I recently received an e-mail asking about purchasing meat to stock a freezer, and thought I would share these ideas with everyone. If you are restocking your freezer, I’ll tell you my secrets. My husband and I are really selective about the meats and fish we buy, so I don’t buy a lot of breaded items. MSG triggers migraines for my husband so I read a lot of labels on frozen meats. My trick is to go to local grocery stores at about 6:00 a.m. and buy the meat that has been discounted from the prior day. It ends up costing about half the regular price, and usually ground beef is even more of a savings. Then I bring the meat home, marinate steaks and chicken if desired, and vacuum seal portions for the freezer. I have spent a day or two making freezer meals with these meats before as well. If you store these packages in a cardboard box in your freezer, they will last even longer.
I found that all the grocery stores in my area discount this way. Some stores even discount their filet mignon. I can get much better cuts of beef (at a great price) for fajitas or stew this way (it cooks up fantastically tender in the crockpot). Generally, pork chops or roasts, and ground turkey or cuts are available as well. If you have a Costco nearby, in our opinion, nothing beats a Costco filet. They are the most tender, flavorful steaks around and worth the price. We have a hard time ordering steak at a restaurant now because we like our Costco steaks at home better, so this is our splurge. We also buy frozen chicken breasts from Costco, unless I can get them on sale at the grocery store.
I’d love to hear your tips for stocking your freezer…please post.
Yes, I found out about freezing things in cardboard after my daughter got married and I had a whole sheet cake frozen in the cardboard package with some clear wrap around it. After TWO years I took it out to throw away and found out after it thawed it was just as fresh as the day of the wedding. I try to freeze everything in boxes when possible.
A boy in our ward buys calves at auction and raises them (on grass) and then sells the meat once they are full grown. We bought a fourth of a cow once and the next year we bought a half of a cow. It comes all packaged in butcher paper and labeled. The ground beef comes in 1 lb. packages and it also included several kinds of steaks, roasts, stew meat, soup bones, ribs…I may be leaving something out. It is very flavorful and lasts really well in the deep freezer. It averages out to be about $2.25/lb. which seems really good considering the more expensive cuts of meat that are included. It would also be considered organic so I think it is a great deal. The same boy also raises pigs and sells the meat in the same way.
I read an article that suggest buying enough turkey for the year in the summertime. It is supposed to be at the lowest price for the year at that time, but I haven’t checked it out yet.
Unfortunately, this year our freezer stopped working and we didn’t notice in time to save what we had left. We probably lost $100 of beef a couple chickens, and other misc. stuff.
Have you considered canning the meat? I pack as much as possible of shredded meats (or hamburger) in pint jars and pressure them according to directions. You don’t need the huge pressure canner for pints. Not only is this handy for spur of the moment cassaroles, enchiladas, etc. but it will sit on your pantry shelves for several years without “freezer burn”. That leaves more room in the freezer for the next meat sale. The pressure cooker will only hold 4 pints at a time, but that’s a perfect amount for me to do at one time. I’m not into turning the whole kitchen upside down for a whole long day of canning. This way I can do 4 jars a day withouth a big mess until all the sale meat in the freezer is done. It’s a great way to add protein to your food storage too.
That is a good idea Sandi. I have never tried it. I don’t have a pressure canner, but I think I will try to find one to borrow to try this out.
I love going to the supermarket and seeing the meat marked down. I will try your method and go early in the morning to see if the meats are marked down. At one time I used to get a deal on filet mignon but I’m not able to get this deal anymore, but I have gotten used to this prime cut. But when I look at the prices now I can’t bring myself to pay the price.