Eating less meat?

[Conan The Librarian]

Our meat consumption has been declining over the years, with red meat now limited to hamburgers mostly. Meat we do eat is chicken and pork and fish. More meatless or low meat meals. I've got hunting guns and haven't hunted deer in years because I just don't want the meat. We're in our fifties. Have you experienced a similar decline in meat eating?

[powderman]

Except for hamburger, we eat very little beef, can't afford it anymore. POWDERMAN. 

[Conan The Librarian]

About beef, I've found it interesting that some of the cheapest cuts are now quite expensive. We used to get flank steak because it was cheap. Now it's so expensive I don't even look at it. Then there's the pot roast cuts, like shoulder etc. That's expensive too.
 
I do think the pot roast cuts are a good choice when craving beef. They require slow cooking, and a lot of the fat renders out. The flavor and texture are very good, very "beefy" and very satisfying. So in the few times we've had "steak" recently, I've bought pot roast cuts slow cooked them. I definitely prefer it to more conventional steaks, like Tbone.

[ratdog]

don't eat beef anymore after finding out processed beef is cantaminated with solminela then they radiate it. eat chicken and buffalo once in awhile.my wife eats beef going to get her locally raised beef.chicken can be just as bad though.all genetically altered food is bad. the steer is not the same animal we used to eat.

[yellowtail3]

I sometimes purchase chicken, and more rarely pig. Never purchase beef, because... it isn't good for me, and I usually kill enough venison to last the year. Last thing I cooked was venison guisada.
 
Eating more veggies & beans can only be good for me, being prone to grim cholesterol numbers.

[hillbill]

beef is really expensive for sure. my family raises cattle and i have a few cows.i do butcher one about 7 to 800 pounder every 2-3 years.it is getting harder and harder to do tho. that 700 lb calf is worth close to 900$ then add 200$ for processing thats quite a chunk of money out of my pocket.technically tho i dont have much in it cuz all it ate was some grass.i always mix the burger 50/50 with deer burger so it goes a long way. i may be eating deer meat exclusively this winter as im about out of cow and the last pig i raised a couple years ago. a lot of my buddys butcher hogs and dont eat the sausage they get from them much. i trade them out of it and mix it with deer burger and its really good.i dont understand why people wont eat deer, i cant seem to get enuf of it to last all year. we process all our own in a clean neat manner and its always very delicious.

[kynardsj]

Mostly deer meat and fish for us and the occasional wild hog when I get lucky ( all things I put in the freezer ) then we buy chicken and a small amount of pork...............but...............I still break down and buy a nice steak about once a month. Hard to beat a good ribeye or sirloin on the grill. Baked potato and a green salad next to it is mighty tasty.

[LONGTOM]

I live off deer, squirrel, rabbit all things wild.
Have not bought any beef in over 20 years.
Some chicken for the family but I rarely eat it unless it is home fried.
Some pork, local raised and butchered so I know what is in it.
All our burger is deer.
 
 
LONGTOM

[mechanic]

Beef is just too expensive.  If I can get three deer a year, it covers my needs.  If not, chicken is good.  As a matter of fact, I'm about to put some coops in my back yard.  I understand the beef farmer has to make money, and it costs like everything to feed them, but the ones here won't even sell me one right off the grass, unless they charge me the price it would bring fed out.  Just too much.
 
Ben

[gstewart44]

Rarely buy beef anymore, maybe a steak for the missus couple times a year,  mainly eat chicken,  fish,  wild hog, and venison.    Can usually keep the fridge and freezer full enough for me and have enough to give away to some other families that have been hit hard by the economy.   I count my blessings every day.   

[Cheesehead]

We eat a good amount of meat, not much beef. Mostly turkey since my brother works at a turkey processing plant and our cost is 40 to 90 cents a pound for various turkey meats. After that it is venison, chicken and some beef.

Cheese

[gypsyman]

Definitely, more chicken and pork, that beef. Get the beef from a local butcher, who gets it from a local cattle rancher. I can tell the difference in burger real easy. We have taco salad about once a week, and chili about twice a month. When I cook it in a frying pan, and drain off the fat, if I have purchased burger from a chain store, there is alot more fat. From the local butcher, more ''meat'' left in the pan. Raised chickens in previous years, a raccoon got into them last year, and killed off, so this year, just got layers. Figured out, by the time I bought feed, raised them and had them processed, really wasn't saving much money. And killing and cleaning 20-30 chickens at a time myself, was a real pain in the butt. If chicken is on sale, it's easier to buy 15-20lbs, cook up what we need, and freeze the rest. Still would like to raise a pig, not hard to do, and if done right, not nearly as much fat as the store stuff. gypsyman

[keith44]

.all genetically altered food is bad. the steer is not the same animal we used to eat.

+1

beef is really expensive for sure. my family raises cattle and i have a few cows.i do butcher one about 7 to 800 pounder every 2-3 years.it is getting harder and harder to do tho. that 700 lb calf is worth close to 900$ then add 200$ for processing thats quite a chunk of money out of my pocket.technically tho i dont have much in it cuz all it ate was some grass we process all our own in a clean neat manner and its always very delicious.

