Best source for decent priced quality food?

bhedges1987

So I think I have been buying a lot of crap food.  Normally I get hormel pork butts from the grocery store when their .99lb.  I have been reading some bad reviews on this quality meat.  I can get them at restaurant depot, however if there is a better source people from here recommend I would like to give that a try.  I have Costco and Sams club by me, but not sure how their quality of meat is.

Same goes for my brisket.  I always buy the "angus" quality at restaurant depot.  It just doesn't seem great.  It's always around 2.89lb though, so I deal with it, but if I could find something a little better and not much more at a costco or sams club, I would do that.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

evie1370

I buy almost all my meat from local butchers. I pay a bit of a premium but IMO it is well worth it. Some meats, such as ground turkey and the occasional pork but come from Krogers. I watch the prices, especially for brisket cause that can get pricey, but when it gets to about $4 a pound I buy it.

northGAcock

I agree with Evie.......Find yourself a good local butcher (if at all possible) and get to know them. If looking for exceptional meats (say for special occasions)...Snake River Farms is your Internet friend.

Legume

Costco has very good quality meat.  If you buy their prime, it's excellent.  It's probably not going to compare to the best you can get at a boutique butcher shop or SRF, but you're not going to pay near those prices either.

I normally dislike Sam's, but I like their racks of lamb and pork shoulders (bone in) better than Costco.  Prime beef tenderloin is the same.

fishlessman

if costcos was close to me, thats were i would shop for steaks, butts, ribs. supermarkets vary, most pawn off that hormel under their own label but for lower priced things like chicken, chops etc they have been fine. we have a couple blue collar butches and an expensive one here that i get certian items like ribs when i need them, hormel makes for terrible ribs

kl8ton

If you have the means and the freezer space, find some ethically raised animals and buy a 1/2 pig or 1/2 cow from someone.  You can connect with these people on Craigslist, farmers markets, or look for a local CSA organization.

We have a store called Harvest Health by us.  It is very expensive.  My wife sometimes buys whole chickens there and they are usually 20ish dollars a piece.  Whole turkeys run over 100 bucks.

johnnyp

@bhedges1987 i don't have any boutique local butcher shops within 50 miles of my home.  I rely on the  grocery stores and a combination of Costco and SAMs.  

For me, the key to eating well without breaking the bank is to buy it when it's on sale.  This may sound obvious, but buy a vacuum sealer and stock up your freezer.  

If good pork butts go on sale, buy multiple.  You can also save money on steaks by buying the whole roast and cutting it yourself.  Recently at my local Costco, prime NY strip steaks we're going for $14.50/lb. the whole roast was going for $7.29/lb.  I got prime grade NY strips for half price, I just had to cut the roast myself.  I had way more steaks than I needed, but have them in my freezer for next time 

Biggreenpharmacist

kl8ton said:

If you have the means and the freezer space, find some ethically raised animals and buy a 1/2 pig or 1/2 cow from someone.  You can connect with these people on Craigslist, farmers markets, or look for a local CSA organization.

We have a store called Harvest Health by us.  It is very expensive.  My wife sometimes buys whole chickens there and they are usually 20ish dollars a piece.  Whole turkeys run over 100 bucks.

Holy crap!  For 100 bucks that turkey better have 4 breasts, 8 legs, and already spatchcocked. 

Carolina Q

kl8ton said:

My wife sometimes buys whole chickens there and they are usually 20ish dollars a piece.  Whole turkeys run over 100 bucks.

The day I have to do that is the day I become a vegetarian! 

OP, you don't say where you are, but if you have a Wegman's nearby, they have excellent meat. Strangely, most of it seems rather expensive to me (though far from 20 bucks a chicken), but their pork but is always $1.49/pound, half of what I have to pay here in CT. I always buy a couple when I visit Mom as I don't have a Wegman's here.

Come to think of it, I may have one left in my freezer. Maybe it's time for some BBQ!

bhedges1987

I think I will invent in a vacuum sealer.  Since butts are typically packed in 2's, when I want to thaw one to eat, what is the best route to do that? cut the pack open and remove one and re-seal the other?

Carolina Q

bhedges1987 said:

I think I will invent in a vacuum sealer.  Since butts are typically packed in 2's, when I want to thaw one to eat, what is the best route to do that? cut the pack open and remove one and re-seal the other?

I've never seen a two pack - anywhere. I know Costco sells 'em in twos, boneless as I recall. No thanks. Most on here will probably tell you to cook 'em both and vac seal/freeze what you don't eat.

bhedges1987

Carolina Q said:

bhedges1987 said:

I think I will invent in a vacuum sealer.  Since butts are typically packed in 2's, when I want to thaw one to eat, what is the best route to do that? cut the pack open and remove one and re-seal the other?

I've never seen a two pack - anywhere. I know Costco sells 'em in twos, boneless as I recall. No thanks. Most on here will probably tell you to cook 'em both and vac seal/freeze what you don't eat.

HA! Really? I can only find butts that come with 2 in each pack with bones.  So the flavor won't be diminished after pulling and sealing, freezing and re-heating? @Carolina Q 

Carolina Q

bhedges1987 said:

Carolina Q said:

bhedges1987 said:

I think I will invent in a vacuum sealer.  Since butts are typically packed in 2's, when I want to thaw one to eat, what is the best route to do that? cut the pack open and remove one and re-seal the other?

I've never seen a two pack - anywhere. I know Costco sells 'em in twos, boneless as I recall. No thanks. Most on here will probably tell you to cook 'em both and vac seal/freeze what you don't eat.

HA! Really? I can only find butts that come with 2 in each pack with bones.  So the flavor won't be diminished after pulling and sealing, freezing and re-heating? @Carolina Q 

Of course it will. I think so anyway. Plenty of folks disagree with me on that. The best way to reheat, IMO, is to put a sealed bag in simmering water until hot enough. To me, it's nowhere near as good as right off the cooker, but better than any other way I've tried. 

NonaScott

Legume said:

Costco has very good quality meat.  If you buy their prime, it's excellent.  It's probably not going to compare to the best you can get at a boutique butcher shop or SRF, but you're not going to pay near those prices either.

I normally dislike Sam's, but I like their racks of lamb and pork shoulders (bone in) better than Costco.  Prime beef tenderloin is the same.

I stopped buying all beef that isn't vacuum packed at Costco because they blade tenderize everything else according to their labels. I have no idea why you would need to blade tenderize a high quality rib eye or NY strip steak unless it's not.