Pork butts $1.39/lb

[drano]

If you're near a Hy-Vee grocery store (upper Midwest area), call the store to see if they have pork butt for sale.
My local one does Sept 26 and 27 (east central SD). 
Luckily I stopped by, saw them, and brought home four 8 to 9 pounders. 
Time for another batch of brats and breakfast sausage!

[Saber 4]

Sounds like you have a good weekend planned already, don't forget to smoke one for pulled pork while your sausage making ;D

[beefmann]

great  price,,, dont have that  store here in so calif

[ragweed]

Thanks for the tip.  I have a HYVEE about a mile away but they usually don't have specials like that.  I'll have to check, thanks!

[tskeeter]

I wonder if hog farmers are reducing their stock so they don't have to feed them over the winter and incur the cost of higher winter time feed consumption?  If that's what is happening, we could see a short period of reduced pork prices in many parts of the country as a surplus of pork moves through the market.  Does anybody know if pork prices usually dip a bit in the fall? 

[bundy]

What town were they in Drano ??

[drano]

Bundy,
It was in Brookings.
Last winter, I talked to the meat dept manager.  He said their big sales are when headquarters sends a message out asking what stores want how much pork butt/spare ribs/pork loin, etc.  Sounds like headquarters either bought a big batch cheap, or may have found the option to buy cheap, so stores need to place their orders quick to get in on the deal.  It ends up being a non-printed ad sale.  I heard it on the radio. 

txskeeter, I grew up on a pig farm, and butcher hogs are sold when they hit market weight at about 5-6 months old.  Its the sows and boars that may be sold based on market prices/lack of feed/farmer retirement/etc.  But the old sows/boars are not made into chops/roasts, etc because they are too old.  I think Hy-Vee simply finds an opportunity for buying a lot at below normal price, and they jump on it.  But that's just a guess.

[bundy]

Thanks Drano, I live in Watertown didn't hear about it, best I have seen was $1.69 and I had to buy a case.

[jb]

I got a Picnic Roast for 99 cents/lb tonight... seemed like a good deal.

[tskeeter]

Bundy,
It was in Brookings.
Last winter, I talked to the meat dept manager.  He said their big sales are when headquarters sends a message out asking what stores want how much pork butt/spare ribs/pork loin, etc.  Sounds like headquarters either bought a big batch cheap, or may have found the option to buy cheap, so stores need to place their orders quick to get in on the deal.  It ends up being a non-printed ad sale.  I heard it on the radio. 

txskeeter, I grew up on a pig farm, and butcher hogs are sold when they hit market weight at about 5-6 months old.  Its the sows and boars that may be sold based on market prices/lack of feed/farmer retirement/etc.  But the old sows/boars are not made into chops/roasts, etc because they are too old.  I think Hy-Vee simply finds an opportunity for buying a lot at below normal price, and they jump on it.  But that's just a guess.

Drano, thanks for the information.  I was kind of hoping that I could plan on stocking up the freezer with some pork shoulder each fall for a winter of sausage making.  Seemed that I remembered my Grandpop selling about half of the hogs each fall.  I assumed that he did that to avoid feeding the hogs through the winter.  Sounds more like they were just ready for market about that time.  Obviously things have changed in the last 50 years as farming has become more specialized and raising hogs has become the primary focus of many ag operations.

tskeeter

[drano]

Carved up the butts today.
Made 12.5 pounds of breakfast sausage, and 20 pounds of brats. 
Here's the brat meat cut up.  After cutting, I stir in the spices with a little water.  Then into the freezer for about 2 hours to firm up, and grind. 


And here's the breakfast sausage made into 2 oz patties.  We bake them, then make sandwiches or crumble and stir into scrambled eggs. 


Sunday I'll make the brat meat into 4 oz patties, wrap them in cellophane like the above patties, and freeze. 
Going to see if I like patties better than casings.  No casings to buy, and I can freeze without vacuum packing in those expensive bags.   

[drano]

And here's the 19 lb of brat patties I pressed out yesterday.  Got them in the freezer for the night, and now I need to bag them up. 
I think I'm set for at least 6 months. :)