What are your meat money-saving tips?

(Charity Shumway) #21

I do have a pressure canner at home, and water bath canner. Meats need to be pressure canned. I can in glass jars (Mason/Ball). I’ve also canned stews!

I started w/jams & fruit. But starting Keto, I branched out to Keto friendly foods. (:

#22

That’s incredible. I wouldn’t even know where to buy a pressure canner. I’ve not seen them in kitchen type stores. Where did you acquire your canners?

(Charity Shumway) #23

I bought the pressure canner (Prestro brand) from either WalMart or Amazon, and the water bath canner from WalMart.

I grew up in Alaska, where food storage was a must (to save money & have fruits/veggies during the winter). Learned everything from my mom and grandmothers (and I keep up to date on current safety rules, etc… because what our grandmothers did, isn’t necessarily safe anymore).

#24

Interesting. I just use normal kitchen equipment (oven to sanitize and heat jars), large pot to water bath jars, etc. I’ve not seen specialized equipment to do preserving in jars. Italians preserve meat in jars, too. Like home made dried sausages, fish, etc. Lots of olive oil is used (everything is submerged in oil), and that submersion creates an air-free seal that prevents rot. Maybe that’s why I’m not familiar with pressure canning…as I learned to use oil to preserve meat.

(Michael Arthur ) #25

I hadn’t thought of doing bone broth in a pressure cooker, will have to try that!

(Jaidann) #26

Check out Universities that are in your area!

I just found out the University I work for has a meat processing plant! It is attached to the animal science program here so see if there’s one in your area. I had NO idea. They don’t advertise and I have worked for the University for 3 years and only just found out it existed.

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I got the following for $52.14

Sirloin Tip, Beef Top Round (London Broil), Beef stir fry, Cube steaks, 4.5 lbs of bone in pork chops, pork sausage, ground beef, 2lbs of bacon and 1.5lbs of bacon ends and pieces. Here where I live this is easily at least $1.00 per pound less up to $2.50 per pound less (depending on the cut) than what I can buy it for in grocery store.

Steaks are EASILY enough to feed two. Most of them right at 1.5lbs or a bit more. They also had lamb there but was a bit too much for the budget this time around. If it interests you, the animals here are grass fed with occasional supplementation of organic grains.

Hope this helps someone!

(Mike W.) #27

GFS. Gordon Food Service. Best prices I’ve found on pork butt and brisket. Also they can be ordered trimmed however you want. If you cook a lot of brisket this is a HUGE timesaver.

(Kathleen Lupole) #28

I buy meat in bulk too, often from my local restaurant supply store. Then I can it because I do not have a freezer.

(Sophie) #29

I always look for family packs of chicken parts with the skin on and I also buy whole chuck roasts and grind my own hamburger. I have a Hobart grinder attachment for my Kitchenaid. And I couldn’t live without my vacuum sealer so I can put everything into smaller packages for the freezer!

(Andrew Anderson) #30

I got a 1/4 cow from a butcher shop that only uses Indiana farmer grass fed beef. It was $3.69 a pound. Expensive upfront but worth it. Loads of rib eye, roasts, burger, ribs, and bones! We have a year supply, unless I continue having BBQ parties each week!

(Amber) #31

I am going to full on agree with those who have suggested hitting up the “manager’s special” section. I have found some great deals 50% off and saved a bunch of money. Now if only I had a bigger freezer!

(Meeping up the Science!) #32

Another more recent tip:

Here in the Midwest, bone-in pork chops are $1.49/pound at Meijer this week. I will make them and save the bones, and use these for stock. Later this week I’ll make a pork keto-y soup with leftovers. For about $10 and change I will get a week of dinners.

If you don’t like eating the same way, you can buy these same pork chops. Let’s say: 5 pounds. Make pork chops one night. Cut another into strips, stir fry with chiles and jalepenos for stir fry - eat on shiritaki noodles. Next night use one pork chop, dice, saute in butter, add stock and veg of choice for a quick keto soup. Fourth pound: grind in a food processor, and make egg roll in a bowl or crack slaw. Fifth night, mince fine, add 1/4lb of salt pork, saute and render fat. Add a can of crushed tomatoes, and add more meat and fat as desired. Add to shiritaki noodles or spaghetti squash for meat sauce meals.

I often buy chicken breasts when they are on sale for less than even the boneless thighs to cook them in lard to make piccata or stir fries. The irony there is palpable, heh.

(Ross) #33

Uncured bacon ends in the 2 pound pack at my food co-op. Buying the ends rather than the pretty pieces saves a lot of $. I save the fat and use it to cook other things, like bulk italian pork sausage.

70/30 hamburger. If you find a good butcher, often it’s on sale or at least priced lower than 80/20. People want the lean stuff. I’ve found a butcher that will make me 60/40…but gets a little tricky to cook.

Packing my own bulk eggs saves a few bucks. Adding heavy cream to the eggs & whipping them up increases the fat content to something a little better too.

(Nanci O'Connell) #34

I don’t love to cook during the week after work so I buy the rotisserie chicken at Costco on Saturday. It’s cheaper and bigger than the ones in the supermarket. I sometimes eat a thigh or a quarter (thigh and leg) for my next meal but if not… the dark meat goes into a buffalo chicken keto caaserole (https://www.ruled.me/buffalo-chicken-jalapeno-popper-casserole/ is a good recipe). It has 6 servings so if my kids aren’t around it will last a few meals. Then I put the white meat is the fridge to make chicken salad, again it will be a few servings. The skin gets added to my dogs meals throughout the week and the carcass goes into a freezer bag in the freezer. When I have 2 sets of bones I make bone broth in the crock pot.
Quite a few meals from a chicken that cost $4.99!!!

(Mike Glasbrener) #35

Costco bulk. Divide up, vacuum seal (from Costco). Freeze the drop in sound vide for cooking. Pork shoulder -> pulled pork is really cheap! Chuck roast… ribs…

All quite reasonable.

(Stacey) #36

I checked out the sous-vide cookers on amazon and a lot of them look expensive. Which one do you use? Is it better to pay for a more expensive version or can you still get good results with one that costs less?

(VLC.MD) #37

LOL.

(VLC.MD) #38

Found it !

This one’s for you !!

Watch the whole thing … the guy is funny. at 6 min 16 seconds is the joke you’ll like.

(Becky) #39

I have never canned anything, but I need an alternative to store bone broth. Can it be canned?

#40

Sure, it can be canned or frozen.