All I can think about is how much Big Red would eat and how much manure there would be to cart away. You could say this sounds like bullshit but since he is a steer that would be inappropriate.
My dad talks about when he took over the ranch from his grandpa how there where some big steers running around it. His grandpa would run steers until they were 3-4 years old before he sold them. When dad took over he said there were about 20 head that grandpa could not catch and were still on the loose. They were all better than 5 years old and it took a few years to capture the wild critters. He describes the last one he managed to get in about like Big Red. 6 Ft. tall and just huge. He said one of the problems was it was so big the horses were scared of it. Finally got it in and took it to town and sold it. He said it didn't bring much money because it was too big for a normal butcher facility. I can belive it.
A thing may be incredible and still be true; sometimes it is incredible because it is true. Herman Melville












"All things in moderation and moderation in all things." - Oscar Wilde
"Mora begins with a brief, humorous sketch of the beginning of the American cattle industry--the early Spanish ranchero, the antebellum Texian frontiersman-cowhunter, and at last the first great trail drives to Kansas. He goes on to explain why the cowboy's dress and tools are as they are and how the rider does his work, complete with diagrams that show sequentially how a steer is "busted." He tells about the two chief systems of breaking a cowhorse, about the longhorn and his customs, the trail herd on the way north, the chuck wagon, the roundup, brands, rustling, and that indispensable item, the horse. He illustrates it all with fine detailed pictures that should help anyone, even if they've never seen a real cowboy in their lives, imagine how one should have looked. His friendly, casual voice, like that of Will James or Ramon Adams, is that of an old-timer at the campfire genially explicating upon something he loves and knows well, without ever forgetting that he may be dealing with a pack of ignorant greenhorns. This is one of the half-score or so of books that are absolutely indispensable to an understanding of the genuine "waddie" and his work. It begs to be brought back into print."
Trail Dust and Saddle Leather by Jo Mora
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0803281455/104-3591094-5053536?v=glance
Oxtail soup never crossed my mind - 'til now...