Cheap Meals: Eating on a budget.

Chukzombi

Chukzombi

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Fogel said:
Unfortunately my mom never heard of it, so we got plain ass cube steak
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when i was a kid, lamb chops were dirt cheap and we had tons of them every tuesday til we couldnt stand the sight of it. now that shit is like 30 dollars a pound or something crazy like that. i'm not sure if cube steak is the same thing as "minute steak", but my mom was big on minute steak and we had it every week, same with Steakums. she tried to make liver a thing, but that shit is so disgusting, we rather not have dinner than eat fucking liver. "eat this liver, chuk, its good for you, make you grow up strong." fuck that shit.
 
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Chukzombi

Chukzombi

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Good sales at Shoprite this week.
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Lanx

Lanx

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Chukzombi said:
when i was a kid, lamb chops were dirt cheap and we had tons of them every tuesday til we couldnt stand the sight of it. now that shit is like 30 dollars a pound or something crazy like that. i'm not sure if cube steak is the same thing as "minute steak", but my mom was big on minute steak and we had it every week, same with Steakums. she tried to make liver a thing, but that shit is so disgusting, we rather not have dinner than eat fucking liver. "eat this liver, chuk, its good for you, make you grow up strong." fuck that shit.
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cube steak looks like a cube b/c it is mechanical tenderization of an incredibly shitty cut, bottom round

basically the only reason why ppl thought, cube steak which is turned into chicken fried steak, actually tasted good was cuz they was just eating gravy w/ breaded cardboard.
 
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Aldarion

Aldarion

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willingly eats white rice, by choice, but calls Chicken Fried Steak "breaded cardboard"

ok
 
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Chukzombi

Chukzombi

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Lanx said:
man, nj really was the state w/ the best food prices for me, also no tax on groceries is easily hundreds a year saved
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yeah, its really shocking to read what some of you guys are spending on food. my friend in florida pays something like 9 dollars for a dozen Eggland eggs. aldi here its like 1.99 per dozen.
 
Cutlery

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Burns said:
Yea, I'm pretty sure this has has been discussed before around the forum, but pulled pork is pretty cheap when you can catch the various cuts on sale. Shoulder/butt is often the best for price and once it's done cooking it's not too difficult to pull out the big chunks of fat, which makes it closer to the leanness of a tenderloin roast.

It's super simple to make too. The basics are: Toss the shoulder in a crock pot with fat facing up, cut up a couple onions in quarters or large slices to place on top, then pour a couple cans (or around 1L) of Root Beer or Ginger Ale in. I also sprinkle some paprika and cayenne pepper over the top, but you don't have to do that. Cook for 8 hours on low.

Once it's cooked, and pulled apart with a couple forks, add in a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (or less, if it's not a huge cut of meat) and your done. Of course you can get some pretty cheap BBQ sauces, or not use sauce at all, if you want to make it even cheaper, but I prefer Stub's Smokey Mesquite.

The non-sale price is still good, as far as meats go these days (local HEB):
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Pork shoulder is super versatile. You can also do what they call country style ribs.

bakingmischief.com

Easy Country-Style Pork Ribs in the Oven - Baking Mischief

Country-style Pork Ribs ribs are a great rich and fall-apart tender alternative to traditional ribs. Cheap, easy to make, and SO good, this might just be your new favorite way to eat pork.
bakingmischief.com bakingmischief.com

Great in the oven, on the grill, or in the smoker. Tasty as fuck. It's a nice marbled piece of meat.
 
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Dr.Retarded

Dr.Retarded

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Cutlery said:
Fyi for this thread - Walmart sells 10lb bags of chicken leg quarters for under $8. My dogs have eaten chicken quarters as about 50% of their diet for many, many years, and 79 cents a pound is the cheapest meat you can get. Which is why they eat it.
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HEB has that, too. When my mom was training border collies and Aussies for herd trials, that's what she fed all the dogs.

I buy because it's cheap and just like legs and thighs better, especially for tossing on the smoker.
 
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Dr.Retarded

Dr.Retarded

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Fogel said:
How many of my fellow poors had moms that would "splurge" on cube steak? I usually loaded mine up with A1 or Worcestershire sauce to power through it

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Probably once a week. Green onion, mushroom, Worcestershire, garlic pepper. Served with some sort of vegetable and either rice or maybe mashed potatoes. Was one of my favorite meals growing up.

I still make it periodically but with the price of cube steak , it's no longer a cheap cut with me compared to other pieces you can get.
 
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Dr.Retarded

Dr.Retarded

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lower case g said:
The Wolfe Pit, on youtube has a whole series on eating on a budget.

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Yeah, he's got a ton budget meal vids, and typically does a good cost breakdown. Plus, he's just a good ole boy.

