Author Topic: Cost of beef (Read 1022 times)

Marlelar · « **on:** September 24, 2014, 10:43:35 AM »

Now that beef has gone through the roof what are you doing differently? I can't believe that ground beef is over 4 bucks a pound!

Marsha

ggreg · « **Reply #1 on:** September 24, 2014, 11:32:18 AM »

That's the price I pay for grass fed TopSide, TopRound from Australia. Have to buy 20 pounds at a time, mind you. I just mince some of that and make my own. Makes a great roast dinner too.

Bolognese, shepherd pie with beef and chilli sauce are delicious though. I always mince it using the coarse setting. Fresh minced mince is delicious. You need about 10 percent fat though for taste. Ultra lean beef does not fry well.

Also found something at the cash and carry recently called bacon mis-shape which are bits of bacon that did not cut neatly. They were only 2.50 per lb so I bought a bunch of them. They were a mixture of smoked and unsmoked but perfectly good otherwise.

PerEvangelicaDicta · « **Reply #2 on:** September 24, 2014, 12:15:43 PM »

Quote

You need about 10 percent fat though for taste

Delicious, and healthier for your body - rich in omega 3 fatty acids.
You make a good point. It's cheaper to buy in bulk. We anticipated this and bought a chest freezer for sales, and to contract with local farmer for bulk purchases.

We'll have to eat more ground beef, slow cook cheaper cuts for more flavor, and find ways to stretch it, like more stir frying, stews and soups. Considering the general bad quality of meat, however, I won't compromise on grass fed, just quantity and frequency.

Marrow bones make a tremendous broth and it's very rich in nutrition. We always have a slow cooker making some, for soup base, or just a cup for bfast, lunch, dinner or snack.

And of course we'll eat more pastured eggs and other protein sources.

shin · « **Reply #3 on:** September 24, 2014, 01:08:05 PM »

Have you tried saving tallow for potatoes?

Frances · « **Reply #4 on:** September 24, 2014, 02:04:27 PM »

:dancing-banana:I won't be eating beef.l

ggreg · « **Reply #5 on:** September 24, 2014, 03:08:51 PM »

Up to recently I bought more expensive cuts of meat, sometimes up to 13 dollars per pound for Sirloin Aberdeen Angus but in the end I figured that while it was nice once in a while at Christmas or something there just was not enough difference in quality and taste. It certainly is not worth 3 times the price, no way.

I have bought Brazilian sirloin before (frozen) and ground it up to make burgers once it thawed. That cost 6 dollars per pound but it made delicious mince, the best I have ever eaten. Made a few meals with it and they were world's apart from even the finest store bought mince.

Australian Beef is the best in my experience. Botswana produce good stuff too. US is nice but impossible to buy in the EU.

Reason beef prices went up, apparently is that Farmers cut production as demand dropped in recession and recently Americans have been buying better cuts of meat. Takes a few years to increase production to meet demand