How Much Freezer Space Do You Need? (And other freezer FAQs)
When you buy a Quarter Share or a Side (Half) of Heartstone Farm beef, it’s delivered (FREE) to your door - frozen. For lots of our customers, having a freezer full of beef is, well, something new. And, usually, people have questions…
How much freezer space will my beef take?
For a quarter share (85 pounds of meat), you’ll want to have 4 cubic feet. And for a Side (half), around 8 cubic feet. A whole cow will need 16 cubic feet.
What if I don’t already have a freezer?
If you don’t have a freezer, you might be surprised to learn they’re surprisingly affordable. I’ve bought Frigidaire upright 22 cubic foot freezers on sale at Lowe’s for under $600. And small freezers that will hold your Quarter Share are available at Lowe’s or Home Depot for under $200! On Amazon, we found this 5.1 Cubic Ft. Freezer for $135! Whether you get a chest freezer or an upright is a personal preference.
How long will my beef be good in the freezer?
Assuming it goes right in the freezer and it’s kept ice cold, it will last at least 12 months.
How do I defrost my meat?
For ground beef, burger patties and steaks there are two ways. Either defrost in the
refrigerator (24-48 hours), or place the meat in a bowl of cold water and let it defrost on your kitchen counter for 1-3 hours. For roasts, defrost in the refrigerator for 48-72 hours.
Can I cook my meat frozen?
Generally no, but recently we came across a method of cooking frozen steaks which we’ve tried out with excellent results! Here’s a 3 minute video from America’s Test Kitchen that shows how to do it: https://youtu.be/uLWsEg1LmaE
Got other questions - feel free to email or call us
4 Comments -
Jo Ann Poole • -
Jason Tesdal • -
Lori Whitcomb • -
Linda Beale •
How many cubit feet do I need in a freezer to hold 140-160pounds of pork?
Linda Beale, the rancher/ butcher said the cow is 600lbs: is it you and 4 others or 3 others? 6004lbs 4 ways is 150lbs, 5 ways it is 120lbs. An upright large is over kill. Most your meat will be burger.
I am guessing the weight is for the entire cow after hanging and butchering. We are purchasing a 1/3 of a cow and it is 180 pounds of cut meat.
I am going in with 4 others on a cow to be slaughtered next weekend. The owner said it would be about 600 pounds of packaged frozen meat each. He said I’d need a medium chest freezer or a large upright. We need to go buy the freezer. What size? Can a 1/4 cow be 600 pounds?