What are your meat money-saving tips?

#1

Meat (beef, pork, chicken, lamb…) makes up a huge chunk of the food budget for ketonians.

Have you discovered any money-saving hacks when shopping for meat?

(Bart) #2

Costco is where I buy the majority of my meat. I have yet to find a good butcher in the area I live. I also bought my food saver vacuum sealer at Costco and I believe it is key when buying your meat from Costco.

#3

I’ve found some great deals on grass fed Australian lamb and beef in manager’s markdown section (meat that is marked sell by …within 3 days or less).

It’s usually 50% off, but I did buy 5 Australian Leg of Lamb roasts at 99 cents per pound last spring or summer. Each weighed in the 4.5 to 5 lb range. :wink:

(John) #4

Not sure about Costco, but at Sam’s everything in the meat section can be purchased by the case and it is usually quite a bit cheaper. I cook a lot of pulled pork, it is usually $1.88 a pound if you just buy the 2 pack, and usually $1.10 a pound by the case, you just have to be able to store 60 pounds or so. Ground beef is about half what it is at Walmart, even cheaper by the case.
Chicken by the case has a really good discount as well.
Speaking of chicken, you usually pay double for the pre-trimmed stuff when it only takes 5 minutes to trim a who package of breasts.
Bacon is also really cheap there, Hormel Black Label Center Cut is $3.75 a pound.

(Alex Dipego) #5

I pay attention to sell by dates on meat and buy they stuff on sale. I also cook the same day but that’s because I’m able to spend that time coming home from work.

(Chris Bair) #6

Get a Sous-Vide cooker - you can make the toughest cheap cuts better than the expensive ones.

edit: and get a smoker to finish the outside =)

#7

@Chris_Bair, yes very good idea.

I’m old school cookery type of gal and cook the cheap tough cuts of meat in my dutch oven pots like the picture below. Go to a thrift store or Walmart or something like that and you can get a perfectly good dutch oven pot for a bargain.

#8

@jmbundy, that’s brilliant, I didn’t know you can buy by the case.

#9

We got an Instant Pot for Christmas, my husband and I both find that the cheaper cuts of beef and pork are amazingly moist and tender. I’m already collecting Keto friendly dishes for the IP. I love being able to make bone broth thick with collagen in hours instead of 2 days in our slow cooker. I use BB in anything that calls for stock/broth.

(carl) #10

Get the Anova Sous Vide Stick. Chuck roast ($4.99/lb) turns into tender moist and wonderful meat when you cook it at 135F for 48 hours.

#11

Today, someone posted that the Anova sous vide is on sale now at $99 - awesome!

(AnnaLeeThal) #12

I look for sales and cheap cuts.

(David Russell) #13

I took a look back at my bank statements before keto. The amount of money i was spending on junk food and take out was insane. I find that my grocery bill is higher, but i don’t have all those little trips to the corner store and no take-out.

I personally don’t buy into the whole grass-feed thing. I wasn’t there everyday of the cow’s life. Maybe he was feed grass on his last day?

(No I'm not mad - that's just my face) #14

I’ve been singing the praises of Chuck Eye Steak everywhere. :heart_eyes:

(Meeping up the Science!) #15

I buy in bulk though single. It saves so much money it’s ridiculous.

Buy meat per season to freeze. Christmas? Ham. Thanksgiving? Turkey, of course. Here ham is 1/pound and turkey is 30 cents/pound. Even if it’s lean you can always add fat.

I also grind my own meat in the food processor. It’s not really “ground” like in the store, but I make a fine mince instead. I use full fatty chuck with this. I can add my own fat, and I also get freshly-ground meat that’s higher in fat, and cheaper, than whatever ground beef du jour is in the market.

Eat offal! Beef hearts and liver are cheap :slight_smile:

#16

What great strategies, Donna. I really like the seasonal strategy…never thought of that.

I do the fine mince, too. Still makes great meatballs and Itallian “polpetoni”! Offals are stupid cheap, and very healthy!

(đ૯αท ʍ૯ઽƬѳท) #17

As Fung says “you can fast”.

#18

You crack me up, @Dmes10. That’s funny…how do you save money? Duh, don’t eat. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

(Charity Shumway) #19

Along the lines of buying seasonal meat (like turkey)… I can (in a pressure canner), the turkey. Yes, turkey is lean, but add mayo or fry it up in some butter… A great savings!

I also can beef. Can in a 4oz jar, it’s an easy grab & go snack to take w/you wherever (keep it in the car or your purse)!

I also buy meats in bulk at Costco, Cash & Carry, and sometimes even Wal*Mart - and my food saver / vacuum sealer is one of the best investments I’ve probably made for my “kitchen”.

#20

Really, you have a pressure canner at home? You are talking about cans…and not jars, correct?