[Basil Ransom]

I love red meat. Lamb, goat, beef. But this stuff is pricey, especially if you like decent cuts, and eat it in volume. If money was no object, I'd have 3-4 lbs of lamb a day. As it is, I eat 1-2 lbs of meat a day. The more red meat I eat, the better I feel. This is not a place to lecture me about red meat being bad for you;

I'm cheaper than I am rich, so I'm looking for ways to either eat just as well on less money or eat better for what I'm spending now, or eat more but from non-meat sources. I think there is no one move, but a litany of small moves to moderate meat consumption.

How would you save money on meats?

Here's my short list of ideas so far.

1. Eat legumes like lentils a couple times a week. Has lots of protein. Apparently it's best to sprout these before consuming, or at least soak them. I had soaked lentils today, am going to try sprouted lentils soon. I think I'll try pairing it in curry with ghee (clarified butter) or coconut milk, and rice or potato. I usually don't like chicken, but I don't mind it in a good curry. How dependable are lentils as a protein source if you're still eating meat?

2. Drink kefir. I make this from standard whole milk, and drink about a quart a day, which is good for about 30g of protein and 400 calories or so. $0.90 a quart.

3. Buy huge cuts of meat like a whole brisket or several tri tips. I love tri tip, and I've found it for cheap if you buy it untrimmed, with four or five ~15-20 lbs at a time. Brisket is even cheaper, but I have no idea how you'd cook such a huge piece. If you have any experience, chime in.

There's always cans of tuna, but I never got it to taste good enough - I'd always be forcing myself to eat it. Plus you don't want to have it more than once or twice a week, given the mercury content.

[Katatonic]

Organ meats are my secret. Properly cooked heart and tongue are the best tasting parts of any four-legged animal in my opinion. I consider it a blessing that the US places minimal value on the most nutrient dense parts of an animal.

Also, search for a local cooperative that deals in grassfed and finished beef. I've found $4 a pound on all cuts of grassfed organic beef, and $1 a pound for non-organic provided you buy 75lbs or more.

[Veloce]

Why didn't you say so? Texting you right now, I'll get you hooked up on lower-than-wholesale prices.

As for brisket, I'm a fan of it for Ragu Napolitano. The fatty end isn't so great for this dish so it's one of the rare times I'll trim the fat pretty aggressively. Cut the brisket into several large pieces, sear them in hot oil, and stew them with some red wine and a basic tomato sauce for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight in a very low oven. During the last couple hours you can throw in a couple pork sausages. Use the sauce for pasta and serve the braised meat as the second course.

[Veloce]

For everyone else, obviously stewing and braising cuts are cheaper than steaks.

Shortribs used to be crazy cheap until they became so popular.

For each animal there's short-cooking cuts and long-cooking cuts.

Short cooking cuts:
Chicken breast/tenders
Chicken wings
Pork loin
Pork chops
Beef ribeye
Beef strip steak
beef filet mignon
Beef hangar steak
Beef flatiron steak (also called top blade)
Beef burger meat
Lamb rib chops
Lamb loin chops
Duck breast
Pretty much any seafood, except braised octopus or braised squid

Long cooking cuts:
chicken thigh/drumstick
Pork ribs
Pork shoulder
Pork leg (ham)
Pork neck
Beef top round
Beef shortribs
Beef brisket
Beef stew meat (top round or chuck)
Beef tendon
Tripe
Duck legs
Lamb Leg
Lamb shoulder

The general rule is that any long-cooking cuts are going to be cheaper than short-cooking cuts. They're also very often tastier.

[Basil Ransom]

Thanks thedude, I just didn't want to leech. OT, but I'd love to do a Korean BBQ meetup with some of the LA guys.

Katatonic, where do you find the organ meats? I do eat a pound of calf liver about once every two weeks. They had it at the farmer's market for $8 and Whole Foods for $10, both much better quality than the stuff I get now, but I don't really shop at either one of those.

I don't think I have room for 75 lbs, but I could probably swing 15-20 lbs.

