Beef rings are cooperative groups of anywhere from six to twenty-four farms, with each member of the cooperative being required to supply one animal over the course of the summer to the cooperative for slaughter (either done locally on the farm or at a slaughterhouse at the member's expense). Beef rings were common among North American farmers who had no means for refrigeration of meat until the turn of the 20th century. Although pigs were small enough that a smoked pork carcass could be consumed by a single farming family before the meat spoiled, the same was not true of cattle, and smoked or salted beef was not popular in any case.

After obtaining the slaughtered steer, the meat would be distributed amongst the members of the cooperative, providing them with a steak, a roast, and a boiling joint each week. By slaughtering each animal in sequence, the cooperative ensured that all members received fresh meat throughout the summer. Distributions were weighed, so that each member received a fair share of the meat.

Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East (including Pakistan and Afghanistan), Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and North America, and is also important in Africa, parts of East Asia, and Southeast Asia. Beef is considered a taboo food in some cultures, especially in Indian culture, and thence is eschewed by Hindus and Jains; However, Hinduism's scriptures indicate a recorded history of beef consumption, with the taboo arising at a later period due to the ascendancy of the cow in terms of importance to the farming communities of the time. it is also discouraged among some Buddhists.

Beef muscle meat can be cut into steak, roasts or short ribs. Some cuts are processed (corned beef or beef jerky), and trimmings, usually mixed with meat from older, leaner cattle, are ground, minced or used in sausages. The blood is used in some varieties of blood sausage. Other parts that are eaten include the oxtail, tongue, tripe from the reticulum or rumen, glands (particularly the pancreas and thymus, referred to as sweetbread), the heart, the brain (although forbidden where there is a danger of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, BSE), the liver, the kidneys, and the tender testicles of the bull (known in the US as calf fries, prairie oysters, or Rocky Mountain oysters). Some intestines are cooked and eaten as-is, but are more often cleaned and used as natural sausage casings. The lungs and the udder are considered unfit for human consumption in the US. The bones are used for making beef stock.

Ring may refer to: