Save money: Be your own butcher

By Sarah

One of the ways we save a few shekels in our house is by buying in bulk, specifically, buying meat in bulk. Twenty pound bags of chicken and ground beef are definitely a great way to save some cash, but I've found the best way is by acting as your own butcher. I think big pork loins are the easiest to break down into manageable sizes (no worrying about whether you're cutting against the grain of the meat here!) Here are a few notes -- as well as a ton of pictures of raw meat, sorry -- on turning a ginormous pork loin into almost 10 different meals.

Step one: Buy a ginormous piece of pork (Taking pictures of yourself wielding piece of pork is entirely optional, but definitely fun.)

The (boneless) pork loin I bought was 8.21 pounds and cost $17.16 (apple is for scale, but also happens to pair nicely with pork.)

Step two: Trim off all the weird end pieces. The end pieces are totally fine to eat, they're just not ideal for pork chops or smaller pork tenderloins. I trim off the ends and use them to make pulled pork in the slow cooker (great for barbecue pulled pork sandwiches or carnitas.)

Step three: Decide how big you want your pork tenderloins to be. I like mine about 8-10 inches long; that's the perfect amount for dinner and lunch leftovers for me and my husband. Cut the desired amount off your huge pork tenderloin, then cut that piece in half lengthwise. Two pork tenderloins: Done and done.


At this point, there's usually enough meat left for two more 8-10 inch tenderloins, plus four thick pork chops. Alternatively, you can slice all of the remainder into pork chops or cut a couple more (longer) tenderloins.


I ended up with four pork tenderloins, four one-inch thick pork chops and the pulled pork for the slow cooker. Considering ONE pork tenderloin usually costs about $10 at the grocery store, I'd say butchering your own meat is definitely worth it.


If you need clarification on anything above, please ask! And tell me, how do you stretch a dollar in your house?

{Photo credits: Me!}

Comments

[Emiliy M]

Rob and I stretch our dollar by buying food when it goes on sale. Our local store had pasta go on sale a while back - 15 boxes of pasta for $10! We each took part in that sale - without the other knowing. So pasta is our go-to when we don't know what to cook. We save leftover veggies and meat and just mix them in with the pasta and a little butter or oil, top with a little cheese. Each serving ends up being about $1 considering we paid less than a buck per box and we're using leftovers from meals we already ate!

[Jenny]

We do the same thing with pork loins. We use an electric knife and "butterfly" them for to make porkchops. So much cheaper and tastes better.

[KBO]

We took it a step further this year and went in on whole-animal purchases with groups of friends/family. We ended up with a quarter of a hog and 1/6 of a cow. Both were heritage breeds humanely raised. The cow was grass-fed. Best thing we ever did. We've got all sorts of different cuts in the freezer at a fraction of what we would have paid retail. It's totally encouraged me to incorporate new dishes into our repetoire and I'm building my cooking skills. I can't see us not buying meat this way in the future.

[Alie]

KBO, I LOVE that you do that! We have a few communal butchers in the area as well, but I've never really done the math to see that it does, indeed work out. Now, I am inspired to. Does everything come pre-chopped for you?

[Alie]

Ph, and as far as saving a buck? I am the Light Nazi. If you're not in the room, there is no need for it to be lit! For the foodies within, we have started to become much more vegetarian-friendly, and buy EVERYTHING in bulk. I'm pretty sure the neighbors think we are either A) hoarding for the apocolypse or B) part squirrel.

[Home Sweet Sarah]

KBO, that's awesome! I'd love to do that. So economical and you KNOW you're getting good, quality stuff. Awesome!

[Suburban Sweetheart]

I love that you opened this with a reference to shekels & continued with a giant piece of pork. THAT'S MY KINDA JEW.