I Can't Believe I Bought the Whole Thing

Horticulturist Leslie Gilbert took a similar path. Five years ago, she started with lamb, then moved to beef. "There's something very satisfying about it," says Gilbert, 56, who lives in Mount Airy. "The lack of antibiotics and hormones in the meat, and you know the animals have a better life. If it's a little inconvenient to have 50 pounds of meat in your freezer, it's still worth it."

Buying whole animals requires more than just a philosophical commitment, however. It helps to have at least a working familiarity with butchering.

David Storm, a legal analyst in Charlottesville, found that out the hard way. A friend invited him to share a steer bought from a farmer just 45 minutes away. The cost: $1 a pound, plus a 36-cents-per-pound processing fee, or $735.76 for a 541-pound carcass, which translated to 275 pounds of dry-aged beef. "We did it for a lot of reasons," says Storm, 39. "One was cost. Two, it is grass-fed and fresh, so it will hopefully taste better. And three, we're supporting a local farmer, something we're very avid about.

"Plus it seemed fun. People would say, 'Anything new?' And I could say, 'Yeah, I just bought a side of beef.' "

Less fun was trying to figure out what to tell the butcher they hired to process the beef. Storm, like many Americans used to buying prepackaged meat, was not sure exactly what made up a side of beef. He knew he would get steaks, but how thick should they be cut? Should he have the chuck ground into hamburger or leave it as a roast? Adding chuck to the usual cuts that are ground results in higher-quality ground beef because it adds fat to the mix. But it also increases the already enormous quantity of hamburger a half-steer provides: 45 percent, or in his case, 124 pounds.

There were other surprises. When Storm picked up the beef, it was wrapped in old-style butcher paper, packaging that wouldn't endure long storage. So he bought a $140 vacuum sealer and spent several nights packaging the beef in front of the TV. He expects to get more use out of the sealer for processing summer vegetables.

Overall, Storm compares the experience to buying a car: It's an enormous purchase that requires a degree of trust between buyer and seller. "You wonder if you're doing it right," he says.

Farmers and butchers slowly are becoming more sophisticated at answering such questions. Sarah Chaney of Against the Wind Ranch explains to customers the ratios of steaks, roasts and ground beef and coordinates with the butcher on their behalf. Customers can then pick up dry-aged meat, as David Fox did, or pay extra for delivery.

The Organic Butcher of McLean, which sells whole steers, pigs, lambs and goats, talks with customers about what they like to cook, then determines how the meat should be butchered. The shop also sells 50-pound and 100-pound packs of dry-aged beef or beef-and-pork combinations. The packs are more expensive: $10.99 per pound for the 50-pound organic, certified humane beef; $9.99 per pound for the 100-pound pack. But smaller sizes allow customers to try before they stock an entire freezer with meat.

The smaller packs were a good option for McLean lawyer Claire Pettrone, a longtime customer at the Organic Butcher. After cooking dinner for 38 years, she needed inspiration. She found that the mix of different steaks, short ribs and roasts forced her to experiment with new recipes. "It's a little bit of a challenge, but because I do less shopping, it's ultimately a timesaver," she says. Pettrone used up her first pack of meat within four months and has ordered a second 50-pound box.

Some farmers say it's too hard to make a living selling whole animals. Scott Barao of Hedgeapple Farm in Buckeystown began selling whole and half-steers in 1997. Ten years on, he opened a retail store on the farm where he can sell the individual cuts customers wanted.

"There was huge demand for grass-fed beef, but to buy a whole animal meant too much money out of pocket and too much space to freeze it," he says. "People would end up with a bunch of cuts they've never seen before. And they don't know what to do with it."

For many customers, that is all part of the fun. Fox says he's doing more cooking since he bought his steer, something his wife appreciates. And he has gotten creative, using the Internet to find recipes for chuck roasts or shinbone meat.

"It's great," Fox says cheerfully as he tosses a three-pound London broil on the grill to serve friends on the back patio of his Capitol Hill home. "The meat tastes better. It's healthier. It's cheaper. We're saving money, without a doubt."

He has also become generous. "We love having them to dinner," says friend Blake Cogbill. "When you invite them over, they always bring their own food."