As long as the butcher isn't earning big profits on a significant portion of the beef carcass, he needs to make his profits elsewhere on the carcass—namely that 8% that gives us rib and short loin steaks. Beef chuck comes from the shoulder of the steer, and it's a big, complicated jumble of tough muscles and connective tissue. Is it monkey meat? A great hint....Buy roasts or round steaks when they are on sale and have them ground for you at the meat counter! I don't mind a pink burger, but that only goes for beef in which I know the pedigree. I always wondered why the texture of tubed meat seems more like mush. We purchased 300 packages of ground beef in 103 stores in 26 cities across the United States. There are about as many pounds of pork harvested each year as beef, however there is significantly less pork consumed domestically per capita than beef. Grinding your own beef not only gives you ultra-fresh ground meat, it also protects you from contamination with bacteria, such as E. coli. with varying "grind mix" labels of 73/27, 80/20, 85/15, 93/07, etc. Lean ground pork, on the other hand, sells for $4.29 a pound. The beef chuck is a perfect example of this. The tube kind is always cheaper, and I'm wondering why. I … Observation can be a very important tool when one embarks on the modern adventure known as supermarket shopping. As much as 38% of a side of beef ends up in this category (which also includes products like kabobs and stir-fry meat). If you are willing to drain and rinse your ground beef, there is no reason to spend more for leaner cuts. Pork is a lot cheaper than beef is — at Metro grocery stores, lean ground beef normally sells for $6.99 a pound. The 1 lb ground beef tubes I buy and use only for making burgers in a pan or griddle. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The last time prices were this cheap was August 2014. It has crept downward since then, dipping to $4.49 at the end of 2015 and $4.39 in January 2016. r/AskReddit is the place to ask and answer thought-provoking questions. But those cuts make up just 8% of the beef carcass. It also happens to be the largest single primal cut on the beef carcass. Have you ever stopped to notice how everything in a supermarket and chain healthfood stores is so perfectly in its place, colorful and alluring? By using The Spruce Eats, you accept our, Ground Beef: Where Butchers' Profit Goes to Die, Beef Chuck: New Steaks Mean Greater Profits, 10 Best Steaks to Grill for Perfectly Juicy Results, A Guide to Beef Roasts and the Best Ways to Cook Them, 7 Common Cooking Mistakes That Can Mess Up Your Steak. Confusing? The beef hide was worth a lot of money at one time but currently sell for less than €10. The tube one is usually just done in a bigger factory. Not to mention two shanks. The more expensive it is the less horns and hooves they add. What's going on? Is the heat too high? braising). They domesticated cattle around 8000 BC to provide ready access to milk and leather. Thus, as butchers are able to earn more profit from a beef chuck, they should theoretically be able to charge less for cuts that come from the short loin, but would you like to make a bet that as flat iron steaks and Denver steaks start to fatten your butcher's bottom line, you'll start to see filet mignon selling for $5.99 a pound? The 75/25 stuff was ghastly because any ground beef below like 85/15 is ghastly, imo, whether you buy it in a tube or a tray or whatnot. For all other ground beef uses I buy the tray. Simple supply and demand. Regular ground beef: This usually contains the highest fat content, about 25 to 30%, since it is cut from the trimmings of inexpensive cuts like brisket and shank.Regular ground beef is the least expensive form of ground beef, and while it has the most flavor, it will shrink the most when cooked due to the high fat content. If you've ever wondered why that rib-eye steak or beef tenderloin was so expensive, you probably assumed it was because the most desirable cuts of meat naturally cost more. After doing the math, this means that to be labeled lean, the ground beef can contain no more than 22.5 percent fat. Here's how and why you should grind your own beef at … I wait until pork butts are $1.00 a pound or less and then bone them out and grind them up. When it's warm out, barbecuing is another great way to prepare cheaper cuts like chuck, brisket or sirloin tip. The average price of uncooked ground beef, for instance, appears to have peaked last February, at a price of $4.71 a pound. Damn it, I just bought a tube of ground beef and now I don't want it after reading these answers. If you have enough freezer space, you could even buy a whole side of beef. Beef sales have increased dramatically as consumers look to stock up on staples, especially those which freeze easily, like ground beef. Extra lean, 93/7 ground beef costs $6.19 per pound. Whereas a grocery store like Publix is almost always going to have products like Boars' Head or Tyson chicken in stock, Aldi opts for lesser-known brands or its own house brands such as Appleton Farms (via I Ate Oklahoma). After an aggressive vaccination programme, the Office International des Epizooties said in 2003 that Argentina