We also raise cattle (we run about 175 head through the winter, more through the summer)  Ours are finished on corn and oats with all the hay they want, but they are raised on pasture.

Beef is just too expensive.  If I can get three deer a year, it covers my needs.  If not, chicken is good.  As a matter of fact, I'm about to put some coops in my back yard.  I understand the beef farmer has to make money, and it costs like everything to feed them, but the ones here won't even sell me one right off the grass, unless they charge me the price it would bring fed out.  Just too much.
 
Ben

We sell at market rate for feeder steer, if someone wants one fattened and finished, that's extra.  Might want to verify the pricing, and check back it changes almost daily.


We eat about 50% beef, and 40% chicken 10% all other meats.  By raising and finishing a steer ourselves, since I help with the farm, and contribute to the feed bill, all we pay for is our share of the processing (we split thirds with my parents, and my brother and his family)  Grocery store prices for beef (retired dairy cattle I don't care what that label says) are insane!! If I had to buy my meat, beef would be off my list too.

[burntmuch]

My family eats the pork & chicken I raise, & venison & fish I catch or kill. We buy very little meat at the grocery store

[Bugflipper]

I raise sheep, cows, game birds, rabbits, poultry, waterfowl, fish and goats. In the winter that gets supplemented with deer, small game, waterfowl and wild hogs. Since I grow the food that the animals eat or at least tend the plots and pastures in some cases, as well as process them out. The meat is relatively cheap. What I hunt is more expensive considering the license fees, guns and gear. It's rare for us to have a meal without meat. When the garden is in full swing some days we will be vegetarians. It's hard to beat a good tomato sandwich. 80% or so of what we eat is home grown/made, which cuts down on the money going out. I didn't know that meat had went up so high. If that's the case then it would probably be hamburgers, hotdogs and bologna. 

[Conan The Librarian]

http://www.omahasteaks.com/servlet/browse/1/T-Bones-and-Porterhouses/T-Bone-Steaks?Dsp=148
 
Look at those mail order prices! Wow! Who buys that stuff?
 
It did make me wonder what happened to the supermarket advertising that mentioned the grades of beef, like USDA Choice, USDA Prime, etc. I don't think I've seen that in a long time. Today it's just "angus", which as far as I can tell doesn't imply quality at all, it just identifies a breed.
 
My buddy who went to culinary school said they got a butchered grass fed steer and a butchered "finished" steer that had been fed grain. The difference in weight was enormous, so was price. The grass fed animal was a lot older, weighed a lot less, and cost a lot more.

[Bugflipper]

I raise Angus. To be certified prime angus beef the standards are higher than USDA. I think it's 9 more standards for taste and quality than USDA prime. The other angus grades are similar in exceeding USDA standards. If angus doesn't meet the standards then it is just sold as USDA and not marked by breed.

[SHOOTALL]

for health reasons we cut back on beef but seem to eat more deer .

[mannyrock]

 
    Well, this is an interesting thread.
 
     I thought I was the only one!   I guess I grew up eating ground beef alot, in college, etc., and paying about 89 cents a pound, for really top notch ground beef.  Now, I see it going for almost $4.00 a pound, and just can't bring myself to buy it. 
 
    I probably eat 90% chicken now.  Every other month or so, I go to Outback and get the Outback special, which is a really good deal on a pretty good sirlion steak, for about $13.99 for the entire dinner.  That seems to satisfy my beef cravings.
 
    If I do buy steak in a store, I only buy geniune New York Strip, because it has the least amount of waste fat if you buy at a reputable place, and tastes great.  (Don't be fooled by the phoney label "Strip Style Steak," that I'm now seeing in grocery stores.  It is a different and inferior cut of meat.)  You can buy genuine strip steak, in cuts about 1.5 inch thick, and then just "filet"cut it into two really nice thinner steaks.
 
     I don't really like the taste of pork these days.  I know it is lean  and white and good for you, but it sure doesn't taste like much.
 
Best, Mannyrock
 
 

[gstewart44]

 
My buddy who went to culinary school said they got a butchered grass fed steer and a butchered "finished" steer that had been fed grain. The difference in weight was enormous, so was price. The grass fed animal was a lot older, weighed a lot less, and cost a lot more.

  And I'll bet the grass fed beef tasted a lot better than the "finished" beef...... at least by my experience..... your taste buds may vary.. 

[Bigeasy]

On average, I probably eat venison four nights a week, chicken twice,  and fish once.  If I can fill two tags a year, that provides all the red meat I need.  Use venison sausage in Italian dishes instead of pork.  Keep the floor freezer pretty well stocked with salmon and trout, along with fresh tuna when I m lucky enough to catch one.  Game birds round out the menu.  The chicken is store bought, as I don't have the time or ambition to raise em..
 
Couple times a month I do cheat and buy a nice rib eye or strip steak from the local butcher shop.
 
Larry