If you've ever ordered a quarter, half, or whole beef and been handed a cut sheet to fill out, you know the feeling: a page full of options you've never had to think about before, due back by a deadline, with zero guidance on what any of it actually means for your kitchen.

You're not supposed to know this already. Most people buying beef at a grocery store never see a cut sheet in their life -  the decisions are already made for them. Ordering direct means those decisions land in your hands instead. That's a good thing. It just takes a little decoding the first time.

Here's what's actually on that sheet, and how to fill it out with confidence even if this is your first time.

Steaks: Thickness

Most cut sheets ask how thick you want your steaks - usually a choice between ¾ inch, 1 inch, and 1½ inches.

●      ¾ inch cooks fast, which is great for a weeknight but leaves less room for error; it's easy to overcook.

●      1 inch is the most common choice for a reason. It gives you enough thickness to get a good sear on the outside while still hitting medium-rare on the inside without a ton of guesswork.

●      1½ inch is for people who want a steakhouse-style cut and don't mind a longer cook time or a reverse-sear technique.

If you don't know: go with 1 inch. It's the most forgiving thickness for home cooking and works with almost any method - grill, cast iron, or oven finish.

Roasts: Size

You'll usually be asked how large you want roasts - often in pound ranges like 2-3 lbs, 3-4 lbs, or 4+ lbs.

Think about how many people you're regularly feeding, plus leftovers. A 3-4 lb roast feeds a family of four with enough left over for sandwiches the next day. Smaller households often do better with 2-3 lb roasts so they're not stuck eating the same roast for a week straight.

If you don't know: 3-4 lbs is a safe middle ground for most households.

Ground Beef: Package Size

This one's simpler - usually a choice between 1 lb packages and bulk packages (2 lbs or more).

If you don't know: 1 lb packages. They thaw faster, they match most recipes without math, and you can always cook two packages at once if you need more.

Roast vs. Steak Ratio

Some cut sheets let you choose how certain cuts  (like the chuck or round) get processed: more into roasts, more into steaks, or more into stew meat and ground beef. This is really a question about how you cook day-to-day.

●      Cook a lot of slow meals (crockpot, oven roasts)? Lean toward more roasts.

●      Cook fast on weeknights? Lean toward more ground beef and steaks.

●      Not sure? A balanced default split works for almost everyone.

Stew Meat and Cube Steak

Stew meat is pre-cut into cubes for soups, stews, and crockpot meals. Cube steak has been mechanically tenderized - great for chicken-fried steak or a quick pan-fry.

If you don't know: a modest amount of both is worth including. They cover meals that ground beef and roasts don't.

Bones and Organs

Cut sheets often include an easy-to-miss section for soup bones, marrow bones, and organ meats like liver and heart.

If you've never made bone broth, this might feel like an easy skip, but soup bones are one of the most underused parts of a cut sheet. They cost little to nothing extra and turn into broth, stock, or a rich base for soups later on.

If you don't know: say yes to soup bones. You can always let them sit in the freezer until you're ready. Organs are optional and come down to personal taste.

The Big Picture

A cut sheet isn't a test; there's no wrong answer, only choices that fit your household better or worse. The best approach if you're filling one out for the first time: think about how you actually cook on a normal week, not how you imagine you might cook someday. Weeknight household? Lean ground beef, 1-inch steaks, smaller roasts. Slow-cooking household? Lean roasts, stew meat, and soup bones.

And if none of that helps, the defaults above will serve almost anyone well. You can always adjust next time around now that you know what each option actually gives you.

 

Filling out a cut sheet and still not sure? Reach out, and we'll walk through it with you - no wrong answers, just what works for your kitchen. Available for shipping nationwide or pickup at the farm