had regained "foot-and-mouth free with vaccination" status. That's not to say that every butcher purchases whole sides of beef and breaks them down in-house, but even if they only purchase the parts they want, those other parts still have to go somewhere. A single cow can be sold for up to $30,000. I have noticed this result with beef ranging from not only 96/4 but even with 90/10 and 85/15 Humans have been eating flesh of bovines from prehistoric times. In fact, certain meat prices are even lower than they were prior to the pandemic. Now pull the stopper back 2 inches, and fill the first 2 inches with ground beef, pull the stopper back another 2 inches and continue filling the jerky gun this way, little by little, until the tube … Hi, if you are wondering why fatty ground beef is cheaper than the lean stuff it is because fat is free, or darn near, and lean meat is not. The tube is usually lower grade cattle. We paid an average of about $2.50 more for grass-fed beef and $3 more for grass-fed organic beef … Both grain- and grass-fed beef are highly concentrated sources of nutrients. Just like the snacks, coffee, and other food items in stock at Aldi, it all comes down to avoiding those big brand names. Grocery stores are slashing prices on ground beef, while producers are offering discounts on the likes of ribs and steak, which has a trickle-down effect. Some of the cuts that have traditionally been less desirable include ones that come from the round, bottom sirloin, and chuck. The tube kind is always cheaper, and I'm wondering why. That leaves about 20% of the beef carcass that makes up everything else—from short ribs to tri-tip to flank steak to brisket. Ultimately, grilled rib-eye steak is going to cost you a few dollars. even 10 lb. The really fancy stuff is 100% anus meat. It's where lean trim (sometimes very large pieces) and other bits that can't be sold as steaks or roasts end up. Because it's greasier, lower quality, and less ground up. Press J to jump to the feed. Press J to jump to the feed. The combo is better than ground beef, and about 10 to 15 percent cheaper than buying the meat whole. Examples of these are the flat iron steak, Denver steak and ranch steak, which can be sold for a higher price per pound than classic chuck roasts. Just like chicken, ground beef in the tray (the non-gas filled trays) should be … Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks. But why does ground beef turn brown in the middle? I always wondered why the texture of tubed meat seems more like mush. Keep in mind that those weights include the bone and fat on the meat too. Sorry... but at least now you know how to get less crappy meat for next time. Also there can be as much as several thousand different cows in the ground burger that is in the tube. With cheaper herds, ranchers can raise more cows and send more beef out to the market. Cooked properly, these are flavorful, satisfying cuts of beef, despite not being especially profitable for the butcher. SO and I often throw together quick meals at night with ground beef + other ingredients available. It is unknown when people started cooking beef and veal but as times passed there was a huge demand for it. What the heck are they? Ground Beef In A Tube Author pops6927; Publish date Sep 17, 2014; I am sure most of us has seen the tubes of ground beef in meat display cases - 1 lb, 3 lb. The trays of burger are ground in store which means fresher and better tasting meat. It's just an accident of bovine evolution and anatomy that the part of a steer that provides those tender cuts is relatively small. Most of these answers are right on for CAFO (Confined Animal Feeding Operations), so I won't talk about feedlot operations, but I will add some thought for outdoor, ethical, and more humane operations. This doesn’t mean that beef prices are actually cheap. Understanding ground beef packaging. Get daily tips and expert advice to help you take your cooking skills to the next level. It’s also rich in highly bioavailable iron, selenium, and zinc. This is because these are muscles that get a lot of exercises, making them tough, and there's often a lot of connective tissue holding these muscles together, which can be chewy unless cooked at a low temperature for a long time using moist heat (i.e. Thanks! Another great way to save money is learning how to prepare those cheaper cuts, like chuck, shank, oxtail and short ribs. If you think of the jerky gun as a tube, with a stopper that pushes the ground beef out (forward), push the stopper all the way forward. 