12/07/2026
While weโve been quiet on here, life certainly hasnโt slowed down!
Weโve finally taken the plunge and tucked into our very first Belmont Red beef - and what a full-circle moment itโs been. Thereโs something pretty special about raising cattle from the paddock right through to the plate.
We ended up sending two young bulls that didnโt quite make the cut. Funny how farming works though - every heifer weโd pencilled in as empty ended up testing in calf, so the bulls got the nod instead.
So far weโve sampled the eye & rib fillet, T-bone, brisket, ribs, chuck steak and a rolled roast, and every bite has been beautiful.
A big thank you to JS McGill Family Butcher for doing a top-notch job processing our beasts. We couldnโt be happier with the result.
A few lessons we learnt along the way:
๐ฅฉ If youโre doing more than one beast, a cold room is worth itโs weight in gold. We had 497kg of beef to pack and freeze, and it was a race against the clock.
โ๏ธ We thought our new 700L freezer would be plentyโฆ turns out it wasnโt! We also used the upright freezer in the house and even fired up the Engel to help get everything frozen.
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ Time your processing around a family gathering! Extra hands make light work, and visiting family and friends are perfect recruits for packing meat. And a feed afterwards doesnโt hurt either!
๐ฆ Best tip of the day came from Comanche Downs - run a rolling pin over your cryovac packs of mince. They freeze in no time and stack neatly upright in the freezer, saving valuable space.
๐ธ And if you want nice photos of your beef, snap them before you get carried away with the seasoning ๐คฆโโ๏ธ
All in all, weโre wrapped with how it turned out. Thereโs nothing quite like filling the freezer with beef youโve bred and raised yourself. That saidโฆ next time weโll probably stick to one beast at a time!!
