RECIPE: Homemade Ham
Ham is a traditional centerpiece that deserves to be perfect. You'll appreciate the amazing flavor even more when you prepare your own ham, fresh to finished, with the easy home curing recipe.
Author: Eileen Napier
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RECIPE: Homemade Corned Beef
Corned Beef Brisket is an annual tradition in our house. When we tried this homemade recipe a few years ago, the results were game-changing. It was as if we’d finally eaten a real corned beef brisket, the one all the other store-bought corned beef briskets were trying to imitate. Experience aromatic flavors with spices you can distinguish. This is corned beef in high definition.
Bulk Buying Basics: How Much Meat Does My Family Need?
If you've ever tried shopping for a quarter beef or half hog and wondered, "How much is that and how long will it feed my family?"...you’re not alone! For many households, especially those with growing kids, buying meat in bulk from a local rancher sounds great… until the logistics get fuzzy. At Ramstead, we’re here to make bulk buying make sense. This is your go-to guide for understanding portions, freezer space, and how to plan for your family’s real-life needs without overbuying or overthinking it. Scroll down to find the family size that most closely matches yours, and read the details to find your best fit bulk order size. 🥓 Family of 2: 2 Adults or 1 Adult + 1 Teen Let’s assume: You each eat ~0.6 lbs of meat per meal You cook meat 4–5 times per week That’s 1.2 lbs per meal, and here are your planning needs: Weekly total: 5–6 lbs Monthly total: 20–25 lbs What Should You Order? For smaller households, we offer bulk portions that allow you to save while you stock up without overrunning your freezer space: 1/8 Beef (36 lbs): 2 months 1/4 Pig (26 lbs): 1.5 months Whole chicken (~4.5 lbs each): Plan for two meals per bird plus leftovers 🧠 Smart 3-month bulk combo for 2: 1/8 Beef (36 lbs) 1/4 Pig (26 lbs) 2–4 Whole chickens or as needed for extras ✅ Total Meat: 70 - 80 lbs 🧊 Freezer Space: 4–5 cu. ft. 💡 Great for smaller families who cook 4–5 nights a week and want variety across ground beef, steaks, roasts, chops, bacon, and sausage. 👉 Visit Our Bulk Menu Page 👨👩👧👦 Family of 4: 2 Adults + 2 Young Kids Let’s say your family eats pasture-raised meat 4–5 times per week. Adults eat about 0.6 lbs of meat per meal Young kids eat about 0.3 lbs per meal That’s about 1.8 lbs per meal for the whole family: Weekly total: 8 lbs Monthly total: 24–35 lbs What Should You Order? You have options depending on how often you want to restock: 1/4 Beef (72 lbs): 2–3 months 1/2 Pig (55 lbs): 3–5 months 20 Whole chickens (at 4.5 lbs each): 2.5–4 months 🧠 Smart 3-month combo for your family: 1/4 Beef (72 lbs) 1/4 Pig (26 lbs) 2–4 Whole chickens, or as needed to fill in ✅ Total Meat: 105 - 110 lbs 🧊 Freezer Space: 6–7 cu. ft. 💡 This combo covers three months easily, with cuts to please both picky eaters and weekend cooks. Think burgers, meatballs, bacon breakfast, and slow-cooked roasts.👉 Visit Our Bulk Menu Page 🍔 Family of 4: 2 Adults + 2 Teenagers Teenagers can easily match or surpass adult appetites. Each person (adult or teen) eats ~0.6 lbs That’s 2.4 lbs per meal for the family: Weekly total: 10–11 lbs Monthly total: 40–46 lbs What Should You Order? Here are some popular portions and how long they’ll last your family: 1/4 Beef (72 lbs): 1.5 months 1/2 Beef (145 lbs): 3 months Whole Pig (109 lbs): 2.5 months 30 Whole chickens (at 4.5 lbs each): 3 months 🧠 Smart 3-month bulk combo for you: 1/4 Beef (72 lbs) 1/2 Pig (55 lbs) 3–8 Whole chickens or as needed for fill in ✅ Total Meat: ~140 - 155 lbs 🧊 Freezer Space: ~8–9 cu. ft. 💡 This is a robust combo for hearty teen appetites. You’ll have plenty of ground beef for weeknights, roasts for Sunday dinner, bacon for big breakfasts, and sausage for quick protein boosts. Pro-tip: Add whole chickens as needed for sports seasons when appetites are at their peak!👉 Visit Our Bulk Menu Page A Final Note As you can likely guess, the amount of time these portions last your family will vary based on demand. This guide is a great starting point to help you understand what it takes to feed our most common family combos with a typical meat-eating schedule. We hope this helps with your planning, and if you have specific questions or want to know more, as always, please contact us. We are real humans here 😆, and we’re happy to help!
