Buying Meat

I'm not saying anything new when I say "buy in bulk" and it's nothing you don't know already.

What I would like to urge you to do is be prepared to be flexible.

When you go shopping for that once a month or fortnight meat buy (because you are buying in bulk right) have a rough idea in mind of the type of meals that you will be planning.

Steak cuts are great for flexibility because you can, obviously, eat as steak, or cut up for curry, stir-fry or slow cooking and when buying in bulk, often the steak cuts are cheaper per kilo than the so-called budget cuts.

For instance; today we bought a whole porterhouse for $7.99/kg. Much cheaper than than lamb shanks, gravy beef (probably shin) and neck chops which were all over $10/kg.

Mince is another typical buy for most at the butchers but when the ordinary grade mince is at $13/kg why not buy a whole rump at $7.99/kg and ask the butcher to run it through the mincer.

I have no problem with mince and think it is a great way for the butcher to sell scrap and rubbishy cuts but why should you pay that sort of price for it? So for my money it makes sense to mince a whole rump at nearly half the price and I get a premium grade product.

Freeze it in flat portions - I allow 125g per person. It thaws quickly and can be made into bolognaise, burgers or meat loaf.

Plan a roast for dinner on Sunday night and then put the rest aside for cold cuts for lunches the next couple of days. Roasting meat for sandwiches at home is a much cheaper option than buying it sliced from the delicatessen.

Plan ahead and be flexible and save.