A cut sheet is the set of instructions that tells us exactly how you want your beef processed, cut, and packaged. Reviewing your options ahead of time makes drop-off faster and ensures you get exactly what you want.
When you drop off your animal, we'll go over your cut sheet together. It covers every major section of the beef — which cuts you want, how thick, how many per package, and what to do with the rest.
If you've never filled one out before, don't worry. We'll walk you through it. This page previews the choices you'll be making so you can think through your preferences ahead of time.
All fresh cuts are your own meat coming back to you. Anything you choose not to keep as a specific cut — ribs, brisket, soup bones, and other trimmings — will be trimmed and added to your ground beef.
A finished beef animal typically yields 55–65% of its live weight as hanging weight, and roughly 50–60% of hanging weight as packaged take-home meat. Cut choices affect final yield — keeping more steaks and roasts generally returns more total pounds than grinding everything.
We'll go through each section of the animal. Here's what each one covers.
Front shoulder — great for slow cooking and braising.
Premium middle section — the source of ribeyes and prime rib.
Short loin — where T-Bones, strips, and filets come from.
Between the loin and round — solid steaks and roasts.
Rear leg — lean cuts great for roasting, slicing thin, or grinding.
Lower sections — great for smoking, short ribs, and specialty cuts.
All trim and any cuts you choose not to keep as whole cuts get ground. You'll decide how it's packaged.
Choose 1 lb, 1½ lb, or 2 lb packages. Most families go with 1 lb — it's the easiest to thaw and use in a single meal.
We can form a portion of your grind into burger patties. Let us know your preferred patty weight and how many per package.
All Brighton Locker beef is wrapped in plastic and freezer paper and labeled with the cut name and date. Double wrapping is available on request.
Average is 2 steaks per package. You can request 1 per package if you prefer, or 3 if you're feeding a larger table.
Average is 3 lbs, but depends on your preference. Think about how many people you're typically feeding — larger roasts are better for entertaining.
Average is ¾ inch thick, but we can go thicker or thinner based on your preference. Thicker steaks hold up better on a hot grill.
Average is 2 per package, but it depends on your preference. If you typically cook for one, 1 per package makes more sense.
The tenderized round goes through the tenderizer 2 times, averaging about 1 lb each. The minute steak goes through 3 times, averaging about ⅓ lb each — thinner and faster cooking.
Average is 3 lbs, but it varies based on preference. Smaller roasts thaw faster; larger roasts are better for feeding a crowd.
You can select 1, 1½, or 2 lb packages. Most people choose 1 lb — it's easy to thaw and covers most recipes without waste.
Any cuts you don't want to keep will be trimmed and added to your ground beef. Nothing goes to waste.
All fresh cuts — steaks, roasts, ground beef, beef patties — are automatically your own animal coming back to you. When you bring your animal in, please make sure it is clean and well-prepared to avoid additional cleaning charges.
Have questions about what to expect? Give us a call before drop-off and we'll be happy to walk you through the process.