[vinman]

I eat at least 2 briskets a month. They're easy.
1. Preheat the oven to 265 degrees.
2. Put olive oil on both sides of the brisket, and season to taste.
3. Put it in a pan with the FAT SIDE UP.
4. Cook it a 265 degrees, and for forty-five minutes per pound of weight (2 pounds for 1.5 hours)

I did my first one at 2 pounds. This way I would ruin a big piece of meat. The biggest that I've done so far is 6.5 pounds. I like to do them on Sunday because it's typically the day I chill at home, clean up, and get ready for the week. Let me know how it turns out.

[apoclater]

I'm with you man. I eat paleo/primal 90-95% of the time. I'm also trying to gain mass, and I'm on a budget.

There's not any real tricks besides the obvious ones:

-Buy ground beef/bacon/whatever you can in bulk. Grass-fed beef is $5.99 at Trader Joe's and my local grocery store sells 3 lb bacon packs for $15.

-Buy cheaper cuts that you can braise--they're generally fattier and are therefore more nutritious. I'm talking pork shoulder/butt, pot roasts, short ribs, etc.

-Avoid expensive cuts as much as you can. Things like lamb racks, beef tenderloins (filets), etc are so expensive for the nutrients you get. You're better off buying ground lamb or ground beef for nutrition. Same goes for fish--don't bother buying expensive imported cod when you can buy salmon which is generally cheaper and more nutritious.

-Look for sales. My grocer sells this awesome veal/beef/pork mix that is awesome for meatballs, and they often discount it from $4.29/lb to $0.99/lb. That's a steal.

All these tips aside, meat is expensive. You can't get around that. When push comes to shove, you need a lot of quality meat more than you need a swanky place, a nicer car, or a trip to wherever. Prioritize nutrition and take care of your body.

[Basil Ransom]

Vinman, I was thinking of a whole brisket, but I'll look into a partial one. That said, I forgot about the oven, I may have to experiment with using the oven for a whole brisket, a 15-20lb cut IIRC. I'm used to pan frying everything, or using a slow/rice cooker.

Apoc, definitely agree about the sales. I recomme d getting the smartphone apps of the stores you shop at to see their sales. I was getting delicious lamb shoulder chops for $5 a lb for a while, no more.

After rent, food and my car (a modest affair) are my main sources of spending.

[Quintus Curtius]

How about hunting? No BS. I don't hunt, but I have heard that these guys can fill up a whole freezer of deer meat (venison) or whatever in just one trip.
You would need a little investment up front in the license and rifle, but it might make sense economically.

[Chaos]

I buy a full or a half animal from a farmer. Pork,beef or lamb.

[WanderingSoul]

Buy a big freezer and buy half a cow. Or go in with some buddies on a half/full cow if it's too expensive. My mom gets one every year usually and we have all kinds of beef.

[Capitán Peligroso]

Here is a great source of whey protein. They're out of the UK, and you need to sign up to order from them, but it's a really clean, cheap source of protein. I bought 4kg, which is about $75 retail, but if you google for a 15% off coupon, it takes it down to about $63, with shipping it ends up being $70 for 8.8 pounds of whey protein isolate, which is 90% protein. It ends up being as cheap as buying hamburger for $2 a pound without all the hormones, antibiotics, and other crap.

Beans, rice, and yogurt or kefir (since you're already making it yourself) is a really good protein combination. You can make mung or azuki beans and rice with vegetables, garlic, ginger. Top it with ghee, Bragg's and plain yogurt or kefir; it's a great flavor combination. Here's a sample recipe for a kitchari. Kitchari is basically any combination of beans and rice with vegetables with some Indian spices, and is used in ayurvedics. If you buy your beans and basmati rice at CostCo, it ends up being $15 for a 20 pound bag of rice and not much more than that for the beans.

[Virtus]

In los angeles there is a chain of supermarkets called Jons. they cater their dry foods and cookies and such to whatever ethnic demographic the store is positioned around. So in Glendale there are more armenian products while in noho there are more russian mixed with armenian. In van nuys there are more latinos around. One of the departments that gets pretty much the same stuff in every place is the meat department. But different ethnicities eat different things. Latinos are not big on lamb and especially on veal. So you can pick up veal at $3-4 / lb and veal breast at $2 lb (breast is pretty fatty layered. kinda like uncured bacon)

[Tail Gunner]

Every St. Patrick's Day, stock up on corned beef, which is beef brisket, at ridiculous prices. You may need to visit a number of stores because of limits.

