# I bought a buffalo! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 17, 2002, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099 "2002-11-17T00:31:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/1 "2002-11-17T00:31:30Z")
Not as a pet… To eat. Mrs. Bernse and I were in the market for a side of beef (need to fill our deepfreezer). Checked with a butcher and I can actually buy a side of buffalo for less than beef. They’re a little smaller than a cow (a 1/2 is about 200lbs) but the cost is around $2/lb, slaugtered/butchered. Heck, sometimes I have a hard time finding lean ground beef hamburger for that price around here. ☹ Mmmmm… Buffalo T-bones next weekend… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/2 "2002-11-17T00:51:10Z")
Yum. Had some beefalo cheeseburgers at the NY State Fair one year. Dee-lish. Of course back then, it was like $6/lb for ground buffalo. Obviously, the price has dropped considerably since then! Enjoy one for me. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/3 "2002-11-17T01:20:07Z")
Does it have wings? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/4 "2002-11-17T02:38:48Z")
\ …and I’m going to hug him and pet him and call him George… \ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Daowajan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Daowajan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daowajan)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/5 "2002-11-17T02:46:35Z")
Aw. I thought you were going to post pictures of your new pet buffalo romping around in his yard. A pet buffalo. Hmmm. (says the person in the one-room apartment.) ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/6 "2002-11-17T03:51:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ringo \* > \*\*Does it have wings? \*\* Maybe… I dunno. Last I saw of it, it was just a carcass on a hook. No wings that I saw, but maybe the took them off as they’re just fat anyhow. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Washte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Washte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washte)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/7 "2002-11-17T12:15:40Z")
I’m jealous!!! Buffalo is SO scrummy! I lived in Wyoming for several years and had my share of buffalo and antelope. To buy buffalo is usally quite spendy. However, the cost is well worth the health benefit - Buffalo is very low in fat, so obviously much better for you than beef. Keep this in mind when cooking it though or you’ll end up with tough grub. Trust me. I ended up with my fair share of hockey pucks… Enjoy!! ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/8 "2002-11-17T12:54:37Z")
☹ I was hoping it was a pet, too. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/9 "2002-11-17T17:44:35Z")
Buffalo is, indeed, excellent. Why, I’ve lived here all my life. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2002, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/10 "2002-11-19T17:30:24Z")
1. Um… Are you gonna name it? 2. Do you have to agree on a name with the person who buys the other half? 3. Hi Opal! ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/11 "2002-11-20T16:38:43Z")
1. Sure. I’ll name it “Dinner” 😉 2. Nope. Basically what happened is this. I know a rancher that has a buffalo herd (freind of a freind). He sells direct from the ranch via a small, private butcher that he works with. The rancher has a few of the animals at the butcher that are slaughtered, dressed and hanging, getting ready to go that he processes after a while (every week or so I suppose). In my case, the process went like this. I called the rancher and told him I was interested in a 1/2 side of buffalo. They were happy to oblige and gave me the phone number of their butcher and told me to give the cutting specs to him. I called the butcher and introduced myself. He said that he still had two buffalo that he was going to butcher soon and that sure, I could get a 1/2. He asked me questions like how large my family was (to gauge how many steaks to put per pkg, or how big to make the roasts). It was really painless. They will package up to our spec if we wish, or leave it to them, or a combo of the two. So no, the person buying the other 1/2 of the animal does not necessarily (and it is actually unlikely they would) have the same specs as me. They process the actual orders seperately. Our animal was grain fed buffalo and about a year old. It dressed out at 420lbs. Therefore, each half is about (lemme do the math here…) 210lbs. Thats what I ended up with. Here is what I actually recieved for cuts. All approximate as I didn’t actually count them as I put them in the deepfreeze last night: 15-20 roasts. About 5-8lbs each. Various types. 20 pkgs of various steaks (T-Bone, Rib, round, etc. Just like beef cuts) Each pkg probably 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 lbs 6 pkgs of minute steaks (1lb pkg) 20-25 pkgs (1-1/2lbs each) hamburger. The butcher raved that actual _hamburgers_ made from this meat would be incredible. 10 1lb pkgs of stewing meat 10-12 packages of soup bones/cuttings. This will probably take care of our red meat needs for almost a year. I’ll probably BBQ up some steaks this weekend. > [@](#): > > Trust me. I ended up with my fair share of hockey pucks Yeah, I’ve cooked buffalo before, I know what you mean. The trick with it is to take it off _as soon_ as its done. This is especially important with the steaks. I think I might actually cry if I ruined a buffalo steak ☹ ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/12 "2002-11-20T19:02:41Z")
Are you getting the other bits too? When I was a kid we’d go halvies on a steer with another family. We’d wind up with 1 kidney, 1/2 of a heart, 1/2 of a liver, and 1/2 of a tongue. I don’t remember if we got 1/2 of a brain and a lung or not. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/13 "2002-11-20T19:38:40Z")
Hey, pal, if you find a place that sells sweetbreads, let me know. They’re about as scarce as chicken ears (and the people who enjoy this delicacy). ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/14 "2002-11-20T20:06:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kferr \* > \*\*Are you getting the other bits too? When I was a kid we’d go halvies on a steer with another family. We’d wind up with 1 kidney, 1/2 of a heart, 1/2 of a liver, and 1/2 of a tongue. I don’t remember if we got 1/2 of a brain and a lung or not. \*\* Ummm. No. I didn’t ask either. You shoulda told me earlier! I coulda got them just for you! > [@](#): > > Hey, pal, if you find a place that sells sweetbreads, let me know. They’re about as scarce as chicken ears (and the people who enjoy this delicacy). What does sweetbread have to do with a Buffalo? Or am I being wooshed and this is a different kind of sweetbread? Probably involving the nether-regions of the beast, I suspect? ---
**Author:** ![Washte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Washte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washte)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/15 "2002-11-20T21:12:29Z")
[Sweetbreads…](http://www.cheftalk.com/HTML/Education/past_articles/sweetbrds.html) I’m not one for offal, but many people swear by them. Enjoy that BBQd steak by the way!! ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2002, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/16 "2002-11-20T22:01:22Z")
Thanks for the link. :gulp: Not much of an organ-meat man, myself… Guess I’ll have to be the one missing out! ---
**Author:** ![agentfroot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@agentfroot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/agentfroot)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2002, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bought-a-buffalo/137099/17 "2002-11-21T04:14:06Z")
I had a buffalo meatloaf once, it was interesting. I also visited a buffalo farm once, but it made me sad that such magnificent, beautiful creatures are just being raised to die. But then, I feel that way about pig farms too.