Saving Money at the Meat Counter, Part 2
Last week I touched on the basics of saving money at the grocery store and a quick lessons on extending the yield on Chicken and Turkey.
This week I’ll cover the Beef and Pork section of the meat case which will enable savvy shoppers even more savings for your pocket book and stretch those hard earned dollars.
BEEF Section of the meat case
Most every grocery store in your area will feature some type of beef product in their ad. Not every week, but at least 2-3 times a month. When you see Beef Roasts advertised for under $2.00 a pound, then it’s time to stock up a little.
Boneless Beef Chuck Roast-is an extremely versatile piece of meat cut from the Chuck Roll. It can be left as a Pot Roast, ground up for burger or cut up into Stew Beef. The Chuck Eye, if left large enough, can be separated by the natural seam and cut into approx ¾-1” Chuck Eye Steaks for the grill or the broiler. This muscle is an extension of the Rib Eye and is relatively tender and very tasty. What’s left after you remove the Chuck Eye can be butterflied and cut into Beef ‘Country Style Ribs’.
Other than the above, the Boneless Chuck Roast can be used for “Swiss Style” Steaks, a long slow cook on the grill or crock pot for shredded Barbecue Beef Sandwiches, made into a Pot Pie or Beef Stroganoff.
Boneless Beef Shoulder Roast- This is another muscle from the Beef Chuck, sometimes referred to as a “Clod”. This is a leaner piece of meat than the Boneless Chuck and most times more tender, especially if it’s USDA Choice grade or higher. With the exception of the Chuck Eye Steak, the Boneless Shoulder can be cut and used for the same dishes as the Beef Chuck Roast. If the roast is lean enough and devoid of sinew and tendons, a nice steak cut about 1-1½” will make an acceptable London Broil. Another use after it is cooked, either pot roasted or by dry heat, is to slice it thin, mix it with barbecue sauce for sandwiches. The sliced beef from the Shoulder will also make a nice French Dip or Italian Style Beef sandwich. Sliced thin enough, this cut makes excellent Beef Jerky.
If by chance you can purchase a whole Boneless Beef Should Clod, just follow these instructions for merchandising it into different cuts, including the Flat Iron Steak.
Boneless Beef Sirloin Tip Roast- This is another hunk of beef that the stores like to advertise on a regular basis, especially “Whole, in the bag”. The name is very confusing to the consumer, as the Beef Sirloin Tip is from the Beef Round and NOT the Sirloin. However, it is the ‘TIP’ of the Sirloin when it is broken down and separated at the packer or at store level. It’s a very lean piece of muscle that is best cooked at high heat, using either a dry or moist heat method.
The Sirloin Tip Roast can be left as a roast (pot roast or oven roast), cut into Lean Stew Meat, thin slices for Fajita’s or Stir Fry, Philly or Italian style sandwiches, Beef Kabobs (marinating suggested), gravy and beef, Cubed or Swiss Steak, or if marinated and grilled, you use thin slices for a salad topping.
If you purchase the whole Sirloin Tip, here are some tips for cutting it up at home. You can get a couple decent steaks off the front, or face, end. The rest can be left for a roast, cut into stew, stir fry or ground for very lean hamburger.
Boneless Beef Bottom and Eye Round-along with the Rump, all three of these roasts are cut from the leg of the Round called the “Gooseneck”. The Rump and Eye make excellent oven roasts, while the Bottom Round is best cooked with a moist method.
These Roasts can be formed into the same cuts as the Sirloin Tip above and make great Beef Jerky. They also make great Ground Round Burger by leaving the existing fat on or removing, depending on the fat content you are looking for.
Beef Rib, boneless or bone in-A little on the high end of the dollar scale, but on occasion a store will advertise these at a good price and several cuts can be utilized from the roast.
Just for an example, a store in my area advertised Bone-in Beef Rib Roasts last week for $5.99 a pound. I bought two of them and turned them into Delmonico Rib Steaks, a Boneless Rib Roast and some Beef Spareribs. This enabled me to save over $32 versus the regular retail price. Not too shabby.
Beef Steaks-You will have to decide for yourself if the stores ‘sale price’ represents a savings for you. The only time I buy steaks at the store is when they feature Beef Boneless Top Sirloin for around $3.50 a pound or less. This week one of the stores has them for $2.99 pound! And that is a GREAT buy. The Top Sirloin is a very tender and extremely flavorful piece of meat and is probably my favorite steak to grill for a crowd. Sliced thin, it makes excellent stir fry and Beef Stroganoff.
Stay away from Beef Chuck, Beef Shoulder, Beef Bottom and Eye Round Steaks, as usually the roast is on sale at the same time for a cheaper price and you can cut them yourself.
As far as New York Strip, Delmonico or Rib Eye Steaks, I do not buy these in the grocery store at all. I’d rather buy the whole primal cut at a warehouse store and cut them myself (see below).
Beef Primal Cuts available at warehouse stores-As a rule, you will find whole Beef Rib Eye (boneless or bone in), Beef Loin Strip Loin, Beef Tenderloin and most times Beef Loin, Top Sirloin Butt. These whole primal cuts are ‘untrimmed’ and you can realize any where from 15-30% fat and trim loss, but you more than likely will come out ahead if you weigh them at the retail price charged by the grocery store.
The Beef Rib Eye can be cut easily at home with a sharp knife. You will get Delmonico, Rib Eye or Rib Steaks (all the same, by the way) and or roasts, depending on your tastes.
