Questions & Information
Swangus™ Beef comes from the Swangus breed of cattle. Swangus™ are a heritage crossbreed between the Angus breed and both the Brown Swiss and Braunvieh breeds. These Swiss breeds are known for well developed muscling, which translates to enhanced marbling. When coupled with the renowned tender and juicy Angus beef characteristics, the result is a savory and superb end product.
Receiving a large volume of home deliver beef can be a little daunting. Someitmes customers are unsure how to proceed with unkpacking, storage, etc. For a general guide to unboxing, safe storage, and prepartion - please click on the package icon below to be directed to our SWANGUS BEEF SHIPMENT GUIDELINE. Ohter questions you may have can likely be answered on the remainder of this FAQ page.
If you have questions about your order and are unsure as to the what to expect, please refer to the below information.
Our Swangus Beef should arrive tighly vacuum packed, be cold to the touch, and have a dark rich color to it. Here is some more info:
COLOR:
People associate fresh beef with the bright red color that they see on the butcher's shelf at their local markets. Though our product may not reflect the color that people are accustomed to seeing, we guarantee the freshness and quality of all of our products.
Similar to a sliced apple, the color of red meat can change rapidly. Despite this change in color, the meat remains fresh and of course, safe to eat. This change in color is caused by both the lack of and exposure to oxygen. Our products are vacuum sealed, which preserve foods by voiding their packaging of oxygen. This process ensures freshness and makes our products freezer safe for months. Once the packaging is removed and oxygen is resoterd to the food, it will begin to quickly take on it original and natural color. A small price to pay for farm freshness deliverd to your door! Many retailers and packagers add gasses and other addatives to their meats so they will retain their red and pink color. We choose to not add chemicals to our beef. We believe in a natural and wholesome products.
LIQUID CONTENTS:
A misconception with beef in general and especially vacuum packed beef is the prescence of what people refer to as blood. This is inaccurate, the liquid that is present in the packaging is the what is know as Myoglobin. Myoglobin is made up of water and a protein from within the muscle. Its release is caused by the freezing and thawing of the meat. We recommend simply straining the package, removing the contents, patting dry with a paper towel, and placing the meat on flat plate or tray. Allow the meat to rest for 15-20 minutes, removing and excess liquid as needed.
ODOR:
Ocassionally when a vacuum packge is immediatley opened, an unconventional odor may be present. This release is known as “confinement odor” and is common and expected with all vacuum packed meat. This odor is not an indication of freshness or quality, it is simply a by-product of the vacuum sealing process. Our products are safely sealed just moments after being hand cut by a master butcher. As oxygen is reintroduced to the meat, the smell will vanish within a few minutes. There is also a likely chance that this odor may not even occur. It's presence could depend on the thawing conditions.
QUALITY GUARANTEED:
We fully guarantee your satisfaction. If for any reason you have encountered an issues not covered here, have further questions, or need any assistance - please contact us.
For more information and resources, please go to:
http://www.meatsafety.org/
and
https://www.fsis.usda.gov
It's up to you, but here are some guidelines.
The USDA states that freezing keeps food products safe almost indefinitely if stored at 0°F (or lower). At this temperature, foods reatin their vitamin content, color, flavor and texture.
A key component to maintaining quality is ensuring that the product’s vacuum sealed packaging is not permeable to air. If your freezer is above 0°F, we recommend using the frozen meat within 4 weeks of receipt.
If your freezer is set to the recommended temperature and your products remain frozen in their original vacuum sealed packaging, we recommend enjoying your Swangus beef products within 6 months of receipt, although they will last well beyond that timeframe.
Yes!
As a local farm, we are very pleased to offer our prducts for direct pickup. Please place your order through our online store and select the pickup option. We will then contact you when your order is packaged and prepared. Pickups are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. If you require special arrangments for a pickup please contact our customer care department and we will do everything we can to accomodate your needs.
At this time we do not offer a pre-priced option for whole and half cow purchases. If you would like more information about placing a large volume order, please read the information below and send us a note on our Contact Us Page.
Each of our whole cows yields approximately 450 lbs. of packaged beef. Below are some rough estimates of the breakdown of available cuts from a whole cow:
Whole Cow - 450 lbs. of packaged Swangus Beef:
- 12 % Premium Steaks (Filets, Ribeyes, NY Strips)
- 18% Muscled Meats (Briskets, Short Ribs)
- 15% Roasts (Chuck roasts, petite roasts)
- 10% Misc. Cuts (Sirloin steaks, Skirt Steaks, Flank Steaks, Flat Iron Steaks, Cube Steaks, etc.)
- 45% Ground Beef (1 lb. packages)
The estimated average cost of our whole cow is $10.99 per packaged pound. Orders over $2,500 receive 15% off the the final price.
More Info:
- If you are interested in purchasing a whole or half beef please contact us here.
- Our Swangus Beef whole and half cow options are not available for shipping and must be picked up at Walnut Grove Farm.
- Please allow up to 2 weeks for us to compile the necessary cuts needed to complete a whole and half cow order
