Or, I buy cheaper cuts of meat. We Asians have been practicing nose-to-tail, inside-out, eating for eons. For as long as I can remember, I\u2019ve been enjoying (once) unpopular cuts such as pork belly or chicken thighs. However, formerly cheap cuts of meat are becoming more expensive, as evidenced by the pork belly which was going for $4.29\/pound versus $3.59 for pork loin at my local Asian market!<\/p>\n
Expensive cuts of meat tend to be leaner and more tender but you can still cook a great meal with a cut that costs less. I did a little snooping at Grand Mart<\/a>, an Asian market chain in Alexandria, VA and came up with a list of prices for various cuts of meat. I also linked to some recipes you can try.<\/p>\n A few caveats, East Coast prices may be higher (please chime in here) and prices at an Asian market may not be on par with your neighborhood Safeway. Plus, the beef often does not carry the USDA Choice or Prime labels.<\/p>\n All prices below are per pound.<\/p>\n Beef<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Don’t discount chuck roast, a very economical cut of beef; its tough texture melts into tenderness after some slow, moist cooking (Image by JoeSmack at en.wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n Ground beef<\/a>: $2.99 or $3.99 (lean) Note that chuck steak is almost $1 more than chuck roast, and the only difference is that a blade has gone through a roast to make slices. That\u2019s all that \u201csteak\u201d means, it still comes from the same part of the cow.<\/p>\n Obviously, the cheapest is ground beef ranging between $2.99 to $3.99 (lean) (It was $5.99 at Harris Teeter<\/a>.) Beef Balls with Tangerine Peel<\/a>\u00a0or Embutido<\/a> (Filipino meatloaf) are two great family-friendly recipes I like.<\/p>\n Another economical dish is Beef, Tomato and Green Pepper Stir-fry<\/a>. This recipe uses only a pound of round steak and can feed 4 to 6 people at a meal with rice. You can also substitute sirloin steak or flap meat, a little pricier but again, you only need a pound.<\/p>\n Chicken<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Whole Chicken: $1.79 In the West, white meat is favored for its leanness. Thus chicken breast and breast tenderloin are usually the priciest chicks in the cold case. Asian palates, however, prefer dark meat from the thigh or drumstick.<\/p>\n Overall, buying a whole chicken gives you best value for your money, especially if you learn how to cut it up into parts yourself (click\u00a0here<\/a>\u00a0for a video tutorial). The whole chicken is usually one of the cheapest chicken \u201cparts\u201d by the pound. Substitute whole chicken for the duck in Teochew Braised Duck<\/a>\u00a0or try\u00a0Chinese White Cut Chicken<\/a>.<\/p>\n Drumsticks are super cheap and are delicious in Vietnamese Chicken Curry<\/a>. If you prefer, buy the quarters and separate them into thighs and drumsticks. Boneless, skinless thighs are not unreasonable in price, I still prefer buying them bone-in. Chicken thighs are easy to debone and I horde the bones to make homemade stock. Besides, I love the skin! I chop thigh meat into 1-inch pieces for Caramelized Chicken with Lemongrass and Chilies<\/a>. And Cambodian Stuffed Chicken Wings<\/a> make a great party dish.<\/p>\n Pork<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The side is equivalent to the belly (Image via Wikipedia)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Pork belly<\/a>: $4.29 As with beef, ground pork is the cheapest and make tasty Crispy Fried Meatballs<\/a> or Mabo Tofu<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pork shoulder, generally divided between the picnic roast and the Boston butt<\/a>, are among the least expensive cuts of pork<\/a> because they are tougher cuts of meat. The secret to getting them tender and flavorful is to braise them, a moist cooking method which breaks down the tough connective tissue. My favorite recipes for using pork shoulder include: Thit Kho<\/a>\u00a0(Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly), Lo Bak<\/a> (Pork Braised in Soy Sauce), and Burmese Pork Curry<\/a>.<\/p>\n Whether beef or pork, ribs are an inexpensive solution. And who doesn’t like using their fingers? 1-2-<\/a>3-4-5 Sticky Spareribs<\/a> or use the recipe for Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork).<\/a><\/p>\n To sum up:<\/strong><\/p>\n How do you save money on meat? If you have shopping tips or great recipes to share, do comment below!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In today\u2019s uncertain economy, we’re all looking for ways to cut down on the monthly grocery bill. One way I try is to reduce the dollar amount spent on meats, by far the most expensive ingredient in my bill. I do this in one of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,255],"tags":[272,273,274,275,276],"class_list":["post-663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-meat","category-tips-and-techniques","tag-butcher-cuts","tag-cheaper-cuts-of-meat","tag-meat-2","tag-save-money-on-groceries","tag-save-money-on-meat"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/7\/7e\/BeefCutChuck.png\")
\nEye of round<\/a> roast: $4.59
\nChuck roast<\/a>: $4.99
\nChuck steak $5.79
\nSirloin steak<\/a>: $5.99
\nTop sirloin: $4.99
\nFlap meat: $6.49<\/p>\n
\nDrumsticks: $0.69 (sale price) normally $1.39
\nBoneless breast: $3.29
\nBoneless, skinless thighs: $2.79
\nParty wings: $2.49
\nQuarters: $1.49<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/7\/71\/American_Pork_Cuts.svg\/300px-American_Pork_Cuts.svg.png\" "\\"American")
<\/a>
\nPork loin<\/a>: $3.59
\nGround pork<\/a>: $2.79
\nCenter cut chops: $3.59
\nBone-in shoulder: $1.99
\nBBQ spare ribs: $2.99<\/p>\n\n