We’re at all times on the lookout for extra methods to chop prices. One of many best methods to do this with regards to cooking begins with our grocery record. Meat accounts for a fairly large portion of the meals funds for many people. We aren’t encouraging you to return to the times of canned meat (although this author does have a fond place in his coronary heart for a very good Spam musubi). As an alternative, know that most of the greatest offers on the grocery retailer could be discovered by shopping for bigger cuts of meat which have a lower cost per pound.
The tradeoff for such a comparatively low cost minimize of meat? Normally an extended cooking time. Fortunately, the return in your time funding comes again in spades, particularly since more often than not is hands-off with little to no supervision required. A small funds doesn’t have to imply small taste. You merely want to know easy methods to deal with these low cost cuts of rooster, pork, and beef to remodel them into spectacular budget-friendly meals.
Entire Hen
Nationwide Common: $1.39 per pound*
On the whole, cuts of meat with the least processing or work on behalf of the butcher translate to the least price to the patron. So it ought to come as no shock that a complete rooster is without doubt one of the most greatest low cost cuts round.
That is advantageous should you’re assured in your knife abilities (or have a trusty pair of kitchen shears) as a result of you possibly can carve your self some dearer elements, similar to rooster breasts, for just a bit hands-on effort. Nonetheless, a complete rooster by itself is a present. You possibly can roast it entire or spatchcock it to lower the time within the oven or on the grill.
If you happen to’ve roasted the hen entire, don’t even take into consideration tossing that carcass, as a result of you can also make your individual rooster inventory very quickly, one other nice technique to stretch its worth. (Whereas we love the calm meditation of skimming inventory because it burbles on the stovetop for hours, you may also take a hands-off strategy by making gradual cooker inventory and even making small batches of microwave inventory in minutes.)
The fryer and roaster distinction you’ll encounter on labels is only a matter of measurement, with bigger chickens (learn: older) costing extra per pound than smaller ones. Bigger chickens additionally are typically a bit of harder in texture than youthful chickens, which is why youthful chickens are typically chosen for recipes with quick-cooking occasions (therefore the “fryer” identify) and older ones are higher for gradual roasts within the oven (“roasters”).
Entire Hen Recipes
Roast Hen With Moroccan Spices
Traditional Roast Hen
Skillet Roast Hen
Grilled Roasted Hen
David Leite’s Finest Brined Roast Hen
Extra Entire Roast Hen Recipes
Hen Leg Quarters
Nationwide Common: $1.34 per pound*
Hen leg quarters refers back to the thigh and drumstick parts of the rooster nonetheless being related to 1 one other. Many aged-school rustic French recipes name for this low cost minimize of meat.
Bonus: You by no means must attempt to decipher a selected weight of rooster to purchase when planning dinner. Simply purchase as many leg quarters as you might have folks. Moreover, leg quarters are excellent for recipes that decision for combined rooster items, since all it takes is a fast incision to separate the leg from the thigh and you’ve got combined thighs and drumsticks.
Hen Leg Quarter Recipes
Tarragon Hen
Baharat Roast Hen
Gradual Cooker Hen with Garlic and Potatoes
Peruvian Hen
Jerk Hen
Hen Thighs
Nationwide Common: $1.43 per pound*
With an enormous rise in reputation over the past decade, rooster thighs have established themselves as some of the dependable and coveted warriors in a house prepare dinner’s arsenal. With the additional fats as an insurance coverage coverage towards turning into powerful and drying out (sure, we’re you, rooster breasts), they’re each economical and versatile, pairing with a seemingly infinite array of world flavors. They are often roasted, grilled, pan-fried, slow-cooked, and even deep-fried. They’re one in all our favourite go-to low cost cuts.
Hen Thighs Recipes
Hen With 40 Cloves of Garlic
Oven Roasted Hen Thighs
Beer Braised Hen Thighs
Baharat Roast Hen
Roast Hen Thighs with Lemon
Skillet Hen Thighs with Schmaltzy, Vinegary Radishes
Skillet Hen Thighs with Peas and Fennel
Extra Hen Thighs Recipes
Hen Drumsticks
Nationwide Common: $1.67 per pound*
An upside to the surge in reputation of rooster thighs is the abundance of leftover drumsticks, which often means you could find them at exceptionally low costs. Whereas the meat-to-bone ratio isn’t as beneficiant as it’s on a thigh, drumsticks retain their moisture and taste like thighs whereas inviting an identical cooking therapy to rooster wings. So whereas they’re completely at dwelling in a braise, the kid-friendly “stick” additionally invitations being eaten along with your fingers, which begs for making fried rooster.
Hen Drumstick Recipes
Hen Drumsticks Braised in Wine
Oven Fried Drumsticks
Candy and Sticky Sriracha Drumsticks
Roast Hen with Pancetta and Olives
Trendy Hen Marbella
Fried Hen
Pork Shoulder and Pork Butt
Nationwide Common: $1.39 per pound* (bone-in) / $2.45 per pound* (boneless)
Pork shoulder and pork butt (additionally typically referred to as “Boston butt”) are ceaselessly used interchangeably however are barely completely different cuts. The inevitable confusion arises as a result of what’s known as pork butt is definitely from the entrance of the pig, not the rear. Each “butt” and “shoulder” cuts are from the entrance shoulders of the pig, with the “butt” being the half up and across the precise shoulder joint and the “shoulder” being from the joint down the entrance leg a methods.