Every culture uses a different method to cook beef brisket, which is a tough cut of meat that demands tenderizing. The Irish make corned beef. Texans smoke it slowly and tenderize it. You can also cook it in a crock pot.

Another trick is to go to the section of the meat department where there is usually a special section where packages of meat are set to expire in a day or two. As long as you cook it immediately, you save about fifty percent.

Buy lamb at Middle-Eastern grocery stores, especially when it is on sale.

Sardines are the best fish for purely health reasons. Near the bottom of the food chain, they contain no mercury or other heavy metals.

[spalex]

Fuuuck

Back home I would eat steak about 5-7 times a week.
Here in Norway for a shitty steak at the supermarket it costs about $40-$80.
It's even about $10 just for 400grams of minced meat.

I just have to buy a bag of frozen chicken breasts and eat that almost every night.

[Tail Gunner]

(04-28-2014 02:30 AM)spalex Wrote:  

Here in Norway for a shitty steak at the supermarket it costs about $40-$80.

[Drazen]

(04-28-2014 01:38 AM)calihunter Wrote:  

In los angeles there is a chain of supermarkets called Jons. they cater their dry foods and cookies and such to whatever ethnic demographic the store is positioned around. So in Glendale there are more armenian products while in noho there are more russian mixed with armenian. In van nuys there are more latinos around. One of the departments that gets pretty much the same stuff in every place is the meat department. But different ethnicities eat different things. Latinos are not big on lamb and especially on veal. So you can pick up veal at $3-4 / lb and veal breast at $2 lb (breast is pretty fatty layered. kinda like uncured bacon)

Know anything about the quality of meat at "SuperKing" (few in the Valley, Glassell Park, La Crescenta, etc)? Its also a middle eastern-ish restaurant, and I know they have excellent prices on produce and seem to keep quality control good.

[Basil Ransom]

"Sardines are the best fish for purely health reasons. Near the bottom of the food chain, they contain no mercury or other heavy metals."

Canned sardines are great, but on a pure calories and dollars basis, they're not a great choice. I did find a source for fresh ones, at Mitsuwa in LA. Unfortunately Mitsuwa is supposed to be pricey, and few markets carry fresh sardines. I also weirdly started nearly choking every time I eat canned sardines - seems like the oil coats my throat and makes breathing difficult. It's been awhile since I had some, but I'll try them again from my leftovers. It's really annoying that some tasty affordable foods don't get sold because Americans have no taste for them, like the cheaper lamb cuts and fresh sardines.

Capitan, definitely going to explore using more beans or lentils, in conjunction with meat.

[LaCobra]

(04-27-2014 10:27 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  

For everyone else, obviously stewing and braising cuts are cheaper than steaks.

Shortribs used to be crazy cheap until they became so popular.

For each animal there's short-cooking cuts and long-cooking cuts.

Short cooking cuts:
Chicken breast/tenders
Chicken wings
Pork loin
Pork chops
Beef ribeye
Beef strip steak
beef filet mignon
Beef hangar steak
Beef flatiron steak (also called top blade)
Beef burger meat
Lamb rib chops
Lamb loin chops
Duck breast
Pretty much any seafood, except braised octopus or braised squid

Long cooking cuts:
chicken thigh/drumstick
Pork ribs
Pork shoulder
Pork leg (ham)
Pork neck
Beef top round
Beef shortribs
Beef brisket
Beef stew meat (top round or chuck)
Beef tendon
Tripe
Duck legs
Lamb Leg
Lamb shoulder

The general rule is that any long-cooking cuts are going to be cheaper than short-cooking cuts. They're also very often tastier.

Exactly, and meats that are next to bone also have more calories.

I buy the cows legs cut in stakes (thats called "osobuco" here) and boil them with assorted vegetables. Its way cheaper than any other meat, and you get to eat that delicious bone marrow too.