The Beef Loin Strip (New York Strip) can be cut the same way as the Rib Eye.
Whole Beef Tenderloin is the most expensive steak in the meat case, mainly because it is the most tender and the most in demand, hence the higher price. It is slightly trickier to cut at home, but you will see a significant cost savings versus buying the individual steaks. I’m not fond of the Beef Tenderloin, as I think it lacks flavor, however if you wrap the steak (or roast) with a slice of apple smoked bacon, cook it on the grill, you are in for a taste treat.
Beef Loin, Top Sirloin Butt can be cut into roasts, Top Sirloin Steaks, Butt Steaks, great for Kabobs, Fajita and Stir Fry meat. Here is a PICTORIAL and a brief VIDEO of how to cut them.
Pork Section of the meat case
Another ‘HOT BUY’ in the grocery meat case is the boneless Whole Pork Loin, usually featured at less than $2.00 a pound (this is normally the regular price at warehouse clubs). This versatile meat can be made into several tasty cuts. Chops, roasts, cutlets and even FAKE Country Style Ribs.
The Pork Tenderloin is just too expensive to buy at the grocery store, as the prices range from $3.99 up to $6.99 a pound. Buy these at the warehouse club store where the price is usually around the $2.99 a pound range.
Baby Back Ribs (Loin Back Ribs) are best purchased at the warehouse club store once again. Average price at the grocery store is around $5.99 a pound, while, depending on the time of year, the warehouse will sell them all day at $2.99 lb. Yes, you normally have to buy three racks of ribs in one package, but that is why I suggest the food vacuum system and a freezer.
Regular Pork Spareribs-are larger, have more meat, but have more waste than the Baby Backs. However, if you cut your own St. Louis Style Spareribs, you can save a little money in the process. Normal price at the grocery store is about $2.99 a pound, while the warehouse store is around $1.99 a pound.
Pork Shoulder Blade Roast, Shoulder Butt and/or Boston Butt- is the top half of the whole Pork Shoulder. On occasion the stores will feature these whole at a price that is less than $1.00 a pound. That is the time to stock up your freezer.
The Boston Butt can be left as a roast for the crock pot or a great low and slow type cook on the grill for Pulled Pork Sandwiches. It can also be cut up for Pork Stew Meat, Boneless Pork Country Style Ribs and it has the right fat content for homemade pork sausage or ground pork.
Pork Picnic Shoulder-is the bottom half of the whole Pork Shoulder and is separated at the joint from the Boston Butt. It has a larger bone than the Butt, but I think the meat is sweeter. I have seen this on sale for 69¢ a pound and you can’t beat that price.
Most times these are left whole for a roast or smoked for a ‘Picnic Ham’. It makes great Pulled Pork Sandwiches and if you want to cut out the Pork Cushion, you will have a few more options to utilize this cut.
Whole Smoked Ham, bone in-depending on the price at the time, this can be a very economical cut if portioned wisely. If possible, ask the butcher to cut the ham in half and then remove a few Center Slices for grilling or pan frying. The two left over ends can be baked or grilled, what ever you choose. Once they are cooked, you can easily separate the muscles at the seams and make ham for sandwiches, breakfast slices, ham salad or another small boneless ham roast. Not to mention the great smoked hock and ham leg bone left over for soups and stews.
That about sums up “saving money” at the meat counters. If you have a question on some thing that I did not cover, don’t hesitate to email me and ask away.
I would like to point out that some stores will, but not all, MARK DOWN or REDUCE fresh meat on a daily basis. They do this when the product has come almost to the end of its ‘shelf life’. A word of caution is due here; if the package has been ‘reduced’ without being repackaged, it may or may not be any good, as its obvious the package has not been checked for spoilage. The meat may look fine, but upon getting it home, you find out that it has an odor or the bottom side has started to deteriorate. If in doubt, throw it out. Please exercise caution when buying these marked down ‘specials’. Please use these products the same day you buy them. Storing them any longer will result in possible spoilage. I don’t recommend freezing them either, as they will keep deteriorating while thawing out. Again, USE CAUTION and common sense when buy these products.
If the product has been cryovac packaged and dated at the processor, it may have been marked down to get rid of it by the “sell by date”. As long as the package is not ‘puffy’, or otherwise damaged, you will probably be safe in buying these mark downs.
Packaged Lunchmeat can be purchased in bulk at the warehouse stores and you will see quite a savings versus the smaller sized packages sold at the grocery store. If you have a slicer at home, you can easily make your own Deli Style Roast Beef, using some of the beef that you bought on sale. When the Deli has lunchmeat on sale, ask them if they will give you a break if you buy a whole or half piece. That way you can slice as needed or slice it all and freeze it.
As far as dry goods at the store or warehouse club. The days of the “White Label Black Lettering” generic goods are long past and I find that the store brand or off brand, to be just as good as the ‘name brand’ in most cases. I’m not just talking about canned vegetables and fruit, but all over the store you can find the store brands now. From paper towels, toilet paper, plastic trash and storage bags, dairy items, frozen foods, breads to pet foods, etc. The savings per item are significant in some cases, less in others, but it adds up to a good sized amount of money saved at the end of the month or year. On occasion I may get a product I’m not happy with, but on the whole, I’ll buy the ‘generic’ any day and watch my savings add up.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the past two week’s articles and I’ll try to update the topic as circumstances allow and merit.
