Where's the Beef ??

Finally ready at the local meat market that's where! Finally my beef is ready. Yeah!! I am down to 2 pound of HB and a couple of steaks, and some yucky ribs from about 2 beeves ago. I told DH to give them to the dog. The calf was huge, and they got him hot roping him to load him in the trailer, and he did not eat well at all. #1 rule in beef eating, you don't rope your calf before you take them to be....well..killed. It makes the meat tough.

One of the blessings about this job, is that we are provided with a beef. We usually go through one a year, unless it is very small, like the last one, and it only lasted about 6 months. I am so spoiled. If we want a steak, we go to the freezer and get one. I had a look see at the meat counter at the local grocery store here while back and I was aghast at the price of meat. Oh my! Sure makes me appreciate this aspect of our job.

I have to tell a tough beef story. As I said we ended up with a very very tough beef. They roped him, and got him hot. And on top of it he was huge. About 1200 lbs. He dressed out, I think around 900 pounds. He was a monster. After we ate the first steak,or should I say, gnawed, the first steak. I knew I was in trouble. I had a freezer full of tough, stringy, not to tasty beef. Needless to say I was somewhat hot about it after I found out about the roping of the wild beef. Now I consider myself a Christian woman. I try and follow the Lord. I go to Church. I mean I do try and be good. But this was just more than I could take.

Here is was my day to feed the crew. Explain, when they work cattle in Dh's country, they eat here at my house, and I feed them. Now I am not bragging, but they do like to eat over here. I try and do a good job. Men that put in 8 hours before noon, need a good hearty meal, a nice glass of tea, and a few minutes to rest. So I do try and make it nice for them. But understand, the ole devil had been working on me about that meat. Yes I know you are not supposed to carry a grudge, and all that, so don't scold me. Well I decided that I would feed them rib steaks. That was another source of my contention. The locker that cut up my beef, cut it wrong. Now there is a science to cutting beef. This place does a sorry job at best, most of it comes out looking like it was cut with a chain saw. I don't like using them...but we had to. So I make sure I filled out a ticket in how I wanted my meat cut. I am very picky about this. Well they lost my ticket. I was not happy. I like my steaks cut at least 3/4's thick, cause we grill alot. I like my round steaks tenderized. MY ground meat lean, and my roasts big. When feeding a crew I don't want a little puny 3 pound roast. I want a big man feeding one. And I hate rib steaks. I love rib eyes. Which is a rib steak with the bone removed, leaving only the wonderful tender "eye" of the steak.

So here I am with these little puny 1/2 inch tough steaks. You have to sharpen your teeth to eat them. So I decided that I would grill them for the crew. Now I am thinking wow they will enjoy this grilled steak, but the Lord truly knew my heart. He knew that I knew how tough, and stringy they were. And He knew that the intention of my heart was two fold. One to get rid of the gross things. And two to get back at the fellas that roped that beef. Give them a dose of their medicine.

I prepared a fine meal. Steak, grilled, potatoes scalloped with cheese and green chili. Pinto beans, cooked to perfection. Hot biscuits, and butter. Buttermilk pie, and tall glasses of ice tea. They all filed in, fixed their greedy eyes on the food, filled their plates and proceeded to eat.

I never eat until they leave. I hang around seeing if they need more ice, tea, etc. Wander in and out of the kitchen, visit with the fella's sitting in the living room and I noticed in my wanderings that they sure seemed to be quieter than usual. And it seemed that in the midst of the quietness was the sound of....yes that was it...it was the sound of knives making loud sawing kind of sounds. And I could hear chewing, lots of loud chewing sounds. I have to admit that it kinda made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Ha...got ya. Until.....someone asked "Bill",( names have been changed to protect the innocent)when he was going to get the rest of his teeth pulled, and fitted for his dentures? What..dentures...no teeth! Oh no! I looked at "Bill" and sure enough the poor man was sitting there trying to gum his steak! Not only that, I had forgotten about "Bob", he doesn't have many teeth, and the ones he does have aren't in that great of shape. There he sat...just looking off into space and chewing....chewing very very slowly. The shame of what I had done fell over me. I mean how could I have done such a thing! Those poor poor men. And there they both sat. It took them so long to eat that they didn't even have time for dessert. They just chewed to long. Imagine the shame I felt as they all left, and as usual thanked me for the meal. Poor "Bill", and "Bob", filed out last, thanking me profusely for the fine dinner. Poor old fellas, it was the young bucks that I was after. Of course their younger choppers got that steak ground up pretty quick.

Well I had to do some repenting that afternoon. And I vowed never to take vengeance in my hands again. And yes He did get after me about the time I wired " Al's ", saddle to the rack, and I repented for that as well.....but I think that the Lord may have gotten a kick out of that one to.

God Bless and Happy Trails,
Ranch Wife

PS I had to feed again soon after, and did I lay on the feed. Green and Red Enchiladas, beans, Spanish rice. Homemade salsa and chips, and various pies. I made sure that I had Soft chewable food for the toothless fellas this time. I think they appreciated it. Bless their hearts!