Favorite budget meat cut

SteveWPBFL

Pork loin is cheap, usually under $2/lb at Costco and there's no waste. Our go to cheap meat is dark meat chicken. Grills or smokes up nice and boneless marinaded in Italian dressing makes for GREAT chicken sandwiches or stir fry.

Terrebandit

Hard to beat pork butt, chicken, and turkey. Lots of meat for little money.

Scottborasjr

Whole chickens and pork butt for me. The grocers around me have taken advantage of briskets new popularity.  Used to be able to get brisket flats for 2-3 bucks a pound and packers for about a 1.50 per pound. Now a days flats are 7-9 bucks per pound and very few places stock packers without ordering in advance. Hoping for a trip to Sam's soon with my mom as rumors of 2.49 whole choice packers are about. 

Cymbaline65

I'm not too proud to consider road kill as a viable source of protein. It's just dodging the cars to get it that bothers me. Racoons are a rabies risk and like Possum, are a bit greasy and gamey.

I buy Hanger when it's available, have not tried Flap. Turkey is always a play but it's more than chicken  after Thanksgiving here in the GA hinterlands.

Cymbaline65

SteveWPBFL said:

Our go to cheap meat is dark meat chicken. Grills or smokes up nice and boneless marinaded in Italian dressing makes for GREAT chicken sandwiches or stir fry.

Yep, actually, we prefer dark to white chicken. Thighs in particular.

yzzi

Big Macs and McDouble are my budget cuts of meat. I have no idea which animals it's from, but it still tastes good.

Fred19Flintstone

Whole chicken or leg quarters are cheap & good. Beef will be a little pricier due to the freak blizzard in the upper plains last month (if you believe the news).

Village Idiot

Fred19Flintstone said:

Whole chicken or leg quarters are cheap & good. Beef will be a little pricier due to the freak blizzard in the upper plains last month (if you believe the news).

There's beef is the upper plains?  To us, the upper plains is Amarillo. 

mcameron

Shoulders and butts are still relatively cheap and you can beat them for smoking.  Takes time and patience, though....

gmac

I buy all my beef, pork and chicken from friends who farm. Usually about $2.50 a lb or so for beef regardless of the cut since its all averaged. Need to get a pig. Chickens aren't super cheap, about the same as beef but I get 8 or 9 lb birds and the taste is so much better because they are raised much slower. I realize it may not be an option for everyone but if you have room to take it in bulk and can find a producer who will work with you, I think it's the best way to go.

The other option might be to consider making sausage.  You could get some better flavour and texture out of some cheaper cuts that way.

Cymbaline65

Hi Gmac-
I actually started this thread as more a "what cheap cuts do you like" and it's kind of morphed into a lot more. A cow-share (as they are called here) is a great idea if you have the freezer facilities. Sausage? Can't wait to get the time over Christmas to give it a rip. I'd love to source a local cow and chickens and I agree, the free-range ones are soooo much tastier. I posted one cook recently where I shelled out $15 for a bird - best tasting bird I've ever had.

Enjoy your friends and their farms. Great relationships to have!

fletcherfam

Chuck roast, whole chickens on sale, ground beef, turkey. Or just buy a cow and it all gets a lot cheaper

smchan

I like London broil when I find it on sale, and chuck eye cut into kabobs and marinated with onion and green peppers. Green bell peppers are costly though.

SkinnyV

Managers special section @ QFC aka Kroegers Just picked up another cab brisket , normally $5.99 lb for $3.59

Best way to go

MississippiSlim

We raise our own cattle and pigs.  We raise chickens also but theya re egg layers so they dont get eaten until they stop laying good.  We have gotten "miscut" chicken from the processing plant for really cheap.  Also we have a small grocer that runs whole ribeyes for 6.99/ lb and 10$ off a 50$ purchase so we stock up when he has that sale.  Basically rather than try cheap cuts we try to find the cuts we want on sale when we buy from stores.  I will say that I think our home raised meat ends up being more expensive on average than the store but it is usually higher quality and if you eat everything it works out.  If all you eat are the expensive cuts its cheaper to go to the butcher than grow you own.

 

Zmokin

Cymbaline65 said:

SteveWPBFL said:

Our go to cheap meat is dark meat chicken. Grills or smokes up nice and boneless marinaded in Italian dressing makes for GREAT chicken sandwiches or stir fry.

Yep, actually, we prefer dark to white chicken. Thighs in particular.

I'll 3rd that recommendation for dark meat chicken.

Recipes that call for boneless skinless chicken breast, I nearly always use boneless skinless chicken thighs.  So much tastier and more nutritious.

But I do like my skin and bones, so hindquarters is my "go to" cheap and tasty meat.