Oak Barn Beef — Local services in West Point

Original review 01/29/2022

I just received my 1/2 beef order from oak barn beef. I received 6 sealed boxes from Hannah, who delivered the meat to my home about 70 miles away from the ASC Lockers where the beef was butchered. The meat was packaged neatly in vacusealed packages, and the meat is marbled to what i would describe as prime grade beef. some might fall into the choice category but I'd say most is higher grade.

As for the cost, I paid $4.00 per pound hanging weight (not live weight or finished weight) for a 496 pound half beef, which totaled $1984.00 and was a discount from the normal price of $4.25 per pound for their half beef. The boxes I received contained 242 pounds of finished beef. this equates out to just over $8.15 per pound for the finished product. Keep in mind at least half of this finished weight is ground beef or stew/kabob/fajita meat. I also had no bones or organs in this order, but the ribeyes included (7 that were 1.5" thick) were "bone-in. I opted for NY strip and filets instead of t-bones as well.

I added this so their future customers know what to expect for yield/value when purchasing from Oak Barn Beef. I'm sure the free delivery, higher grade of meat and the certifications/extra steps these guys take to ensure their meat is in that prime grade area. Is it worth the extra cost? You need to justify that for yourself. Ill be comparing their meat to meat I received from friends who got their beef a lot cheaper and way more yield out of their own beef orders from other ranchers the area. If i remember, ill add that comparison to this review later and adjust my star rating if needed given the totality of the experience. This 1/2 beef did not fill up my 7 cubic foot deep freeze. My gut feeling is something is wrong here or the butcher is holding a little (a lot?) of the yeild back for themselves, but full disclosure, this is my first experience purchasing meat this way. It just doesn't seem to be as good of yields and value compared to 4 or 5 other people I know who have ordered 1/2 beef from other places recently.

EDIT / Updated review 10/21/2022

Changed from 3 stars to 5 where it belongs.

SO...... After the mistake of going with another rancher and butcher for my second try at this half beef thing, Oak Barn ended up being way better quality of meat at a little bit cheaper price overall (8.16/lb vs 8.29/lb). Oak barn beef was definitely amazing quality prime beef and the next guy was choice at best. Not to mention cheap delivery to the metro area and better butcher shop packaging and labeling. I'll be going back to Oak Barn to get a whole beef next year and will not be looking back. Sorry for the mediocre rating until I figured out how this...

Share Buyer Beware? Or maybe just an honest mistake? Advertised price on website for a 1/4 share was $850 for an estimated 140lbs of physical beef. We were invoiced for $950 and just figured the anticipated weight of the animal must be higher than average. Delivery was scheduled for the 24th of December but then rescheduled for the 31st of December due to a butcher delay wich was no problem and not all surprising considering the hurricane force winds we experienced in Eastern Nebraska on the 15th. We were really excited to find a local producer that used a USDA inspected butcher that vacuum packs the beef as we have had issues with wrapped steaks being freezer burnt in a short period of time. We were also excited to be supporting a growing local business owned and operated by a young couple just starting out with what seemed like an honest approach to business, as well as a belief we share that people have become too disconnected with where their food comes from. We had done our homework before ordering and watched their YouTube video on what comes with a 1/4 beef so we knew what to expect because every local butcher we have experienced is different. It was a huge disappointment for the order to be only 117lbs and over 50% ground beef. Honestly I hope that this is an honest mistake and Hannah gets back to me having somehow overlooked a box with our name on it in the freezer and my emails with our concerns.As for what was delivered the marbling on the steaks looks amazing but I hate to insult the animal by trying them with a bitter taste in my mouth from feeling cheated. Also the packaging is the best I have seen on bulk beef. I will update this review after we try the beef. We had hoped this would be a great experience and everything up until opening the boxes had us excited and thinking we had found our local beef provider. Update: The misinformation on their website appears to have been corrected and I was contacted with a offer to resolve the matter. The offer was not something I felt comfortable with and I declined. The approximately $200 difference in advertised anticipated yield versus what was delivered is not worth accepting a resolution that...

I went to a fair in Nebraska, where they had a booth, and I tried one of each flavor of their beef sticks. …Had to go back the next day….. Because I loved them so much… So I bought six of each kind of their beef sticks at that time …and went home … And love them even more…and had to look them up online…. Have been ordering 24 sticks every two weeks ever since…. Online… They are the best. They are soft, yummy , so full of flavor, …. I don’t think I can go a night without having 1 or 2, of their Beef sticks…. Once you try them, you’ll be addicted… …. It was love at first “BITE”… The next step was a subscription that will come automatically to me each month…. Love..LOVE..love…🩵… so happy I found 🐄 OAK...