Cheap meats and ways of using meat

buzzyzoe

Hi all,

Sorry if this has been covered already but I'd love to hear any recipes/suggestions for cheap ways of using meat.

I absolutely love meat, and would really struggle to have a meal where a major component wasn't meat. As a result I spend a lot of money on my weekly food shop, and the majority of this is on fresh meat, particularly steaks/chicken breasts etc.

I use mince for bolognese/lasagne/fajitas but am struggling to think of other cheap ways of using meat.

I don't have loads of freezer space, I can generally freeze a few meals at a time but that's it.

Is the best thing to do cook a whole chicken (eg) and then freeze bits of it to use later? Or try and use as much as you can before it goes bad and then freeze the rest? Generally I'm cooking for either 1 or 2 each day.

Would it be worth investing in a slow cooker if that gets cheaper cuts of meat to taste better?

Any suggestions greatly appreciated as always!

davidsdesire

we love gyros so I plan to try this some time soon.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/gyro-meat-with-tzatziki-sauce-recipe.html

buzzyzoe

davidsdesire wrote: »

we love gyros so I plan to try this some time soon.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/gyro-meat-with-tzatziki-sauce-recipe.html

Ooh thanks for that, sounds really yummy!

suki1964

I don't know what type of meals you eat but I myself rarely if ever buy chicken fillets. I cook curries, Chinese ,pies and casseroles using thighs. Much juicer and take a good slow cook ( and reheat) without drying out

Steak can be finely sliced and used in Chinese meals, makes it go a lot further. I make a steak sandwich using one steak between two, sliced, fried with thinly cut onions and mushrooms and a dash of pepper sauce to bind it all and poured onto a toasted ciabatta with salad- extremely filling using very little meat

Learn also to thin slice a joint. A joint of beef will do Sunday roast, cold meat with bubble, give enough for a packed lunch or two and if big enough enough left over for rissoles

A chicken can also be stretched to make up to nine meals - look at the rubber chicken recipes in the index

A couple of butchers sausages , cut into pieces will make a lovely sausage casserole

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi

A slow cooker is a good investment, and you dont need to spend a lot on one. Mine cost £10 from the supermarket.

Diced turkey thigh is cheap and tasty done in the slowcooker. We love chicken thigh too but I am not keen on the bones, you can buy them boneless or slow cook them so that the meat falls off. If you havent eaten liver for years give it a try, its quite trendy nowadays and so cheap.

We rarely have meat in steaks or fillets because you need so much more. Meat for us is very finely diced so that it goes further! Chicken dust as my son would say.

I cant afford to have any principles when it comes to meat I am afraid. Some will disagree but I generally buy the cheapest I can (unless it comes to processed meats like sausages). I have a hubby who works outdoors and two hungry teenagers to feed and they all like their meat!

katkin

Slow cookers are superb for cheaper cuts of meat and stretching dishes.

An old style favourite trick for me is upping the vegetable content in meals, even if it is just adding more finely chopped celery with carrots and onions to the base ( I think this is technically called a mirepoix).

With extra flavoursome sauces and seasonings no one is going to miss out on less meat.

Bulking with red lentils works extremely well too - to the extent that my meat-loving family have noticed when they're not added, as they provide a lovely savoury flavour and texture.

Adding more veg on the side also eeks things out, especially if the veg is prepared in a way to add to the overall meal, such as a mixed bottom of the fridge root veg gratin plus a green.

All that extra veg also has the benefit of being healthier as well as economical.

Charlie-Brown_3

I live alone so its generally not worth my while roasting a whole chicken, but I do buy them to portion up raw and freeze. I usually find it cheaper than buying packets of chicken. The carcass makes awesome stock, and I freeze each breast/leg separately (wings I either chuck into the stock and strip the meat for soup, or I freeze them and wait until I have several pairs before I cook them all together - handy for when I have a few people round)

I normally make curries and stir frys where each breast/leg will make 2/3 portions for me, depending on how many veggies I've added, and the size of the chicken.

I've found that with "saucy" meals such as curries and casseroles you can up the veg content and get away with far less meat, without feeling like you're depriving yourself!

Another thing I use fairly often is pork belly, its cheaper compared to other cuts of pork, but fatty so not to every ones taste.

Keep an eye out for when supermarkets are doing their reductions, I've had a lot of bargain meat this way so you may get lucky!

jackyann

Stews & casseroles freeze really well.
I often "stretch" a stew with matching sausages: some black pudding in a beef stew, some paprika sausage in a spicy one etc.
Look at traditional recipes that take something like belly pork & beans. Slow cook belly pork like a roast for one day, then chop into a bean casserole, and look for similar recipes.
I almost never eat chicken breast: if doing any dish with chicken pieces, I use thighs - much tastier.
If you are anywhere near a rural area or traditional market town, look out for game (right time of year now) - look for the cheaper pieces, they are so good!

buzzyzoe

Thanks all

Some really great tips!

I think I will either invest in a slow cooker or ask for one for Christmas and experiment with some of the different recipes that people have mentioned. I'll definitely try using chicken thighs instead of breasts and trying to make meat go further by adding more veg etc.

Thanks again all, much appreciated! :beer:

missbiggles1

Don't forget that offal is usually inexpensive, healthy and adaptable.

cyantist

If you're not the biggest fan of offal (I hate it), heart is cheap and doesn't taste that much different to normal meat - it is a muscle after all.

Ox cheek is another cheap cut that is yummy and it's so easy to do in a slow cooker.

Getting one is definitely a good plan - especially if someone can buy you one.