5 lb. Compared to ground beef, the brisket/short rib combination adds more flavor and texture. Sales have spiked, along with wholesale prices, as grocery stores sprint to restock their shelves. But it also has to do with the relative abundance or scarcity of one piece of meat versus another. Let's break down the percentages to illustrate the problem. The first week of September saw prices for … Veal is a meat that we get from the flesh of a calf, usually younger than 20 weeks old. processed in a factory, probably lower quality meat(not always). An ounce of cooked extra lean ground beef costs me about 49¢. To be labeled lean, the ground beef must have a 25 percent reduction in fat over standard ground beef's 30 percent limit. Ground beef is the most versatile beef ingredient, making it the most commonly purchased beef item around the world. Log In Sign Up. ... Meat today is, depending on where you purchase it, cheaper in real terms than ever. According to Dee, a 1,000-pound steer translates to about 150 pounds of beef for a quarter-share, 300 pounds of beef for a half-share, and 600 pounds for a full. Slice them into pucks and smash em down. Exactly the kind of answer I was looking for. The composition of ground turkey is driven by market demand, availability, and meat prices. In looking at the ground beef section of your grocer's meat case, you’ve probably noticed ground beef packaged in a number of ways. Round steak is lean and tastes great and can be found on sale for as cheap as $.99 a pound! From the overwrapped foam or plastic trays most commonly used to tube-like, easy-to-store … These cuts come from high up on the animal, from muscles that don't get much exercise, which is why they're so tender. Tougher Cuts Are Cheaper Cuts Some of the cuts that have traditionally been less desirable include ones that come from the round, bottom sirloin, and chuck. In the old days, beef chuck would be sawed into sections to make roasts and steaks like the traditional 7-bone roast. Even at the meat counter where variation should exist, every single package of supermarket meat is uniformly bright red. I'm sure the tube beef is no different than the beef that you get at most fast food chains, just make sure you cook it fully, the environment for disease is much greater in ground beef due to the exposed surface area. Waste means zero profit. I really like using ground brisket and ground short ribs and cooking it like a hamburger patty. The Spruce Eats uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Mass produced, if you will. Now, with COVID-19 ravaging the country (and world, of course), that spread is getting larger. That means a butcher has to charge enough for that 8 percent to make up for the other 92%, which is significantly less profitable. However, I can't figure out why when I cook ground beef in a pan it always has a chewy texture. However if you want to get some nice lean hamburger at a good price wait until boneless chuck roasts Or do what I do. Wagyu beef is the most prized beef in the world. The high-end steaks we're talking about are the ribeye, strip loin, tenderloin, T-bone and Porterhouse steaks. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. These days, however, the beef industry has learned how to dissect the beef chuck to isolate certain muscles that are more tender and which can be sold as individual steaks and roasts. Another 35% of the carcass is pure waste, in the form of bone, fat, and trim that can't be used for anything else. To some people, that's an important distinction. Ground beef and stew meat are probably the least profitable items in the meat case. Clearly, regular ground beef is the winner, providing more lean meat for the money, even with its initially higher fat content. Is buying meat in bulk cheaper than buying it at the grocery store? Most companies think that lower fat should automatically equal a higher price tag. Generally, that means braising, which you might only want to do in the colder months. Beef is loaded with vitamin B12, B3, and B6. In some cases, yes. Buying in bulk is a good way to save money. Remember, for every short loin and rib primal cut, there is also one chuck, one sirloin, one round, one plate, one brisket, and one flank. It's also a waste of money, because while you pay less for it at the grocery store, at least a quarter of it, if not more renders away into liquid when you cook it. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. I used to work at a family owned grocery, the tubed shit was shipped in crates and just thawed out, the styrofoam tray struff was ground in the back from cows they had shipped in. Until someone figures out how to grow a rib and a short loin without the rest of the cow attached, this is just the way it's going to be. The selling point for the higher priced ground beef is of course that it is lower in fat. This is because these are muscles that get a lot of exercises, making them tough, and there's often a lot of connective tissue holding these muscles together, which can be chewy unless cooked at a low temperature for a long time using moist heat ( … I always bought the fresher stuff. Damn it, I just bought a tube of ground beef and now I don't want it after reading these answers. Are You Choosing the Best Cut of Beef for Your Steak? Argentine beef was banned by more than 60 countries, including the United States and Canada. Hamilton says there isn't much a customer can do to make sure their meat is pork-free, other than to trust the stores, and their suppliers. The majority of ground turkey is made from excess thighs and drumsticks rather than the more costly breast meat. And that's true; if people stopped buying filet mignon tomorrow, the price would come down. Quality, and I 'm wondering why ca n't figure out why when I cook beef. 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