meat sale!

[mike_c]

I just got home from the Ray's Meat Bonanza....

12 lbs of New York strip steak ($74.00)
14 lbs of whole tri-tip roast ($41.00)
10 Lbs of boneless pork sirloin roasts ($18.00)

Now I've got to wrap and freeze it all. I LOVE having a full freezer!

[eleny]

1. I'm GREEN with envy

[mike_c]

2. there's a NY strip that would generously feed three...

...waiting on the counter to go under the broiler-- it's an inch and a half thick and the better part of a foot long-- it'll make dinner tonight, a vietnamese beef salad for lunch tomorrow, and a beef and bean cassorole tomorrow night. I live alone, so unless I'm having folks for dinner, one of those puppies lasts me a long time!

:bounce:

[mike_c]

3. self reply-- the house is smokey and there's a slab 'o beef resting...

...on the cutting board, nice and crusty. I think I'll just slice tonight's portion very thin, toss with some vinegar/nuoc mam/chili sauce, and heat some flour torillas to wrap the slices in. I've found these great flour tortillas that are not completely cooked yet-- after heating on a griddle they're much fresher tasting than the usual gringo stuff in plastic wrap. I am so HUNGRY.

[eleny]

4. We've tried tortillas like that

They're thinner than the usual and I really love them. Heat them on the griddle and they blister up a little.

You're descriptions tonight were downright cru-el! And we had some good leftovers tonight. My oven fried pork chops and homemade eggplant parmesan on the side. But the thought of the crusty beef on warm tortilla? CRU-EL!

[OldLeftieLawyer]

5. Next Saturday,

if you have an Omaha Steak outlet near you, they're having a 50% sale. There are already items on sale there, and they'll be an additional 50% off.

I went yesterday, and bought - on sale -

32 5 oz. burgers for $14

8 6 oz. top sirloin steaks for $30

and 8 7 oz. flatiron steaks for $28.

Next Saturday, I'll finish feeding the freezer. Their stuff is great, albeit pricey, but after what I've learned about how meat is handled in regular markets, I'm steering (HAHAHAHAHAHA!) clear of them.

I just happened into a conversation with a meat guy at a local market here yesterday, and the things he told me - like most of the supermarket meat in the US is imported from Mexico - were really startling. Especially when he told me he wouldn't eat it.

They used to get sides of beef sent right to the store, he told me, and they'd age them in the store's meat lockers for a couple of weeks. Now, he said, they inject them with chemicals that will approximate the ageing process.

I'm staying with Omaha or Whole Foods organic. But, who could ever forego beef?

[mike_c]

6. you can also buy from a local meat wholesaler....

I occasionally buy meat from the same folks that butcher my annual lamb. They buy from local herds, slaughter, hang, and butcher the meat themselves. Let's see, I've got a price list on my 'fridge-- here's one of the items they keep on hand in their locker:

25 lb steak special ($74.00)
5 lb beef tri-tip steak
5 lb beef crossrib steak
5 lb beef chuck steak
5 lb beef cube steak
5 lb pork steak

That's $3.00 per pound, cut, wrapped, and frozen-- not bad, and these folks do a good job.

Anyway, you might want to check the phonebook for meat wholesalers in your area.