As with most industrialized production, with more processing comes lower overall quality. 

Meat is the same.  You pay a premium for someone to handle and portion the meat onto nice Styrofoam plates.   If in fact YOU are the one doing the cutting and processing you can spend about the same amount of money on meat but get 2 or 3 times the volume simply by being willing to do a bit of cutting with a sharp knife.

Easy Butchery tip #1
Don't like cutting up raw chicken? 

Try using a sharp pair of scissors.

It's much easier and you can get close to the bone.

It's also much safer and you probably won't cut yourself like you could with a knife.

 

With meat you get what you pay for.  Beef, chicken or pork, it's all the same.  Don't cut corners on the selection of meat for your meals.  Cheaper cuts of meat tend to come from lower grade animals and may contain tenderizers to speed cooking.

Don't eat too many hotdogs

Alarming reports like this,  where a A study of 440 children in the Denver area suggested a higher incidence of brain tumors and leukemia among children who ate hot dogs once a week or whose mothers did during pregnancy may make you think twice about eating highly processed meat.  

 

Got some boys?  Get to know a butcher. 

Meat is like any other grocery item; there are stores that specialize in it.  

Just as you may go to the fruit market to get your greens, you may go to a butcher to get your meat.  This is something foreign to most people the first time; but becomes important when you have more than yourself to feed.  Sad but true, it's the boys that really devour the meat; and it's important to feed them the protein they need to grow and develop.

If it is not convenient to visit a butcher your other option is visiting stores like Costco and buying full loins of pork/beef/etc.  If you take a pork loin, you can easily make that into 2 roasts, some meat chunks for slouvaki, and a few chops; as long as you don't mind getting your hands dirty and doing some packaging for the freezer.  Working with meat is not for everyone; but if you have a few boys; you start to try things you never imagined before; cutting up a few roasts could be the easiest thing you have done in awhile.

Men are very comfortable when cooking with a BBQ.  It's a very natural and refreshing experience for most of us; gets us back to the caveman days.  Standing around the fire waiting for the beast to cook.  Mmmm...  Me like's this.....

But women are, in our experience, less interested in red meat and prefer fish or chicken.  

Meat is your main source of protein.  Keep everyone happy and healthy by offering grilled chicken and fish as an option

Most of use have cooked steaks on the BBQ, but cooking a roast is something
most people avoid.  Try cooking a roast; it's easier than you think.

I remember staying over at one of my friend's house's and we went out to get food for dinner.  He wanted to get a frozen pizza, but I wanted something more substantial and they had beef roasts for about $7.00.

"Why don't we buy one of these?" I said.
"I've never cooked one before.  Do you know how to do it?" 
"Sure, no problem"  I said.  He was a talented guy who could build almost anything with hammer and nails.  We took the roast back to his place; I put some salt and pepper on the outside of the meat and put it in the oven at 350.  "That's it?"  he said?   
"Yup; now we just have to wait about 2 1/2 hours".

And so we did.   We added a can of corn and some corn chips and it's still a meal that he talks about.  So easy.  5 times the amount of meat for the same money. You can use beef, chicken, pork, anything at all.  Anyone can do it.  Now this guy has 2 kids and has a few roasts a week.  His "special blend" of herbs and spices is a legend.  It's amazing when all you do is take the time to cook a half a bag of potatoes and 4 cans of corn and then portion it into bowls; you have food for the week.  

Pounding nails is hard work and is easier if you have a full stomach.  Of course it's not as simple as that, but it IS possible to prepare affordable meals for your family that include meat.

Issues to consider when preparing red meat:

Sear it first.  When cooking beef you want to "sear" it on high heat on the outside; then cook on lower heat until done.  Whether on the BBQ, in the oven or on the grill at McDonald's; most restaurants use this method when preparing their beef dishes.  The outside is tasty and spicy; while the inside is tender and juicy.

From the experts at the BeefInfo.org website:

Oven Roast - Sirloin Tip - Tri-Tip- - Rump- Eye of Round - Heel of Round - Inside/Outside Round

1.  Place 2-5 lb (1-2.5 kg) roast, fat side up, on rack in roasting pan.  Season roast; insert meat thermometer into center of roast, avoiding fat.

2.  Add 1/2 inch (1 cm) water to roasting pan.   Cook, uncovered, in preheated 500 F (260 C) oven for 30 min.  Reduce heat to 275 F (140 C ) oven, cook for 1 1/4-1 3/4 hours until thermometer reads 155 F (68 C ) for medium.  Roast is best cooked only to medium.

3.  Transfer roast to cutting board; tent with foil for 1--15 min to allow temperature to rise 5 F ( 3 C ).  Cut into thin slices across the grain.

**  Most people don't have a thermometer; to cook to medium-well remove from heat just before all the water has been evaporated from the roasting pan.  

Using a cheaper cut of beef?  Try cooking slowly in the oven.    In a roasting pan cover meat in water; add some spice to your sauce by adding a bit of beef broth, a can of crushed tomatoes, or some chopped onion.  Cook covered at 300 for 2-3 hours.  Remove meat and make a quick gravy:  
Simple Beef Pan Gravy:  Remove meat and place on cutting board, covered with foil if possible.  Strain the remaining liquid to remove any large pieces, clean the pan, and place strained liquid back in the pan; heating on the top of the stove.  When boiling and add 2 tablespoons cornstarch (premixed in 1/2 cup of water), bring to a boil for 1 minute stirring constantly, then remove from heat and stir constantly for about another minute.  Let stand for 5 minutes and serve for a nice, easy gravy.  Very tender, very tasty.

Cook it well - Conventional wisdom seems to say that to reduce the risk of food-borne illnesses you should heat the meat completely.  For those of you who like very rare beef this may be a problem but is seen as a good precaution.

Cook or freeze hamburger on the day it is purchased.  This meat may have been freshly ground today and will go bad quicker than a steak or roast.  Defrost quickly and cook immediately; this can reduce the formation of eColi bacteria; known to cause serious illnesses in humans.
Ground meat or sausage is low grade meat.  I am not saying all hamburger is bad; but the chances of receiving lower grade material certainly rises quickly when you are getting a burger, fries and a drink for $3.99. 

Pork

You can roast and serve pork "pink" in the middle these days without fear; although you should not overcook it as it becomes hard and stringy.  

Fruity.  Everyone knows about pork chops and apple sauce.  Why not try pineapple, prunes or plums?  The white meat can really augment the fruit.  Cook the pork first and then use a reduced sauce:  In a saucepan cook the fruit with 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt until soft.  Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil.  Add 1 teaspoon cornstarch in mixed in 1/2 cup water, mixing constantly until boiled for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and continue stirring for 1 minute.  Let stand 5 minutes and serve over sliced pork.  It's an interesting and healthy choice; protein and fruit.

Pork is typically the most affordable of all meat and is available in entire loins or backs.  It can be quite expensive when portioned out at the butcher.  A sharp knife, an entire loin and a bit of work can create meals for the week at a fraction of the price. 

 

 

 

 

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