Buying Bulk Meat Is The Best Way To Meet Your Grocery Budget

Buying bulk meat is more popular than ever as families have shifted to homeschooling, are working from home, and cook every meal in their kitchen and barbecues. Quality meat is not cheap, especially if it makes up a large part of your family’s diet. Buying bulk meat is a great way to save money and budget your household expenses. It’s also ideal to have ready-to-cook cuts in your freezer for when you need to whip up a quick and easy dinner.

Buying restaurant-sized boxes of bulk meat is not for everyone. It needs to be handled safely and creatively or else it will go to waste.

Here’s what you need to know to get the best value when buying meat in bulk.

Is It Right for Me?

Buying boxed meat is ideal for meat lovers, commodity shoppers and large families. Before taking the leap, ask yourself these questions:

How much meat do you eat per week?

If the answer is a minimum of three times a week, buying meat in bulk will definitely meet your carnivorous needs

How many people are you going to feed?

Buying meat in bulk is best suited for large families or for sharing with friends and neighbors
Do you enjoy cooking at home? The meat you buy isn’t going to cook itself. If you plan on buying large cuts, be prepared to spend some time portioning and storing it for later use, or batch cook a few dishes

What Cuts to Choose

Buying meat in bulk is a little more complicated than simply grabbing whatever you feel like eating for dinner tonight. You need to plan this purchase ahead.
One thing to consider is what recipes you can cook that your family will enjoy. If you’re not already familiar with the cuts you intend to buy, research recipes that contain these cuts. This is the place to get creative. Kofta Kebab, for example, is a delicious Persian meal that requires a mix of ground beef and lamb.

Another important factor to consider is your cooking skills. Make sure you know how to properly cook every cut you buy. Use this chart to decide on both the cut you want and the amount you need.

How to Safely Handle and Package Bulk Meat

To ensure meat stays fresh for a longer period, it needs to be prepared and stored safely. