Clearance meats

[bilder]

I am always looking for a great deal and as a result, I buy most of my meat from the discount section.  It is the stuff that is at it's sell by date and the stores mark it down to get it sold fast.  I often get meats for 30-50% off this way.  Pork roast for under $1.40 a pound is pretty hard to pass up.

Question is this- will these meats cure well or should I look for something a bit more fresh? 

Thanks for the advice.  My first bacon is coming along well.  5 more days.......

[boxofrain]

good question!
I too buy the discount when I run out of our homegrown (pig and beef).
I am also waiting for this answer.
In these harder times we all need to be more "economically thoughtfull".

[bilder]

I have no trouble adjusting to hard times.  I have been cheap all my life.  ;D

My friends always wonder how I can eat steaks when they are enjoying hamburger helper.  I tell them how, but none of them ever follow through with the advice.  I pay on average 15 cents a loaf for bread too.  Not cheap bread mind you, the good whole grain stuff that is 5 bucks a loaf regular price.

Find a local bakery outlet store and see if they discount the breads and when.  One up here does this every Tuesday morning.  They take all the bread that did not sell last week and put it into big black garbage bags.  You pay 2 bucks a bag with 15-20 loaves in it.  If you get there when they are emptying the shelves, you get to pick what goes into the bag.  ;)   We stop by once a month and load up.  It freezes well for short term storage and we eat great bread for pennies a loaf.

[classicrockgriller]

I admire your frugal shopping.

"Clearance Meat" here on the Forum is often referred to as "Used Meat". ;D

If I see something marked down that I can use, It's mine.

I do avoid (most of the time) chicken. (Unless I bring it home and cook it then or freeze it)

Most everything else has a couple of extra days in a cold fridge to be decided upon what

to do with it. Freeze it or cook it.

Personally, I am a "sale" smoker/cooker. If what is on sale I want to smoke or cook I get it.

If not, then I thaw something I have bought on sale and cook it.

Nothing wrong with saving $$$$$.

[bilder]

I agree with you on the chicken.  I only buy if it is going to be eaten that night or frozen.  Too many bad things can happen with old chicken. 

[hal4uk]

Honestly, I'd much rather have beans and rice than not-so-fresh meat.

That said, I can tell you 2 things that are very important if you're buying on-sale meats:
1) take a cold cooler with you to the grocery, and put the meats straight in there instead of letting them ride home in a hot trunk.  Bacteria grows VERY FAST in a hot environment.
2) As already mentioned: Don't even think about buying "fresh" chicken on sale.  If it's on sale, it ain't fresh, and "borderline" chicken can make you very very sick.

Awrighten.

[classicrockgriller]

Just like my Bradley, Meat I buy rides in the front seat with AC BLOWIN on it.

My Wifie rides in the trunk! ;D

When I go to the Groc store, I bag My OWN groceries.

I wear them out on sacks, bags, and boxes.

We are riding home safe, or we ain't riding.

I don't shop at 2 in the afternoon. I sleep.

[Quarlow]

Hey there is nothing wrong with "Date Challenged Discount Meats"(DCDM) but I agree with the chicken. As long as you ttreat the meats right you should not have any trouble. It is not like as soon as it hits the date it goes bad, just that they have to have a cushion of time so as to be certain no one has trouble. But we are all aware of what we are doing and we cure this and brine that and then we are careful when we smoke our stuff. So don't be afraid of "DCDM" just be cautious and you should have no problems. I think that because of our knowledge of what we are doing we border on being more safe than the average smuck who throws the meat on the counter and lets it thaw till they get home from work. We have a higher involvement with our food so we tend to be safer.

[Habanero Smoker]

The standard rule for curing, which also applies to sausage making; is to start with the freshest meat you can buy. The quality of the finish product may suffer. If you use such meat for curing, then that you will need to start the curing process as soon as possible.

Just a side note - you never want to use meat that is close to it's use date for dry cured sausages.