can keep organs and bones.
Our answer: a properly finished 1,200 lb steer comes back as about 430 lb of take-home beef, about 36% of live weight. Soup bones, marrow bones, heart, liver, tongue, oxtail, beef cheek, and kidney fat are on the cut sheet at no charge. Organ availability is subject to USDA and food safety rules. See how much meat you get from a cow.
7. What are drop-off and pickup like?
Ask about drop-off hours, what to bring, and when you can pick up.
Our answer:drop-off is Monday through Friday starting at 6:30am. Please arrive before 8am. Bring payment (cash, check, or card), your cut sheet, and supporting documents for any label claims. You don't need brand papers or a health inspection, because USDA inspects every animal before harvest. We text whoever is picking up when the order is ready. Pickup is Monday through Saturday, 10am to 6pm, at the plant, 2127 E Hwy 199 in Springtown.
8. Can they help me sell?
If you plan to sell, ask about label claims, your own brand on the package, and barcodes.
Our answer: you can make any valid claim on your label, and we handle label approval. See how label claims work, private label processing, and barcodes for ranch beef.
A quick checklist to take on the phone
- Can I sell the beef, and where?
- Flat price or hanging weight, and what's included
- Anything added at pickup
- How soon my animal can get in
- Chill time, aging method, and days aged
- The cut sheet choices
- Expected take-home weight
- Organs and bones
- Drop-off hours and what to bring
- Pickup hours and how they tell me it's ready
- Label claims, private label, and barcodes