Why we will never offer 1/4 shares of our Beef

One thing that needs to be addressed is the hazards of quarter shares. Now, if you live in an apartment, are single, and have absolutely no space for a freezer, I get it, but you should realize what you are giving up by buying a 1/4 rather than a half:

A half beef means that you will have the ability to get one of literally every single cut, except for the "hanging tender," which is referred to as the "butcher's steak" as it hangs on the midline and technically belongs to neither half. It's fairly tender, but it's a lot of work to trim all the connective tissue off of it, so it often ends up in the ground. Then there is the liver and heart, usually between the halves, at least half the buyers don't want it, so if you request it (and they were good, it can be common for the liver to be condemned) you can get it.

At all of the shops I've worked in, a 1/4 beef is actually a half of a half or what is called a split 1/4. So they cut the half as if one person is buying it, then split all the packages evenly between the two parties. You might be able to REQUEST front 1/4 or back quarter, but that is not at all common anymore, as the weights are different and the value of the cuts is very different, so pricing fairly is difficult.

The problem with a split quarter is that in order to do it fairly, either the two parties splitting the half have to agree on how to have everything cut and packaged, or more commonly (since often the buyers don't know each other) the shop will do what is called a "standard cut." This means that they decide what cuts to produce, how large your roasts should be, the fat content of your burger, and how thick your steaks are cut. So if you like a 1-1/2" thick steak and the other guy wants 1/2", most standard cuts are 3/4", so no one will be happy. This has literally been a problem with quarters I've sold in the past.

The other issue is that there are cuts that only have one per half: the tri-tip and brisket come to mind. A reasonable person would state that they should just be cut in half, but they are so irregularly shaped that being fair with the distribution is nearly impossible, so those two cuts (the ones that I save for special occasions since I only get one a year) often are added to the ground. A lot of the roasts can be cut into roasts OR steaks, but a standard cut won't allow that, so if you prefer steaks and wouldn't cook roasts, guess it sucks to be you.

Most butcher shops will gladly spend time talking with you about cutting your half, but they absolutely will not waste their time going back and forth between you and the other buyer trying to find a compromise on cutting instructions.