Best Value Meat

dronid

Just checking to see what people think is the best value meat at the moment. I will throw in that I'm a central London dweller so no inexpensive farmers markets etc, it's pretty much supermarket shopping for me. I've a meat oriented household which I'm slowly changing if I can but wondered if there were any particularly good bargains out there. Don't mind if they're tougher cuts of meat - I've a slow cooker and pressure cooker.

nursemaggie

Hi Dronid

No such thing as an inexpensive farmers market they are organic and expensive. What you need is a good old fashioned indoor market or failing that a local butcher. Look around because new ones are opening these days and they are cheaper and better than supermarkets.

There is always the good old rubber chicken. A 1 1/2k chicken usually stretches to 4 meals for two of us.

A remark my DS20 made the other day, "You know how you women have an extra stomach for cake, well I have one for meat."

I understand where you are coming from. As my DS is eating me out of house and home again I think he may be having a last growth spurt before he hits 21 which wont be long.

If you can't find a market find a butcher and get to know him/her. Don't be afraid to ask how to cook a cut of meat. The slow cooker is the answer. There are an infinite amount of recipes for mince and beef stews.

The problem with cuts of meat is they tend to have different names in different areas. I have lived in most though not London.

Take a good look at Squeaky's index and find the recipes. Look round your local charity shops for good old fashioned recipe books which will tell you how to cook cheaper cuts. Adapt stuff to your tastes. If you find a good market buy all your fruit and veg there too as not only is it a lot cheaper it is fresher too and is more likely to be from fairly local like Kent and not Morocco.

SailorSam

If you've got a Heron frozen foods down there, i got 1kg of chicken thighs for £1.50 last week. 4/5 portions.

Butterfly_Brain

Try here, they are reasonably priced and they deliver
http://www.farmerschoice.co.uk/deliveries

madvixen

Shin, skirt and oxtail are all good value (usually around £6/kg) but they need long, slow cooking. Very, very tasty though, especially in stews and curries

timehastoldme

Head to North London and buy some goat.

Horace

Buy brisket - bung it in the slow cooker with some water, black pepper, onions and carrots.

If there is an Aldi near you then their meat is good value: Aberdeen Angus steak or mince, outdoor reared pork steaks. They often have Super 6 meats (and Super 6 veg/fruit).

Learn where the yellow stickered (reduced price) items are in the local supermarkets - I have picked up some wonderful bargains in my local Morrisons and Tescos eg butterflied pork fillet for £1.99 instead of £8 (it was a large piece so I cut it into 3) etc. etc.

krlyr

Do you have any friends or relatives with ties to food places? We're lucky to have a relative who works for a food company and can get us 5kg bags of chicken breasts at a great price - even cheaper than supermarket frozen. Prior to that, we were buying frozen fillets - defrosting and brining in salt water helped improve the texture. Pork is probably one of the next cheapest meats, I'll buy the cheapest joint to make pulled pork, it's slow cooked for so long and the vinegar etc. tenderises it all well. Things like steaks are only bought when yellow stickered, and shoved in the freezer - cheaper cuts are turned into steak pie, bulked out with carrots.

Don't forget to bulk out what meat you do use. OH and I definately favour meaty meals, but I stretch it further - e.g. lentils/oats/grated carrot into bolognese, I can make chicken or pork go further with 'soggier' recipes like pulled chicken/pork (the BBQ sauce and diced onion bulks it out a bit more, and we pad it out in a roll with coleslaw), burgers can be filled out with breadcrumbs and, in a meal, served with salad and onion rings to make it seem more than it is. I really enjoy a roast, even just with a very small chicken breast, if I have lots of veggies, ditto with sausage & mash.

maman

I'd get to Aldi or Lidl. Just tonight we've had a lovely chicken casserole made with chicken thighs, far more tasty than breast IMO. Aldi's FR chickens are excellent. Pork Shoulder is probably one of the cheapest meats for a roast. I love this recipe:


http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/6-hour-slow-roasted-pork-shoulder


or you can do a boneless one in about 2 hours.

Ken68

Occasionally Lidl do Mince at £1 per 500g.Part of their weekend half price offers.
Also Tesco..... Pigs Liver is £1.50 kg.

[Deleted User]

If you can see it at a reasonable price liver made into a casserole with streaky bacon and mushrooms and lots of veg makes a very tasty meal. I make mine with really thick bisto gravy (made with the powder) and portion it up into the freezer.A hearty liver and bacon stew on a cold night is gorgeous, and very filling I also bung some lentils in when I'm cooking to 'bulk' it out a bit.I SC almost all my casseroles as it tenderises the meat