[TonySandos]

(04-27-2014 10:20 PM)thedude3737 Wrote:  

Why didn't you say so? Texting you right now, I'll get you hooked up on lower-than-wholesale prices.

As for brisket, I'm a fan of it for Ragu Napolitano. The fatty end isn't so great for this dish so it's one of the rare times I'll trim the fat pretty aggressively. Cut the brisket into several large pieces, sear them in hot oil, and stew them with some red wine and a basic tomato sauce for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight in a very low oven. During the last couple hours you can throw in a couple pork sausages. Use the sauce for pasta and serve the braised meat as the second course.

This is close to how mom makes it. I'm sensing some southern Italian in you

[TonySandos]

(04-27-2014 11:26 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  

Buy a big freezer and buy half a cow. Or go in with some buddies on a half/full cow if it's too expensive. My mom gets one every year usually and we have all kinds of beef.

I know a few beef farmer around here personally, but never considered being a patron to their businesses. What condition do you receive the cow in; pieced up or whole? Do they deliver it to you? What do you look for when finding a good slaughterhouse?

[Tail Gunner]

(04-28-2014 09:07 AM)Basil Ransom Wrote:  

"Sardines are the best fish for purely health reasons. Near the bottom of the food chain, they contain no mercury or other heavy metals."

Canned sardines are great, but on a pure calories and dollars basis, they're not a great choice. I did find a source for fresh ones, at Mitsuwa in LA. Unfortunately Mitsuwa is supposed to be pricey, and few markets carry fresh sardines. I also weirdly started nearly choking every time I eat canned sardines - seems like the oil coats my throat and makes breathing difficult. It's been awhile since I had some, but I'll try them again from my leftovers. It's really annoying that some tasty affordable foods don't get sold because Americans have no taste for them, like the cheaper lamb cuts and fresh sardines.

Capitan, definitely going to explore using more beans or lentils, in conjunction with meat.

Stay away from any canned sardines with soybean oil. Buy those packed in extra virgin olive oil or water. I eat mostly vegetables, so I eat sardines as a healthy protein snack rather than as a meal.

[The Beast1]

In Boston, there is an amazing meat market in Davis Square where I can get quality meats at a massive discount from most chain stores. It's not a Whole Foods meat market, but it is a step below. Place is called McKinnon's.

Try looking for a meat distributor / butcher shop near by. Nine out of ten times it will be fresher, tastier, and cheaper.

[DVY]

Def dont get meat at Jons in LA. Something about it tastes off to me.

@Basil Ransom- im down for an AYCE BBQ meetup. My favorite place is Road to Seoul (19 dollar AYCE) or 2nd place Tahoe Galbi (22-25 AYCE). Both are delicious.

[Basil Ransom]

Frenchie, yeah that's a good long term idea. I've got to find a good source. There's a Mexican butcher near me but the shop looks pretty dicey, Mexican carnicerias seem a little lax on quality and hygiene, plus there's often a gringo tax. My part of town is full of white people eating bean sprouts and mimosa brunches, if you want exotic fare you have to pay exorbitant amounts here (eg Santa Monica Fish Market - the people who patronized that shop when it first opened decades ago could hardly afford to shop there now).

Tony, thedude is a professional chef who's an expert in super high end Italian and French cuisine with the Michelin starred experience to prove it. He looks pretty Northern European though, so take his suggestions at your own risk

DVY, cool. I hear Oo-kook and U2 are the best AYCE for quality, cost a little more.

Lamb shoulder chops is my favorite cut of meat now. Fatty and flavorful, and you can cook it on the stove. Recipes recommend marinading it but it tasted good enough to me just seasoned and fried. This market near me was selling Kiwi pastured lamb for $5 a lb but the sale ended and I'm out. It freezes well too (in parchment paper + ziploc). It also has a little marrow in the o bone that runs through it. Lamb shoulder is typically half to a third of what lamb chops cost. I was cooking lamb boneless leg roast from Costco, but it's easy to overcook, and takes longer because you cook 4-5 lbs at a time in the oven. Plus you don't taste the seasonings as much once you get past the skin, or at least the way I was cooking it. I still love beef but damn lamb is amazing.