RECIPE: One Pan Apple Pork Chop Dish
I love a recipe that harmonizes just the right flavors all in one pan. Fresh fruit and herbs are contrasted by tangy mustard, and they simmer together and blend with savory pasture raised pork chops to bring you joy on a plate. Ingredients 2 Tbsp olive oil4 Ramstead Ranch pork chops or pork steaks2 tsp Dijon mustard2 C bone broth2 Tbsp fresh herbs, rosemary works well, thyme or sage would work well, too, and best you use a blend.2 medium apples, sliced thin1 large onion, sliced thinSalt and pepper to taste Tools 12-inch skillet or cast ironWisk, bowl, and a nice, sharp knife Instructions Thaw pork chops and season with salt and pepper.Add 1 Tbsp to your pan and heat on high until oil smokes. You want you pan HOT!Sear pork chops, about 2 min per side. Remove the chops from heat.Lower heat to medium high. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to pan. Heat oil and add onions and apples. Turn occasionally slightly toasted, about 5 min. Add salt, pepper, and fresh herbs, and stir. Cook onions until they are translucent.Whisk together bone broth and mustard, and add to apple-onion mixture. Nest pork chops in pan making sure to surround the chops with the apple-onion mixture.Simmer for additional 4 min, until chops are cooked through.Enjoy!
RECIPE: Ready for Summer Rhubarb Cilantro Dip
I love a recipe that handed off on a post it because I begged to know how to make it. Shadow brought this one to the ranch last week, and I’ve been bugging her to give me the details since. It’s a super flexible recipe. Keep the ingredients fresh and raw, and you’ll have a salsa or relish for your wraps. Prep the veggies with a little blanching and simmering, you can turn it into a sauce for slathering on delicious meats as well. And any excuse to use more of that prolific rhubarb is a win in my book.
RECIPE: Baked Lemon Herb Chicken Legs
We saw this recipe in a social media post from our friend and holistic health practitioner Pam Langenderfer of Lakeside Holistic Health in Coeur d’ Alene. We adapted it to our taste, and we highly recommend you try it. Delicious and easy to prepare, you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry already.
RECIPE: Chicken Shawarma
Make this chicken salad your next party dish. With crisp garden veggies and delightful, aromatic seasonings, chicken salad has never been so well dressed.
RECIPE: Pork Steak With Stone Fruits
Pork steaks have special, robust flavor that sets them apart from even the most delicious pork chop. When you slow cook them with seasonally fresh fruits, the mix is magical. Berries, peaches, and apricots top my list of recommended fruit to try. You’ll be dazzled! (Psst: this is a great way to use any bruised or not-so-perfect fruits from your harvest.)
Special BBQ
This year, we got to take part in an exciting pilot project with our neighbors, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians. This project helped them reduce food waste from the kitchen side of their nearby Kalispel Casino, just down the road in our beautiful Pend Oreille County.
Three Most Common Questions about Grassfed/Pasture Raised Meats
Responsible stewardship is a top priority for us, and we are glad you are on board! But there is another important priority we want to highlight today, and that is flavor!
RECIPE: Juicy Smoked Turkey
We think a well-smoked turkey is a delicacy! The Traegers and the Big Green Eggs on the market sure help to make smoking meat easy to get right. If you want a great resource for getting deeper in the details, we recommend following this guy....
RECIPE: Roasting Your Pasture Raised Ham
Our delicious pasture raised hams come to you fully cooked. The same goes for ham steaks—a great option if you want smaller portions for your meal. The process of preparing ham or ham steaks for dinner is just a matter of warming them thoroughly without drying them out. Here are some handy time and temperature suggestions.