Frequently asked questions

What is an abattoir? 

The difference between provincial and federal.     

Simply put, an abattoir is a slaughterhouse. An abattoir is the legal facility which kills, processes and hangs the beef. Unlike most abattoirs, ours also butchers and packages our farmers beef on-site. By law, without the abattoir, meat in general will never make it to the market for retail.   All meat needs to go through an abattoir to be sold, whether it's a federal or provincial facility.  Federal beef is what you will find mostly in butcher shops, grocery stores and restaurants. However, sometimes you can find local beef/meat in restaurants and butchers that source local. You'll never find provincial meat in grocery stores as they are mandated to carry federal processed beef or USDA products.   Federal processed beef is generally killed then with-in 10 days it begins it's aging process in vacuum sealed packaging. ie full loins are aged for another 5/20/35 day, then cut for retail, or a distributor will butcher the loins then vacuum seal individual steaks for their aging process, then freeze them. Also, many times the meat is killed at an abattoir then sent to a separate location to be butchered, then vacuum sealed or paper wrapped. Butchers generally order primal cuts and break them down for their stores.   We feel fortunate that our beef is farm to table. Meaning, our farmer takes his beef to the abattoir, they work their magic and we pick it up directly from them. The farmer is 2 hours away, so this saves a lot of time for everyone. Also, as we are in direct contact with the abattoir, we get to talk to the butchers for your customized cuts. For us, this is true farm to table.   If you are looking to try us out we have some 10lb box deals happening. See them here. https://beefonly.ca/shop-now/ols/categories/10lb-box-deals

On-line Orders

Why do we do deadlines.

All  beef, chicken and pork is cut fresh a day or two before you receive it then vacuum sealed. This poses one challenge, delivery. Unlike others, we do not inventory any products. We put our orders directly to the abattoir/slaughter house then they call us when it's ready, usually it takes about a week, sometimes a few days. This said, we now have a schedule going with the abattoir where they know our orders need to be ready on said date which allows us to deliver your box order fresh, not frozen, For safety reasons, all orders that contain chicken and pork will be frozen for transit.  All sides of beef will be frozen for safe transport.

Deadline is the 15th of every month. 

Overages.

Please know that the butchers at the abattoir do their best to meet your weights. However, mother nature makes that decision. We can cut 4 different loins the exact same thickness and have 4 different weights. The usual overage is about 5-15% of your total order weight which has a lot to do with the actual products you have ordered. Overages can be paid on pickup/delivery.

Full, Half and 1/4 Beef. 

If you are new to ordering a side of beef, there's much to learn. Mostly, the weight you have ordered is based on what's called the "hang weight" This is the weight after the animal has been cleaned and hung to age for 17-20 days. Also, you can choose how you would like  your beef cut. This takes some assistance which we can help you with. 

Ageing.

There's two main types of aging, hanging as described above and dry aging. Dry aging takes a special fridge. This fridge adjusts the climate in the fridge and has other features to stop the meat from going moldy or bad over very long periods of time. Also, the longer you age your beef, the more uneatable beef you will have to trim off. All abattoirs hang from 11-20 days max to avoid mold growth. We hang for 20 days max. 

Refunds. 

There are no refunds. However, if we are able to resell your order will will refund you your balance less a $30 re-distribution fee. 

Credit Card Refunds.

If paid by credit card or debit, you can expect your money back on your card with-in 4-10 business days. Essentially once it leaves our account it's in the  hands of the processor and there's really nothing we can do.

If paid by etransfer you should receive the refund within 5 business days maximum. 

Packaging.

All meat is packaged in vacuum sealed bags. This ensures freshness, safer transportation and with beef this allows for wet ageing. (Wet aging is leaving it in your fridge for a week or so in the the vacuum sealed bag for a more tender and flavourful steak. Please do not use this method with bone-in items.)