Whereas you should utilize these two low cost cuts interchangeably, you’ll get higher outcomes for sure issues utilizing one over the opposite. If fork-tender pulled pork is what you’re after, pork butt will present one of the best outcomes due to its ample marbling and tender texture that, when correctly cooked, falls away on the prod of a fork and may simply be shredded for pulled pork. For dishes wherein you need to have the ability to have slices that maintain collectively (suppose porchetta), pork shoulder will give you tender but sturdy slices with that signature exterior of crisped fats.
Pork Butt and Pork Shoulder Recipes
Roast Pork Butt
Gradual Cooker Pulled Pork
Smoked Pork Shoulder
Carnitas ~ Mexican Braised Pork
Braised Pork Shoulder with Chorizo and White Beans
Roasted Pork Shoulder with Mustard Glaze
Ham
Nationwide Common: $1.89 per pound* (bone-in) / 1.68 per pound* (spiral-cut)
Hear us out. Ham’s not only for Easter and Christmas! Not solely does it present a ton of servings, however it actually is the czar of reinvention with regards to leftovers. Whereas we will eat as many leftover ham sandwiches as the subsequent pork aficionado, it additionally unlocks so many different scrumptious meals. Omelets. Gratins. Soup. Biscuits. Don’t neglect about that bone, which may take the place of a ham hock in a cut up pea soup or a comforting pot of beans.
Professional tip: Minimize your leftover ham into smaller items and freeze it that method. Diced ham thaws in a short time and you then don’t must do extra prep work for some future last-minute meal.
Ham Recipes
Glazed Ham
Dr Pepper Glazed Ham
Ham and Cheese Omelet
Ham, Cheese, and Potato Casserole
Break up Pea Soup with Ham Hock
Senate Bean Soup
Ham and Cheddar Biscuits
Floor beef
Nationwide Common: $2.89 to $5.97 per pound* (relying on fats proportion)
Beef is well the costliest protein on this record, however there are less-expensive cuts. And none is inexpensive than floor beef, which repurposes many cuts which can be much less traveled by the house prepare dinner into one thing that appeals to all people.
Floor beef shouldn’t simply be relegated to your normal burgers and chilis and casseroles and meatballs. It will possibly additionally anchor a bigger dish, similar to shepherd’s pie. And whereas we’d eat Marcella Hazan’s bolognese any evening of the week, a well-stocked spice cupboard and pantry and a bit of curiosity can reveal a wholly new world for this usually looked-down-upon staple.
Floor Beef Recipes
Spiced Beef Kebabs
Beef Empanadas
Moroccan Meatballs
Spicy Beef Taco Bake
Brazilian Beef Kibbe
Lasagne Bolognese
Beef Chuck Roast
Nationwide Common: $5.06 per pound*
Granted, “chuck roast” isn’t the sexiest sounding identify one thing may have. However all is forgotten and forgiven with the primary chunk of a slow-cooked pot roast with mashed potatoes. The chuck roast is the equal of “pork butt” on a cow, coming from the entrance shoulder space. Loaded with connective tissue and hard muscle that takes time to show tender, this isn’t a candidate for fast weeknight meals, however give it a number of hours over low warmth wherein you slowly coax it to close falling-apart succulence, and you find yourself with a factor of magnificence.
Other than making scrumptious shredded beef dishes and pot roast, chuck roast turns into the proper candidate for a completely cooked braise or, should you minimize the meat into small chunks, it’s best for issues like stew or chile con carne. You possibly can ask your butcher to do the chopping for you, although the extra obsessive of us like to do that ourselves to make sure they’re all the identical measurement.
Beef Chuck Roast Recipes
Simple Pot Roast With Potatoes and Greens
Beef Tostadas
Trinchado ~ Spicy South African Beef
Caçoila ~ Portuguese Stewed Beef
Braised Beef with Crimson Wine Pasta
Instantaneous Pot Chuck Roast
“London Broil”
Nationwide Common: $4.97 per pound*
The scare quotes merely imply that “London broil” technically isn’t a minimize of meat, however reasonably a reputation for all cuts of meat that may be ready as broiled marinated beef that’s thinly sliced throughout the grain. Historically, this was at all times flank steak, however the time period has since expanded to incorporate high spherical and different sirloin cuts. You possibly can ask at your meat counter to search out out precisely what minimize the label “London broil” on the package deal means. No matter minimize you find yourself shopping for, because it’s boneless and doesn’t have any pockets of fats, you possibly can eat 100% of what you purchase and it makes for an economical technique to feed steak to a bunch.
These lean and hard low cost cuts will all be ready the identical method: marinade for a very long time and prepare dinner shortly over excessive warmth. The meat is commonly marinated in a single day to make sure the acids start to tenderize it. And brief prepare dinner time additionally signifies that the marinade is accountable for lots of the flavour and will depend on the boldest gamers in your pantry (suppose Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and curry paste) to assist obtain most taste.
London Broil (and Flank Steak) Recipes
Grilled Flank Steak
Korean Steak
Skillet Steak Peperonata
Steak Sandwich
Grilled Thai Beef Salad
Steak Tacos
*Costs replicate “USDA Nationwide Retail Report,” April 2022, and are topic to vary.
Initially printed February 25, 2021