His reviews of frozen food from whatever store also reinforces my belief in not buying frozen food or prepared meals.
 
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Lanx

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Dr.Retarded said:
HEB has that, too. When my mom was training border collies and Aussies for herd trials, that's what she fed all the dogs.

I buy because it's cheap and just like legs and thighs better, especially for tossing on the smoker.
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the one good thing about america being stupid about "eat healthy"

is that the good part of the chicken, where all the flavor comes from the thigh/leg is the cheapest cut.
 
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Dr.Retarded

Dr.Retarded

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Lanx said:
the one good thing about america being stupid about "eat healthy"

is that the good part of the chicken, where all the flavor comes from the thigh/leg is the cheapest cut.
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Monica!

I rarely buy chicken breasts. I just don't care for them when I can get thighs. We buy a whole chickens all the time and will butcher or cook them whole, but the breast is typically the last thing that I eat on it. Its good for stuff like salads, sandwiches, or maybe if I do gyros, but I'm a legs and thighs man myself.

Now this is in an opposite direction, but if you ever get a chance to try Capon, it'll be the best chicken you've ever had. They're not cheap but it's more of a special occasion deal. It's a French method were they castrate a rooster, and then fatten them up. The whole bird is basically dark meat, and it's extremely rich, not quite like duck but just way better chicken. I'll sometimes roast one for the holidays. They're absolutely delicious and very easy to cook because of their fat content. It would probably be up your alley, and I encourage you to try one.
 
Lanx

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Dr.Retarded said:
Monica!

I rarely buy chicken breasts. I just don't care for them when I can get thighs. We buy a whole chickens all the time and will butcher or cook them whole, but the breast is typically the last thing that I eat on it. Its good for stuff like salads, sandwiches, or maybe if I do gyros, but I'm a legs and thighs man myself.

Now this is in an opposite direction, but if you ever get a chance to try Capon, it'll be the best chicken you've ever had. They're not cheap but it's more of a special occasion deal. It's a French method were they castrate a rooster, and then fatten them up. The whole bird is basically dark meat, and it's extremely rich, not quite like duck but just way better chicken. I'll sometimes roast one for the holidays. They're absolutely delicious and very easy to cook because of their fat content. It would probably be up your alley, and I encourage you to try one.
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french really love ways to torture birds for culinary treats
 
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Dr.Retarded

Dr.Retarded

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Lanx said:
french really love ways to torture birds for culinary treats
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They sure do but they're so damn tasty.

Speaking of French though, I know they eat a lot of rabbit, which is also delicious and they do it because it's cheap and they're easy to raise. Why don't we do that here in the US? You figured you'd be able to find it in my grocery stores no problem, when you do it's super expensive.

Guess I ought to just build a cage and raise a bunch myself. The ones we always ate we pretty much hunted.
 
Chukzombi

Chukzombi

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Dr.Retarded said:
They sure do but they're so damn tasty.

Speaking of French though, I know they eat a lot of rabbit, which is also delicious and they do it because it's cheap and they're easy to raise. Why don't we do that here in the US? You figured you'd be able to find it in my grocery stores no problem, when you do it's super expensive.

Guess I ought to just build a cage and raise a bunch myself. The ones we always ate we pretty much hunted.
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i used to eat rabbit when i was a kid. , but it was killed by my uncle. they did sell rabbit at the portugeuese supermarket near me. it tasted alright, i hated looking at its corpse in my freezer. at least with chicken the head was removed. the rabbit was complete and it stared at you.
Dr.Retarded said:
Monica!

I rarely buy chicken breasts. I just don't care for them when I can get thighs. We buy a whole chickens all the time and will butcher or cook them whole, but the breast is typically the last thing that I eat on it. Its good for stuff like salads, sandwiches, or maybe if I do gyros, but I'm a legs and thighs man myself.

Now this is in an opposite direction, but if you ever get a chance to try Capon, it'll be the best chicken you've ever had. They're not cheap but it's more of a special occasion deal. It's a French method were they castrate a rooster, and then fatten them up. The whole bird is basically dark meat, and it's extremely rich, not quite like duck but just way better chicken. I'll sometimes roast one for the holidays. They're absolutely delicious and very easy to cook because of their fat content. It would probably be up your alley, and I encourage you to try one.
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my ex used to eat the boneless skinless chicken thighs and she would eat only 1 a day. she tried to get me to do that too, but i'm a man and aint no fucking way i'm gonna starve myself to death because i only ate a boneless chicken thigh as my only meal.
 
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moonarchia

moonarchia

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Lanx said:
french really love ways to torture birds for culinary treats
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The pigeons and crows and chickens ate more than a few french during the revolutions, famines, and plagues. Why not return the favor?
 
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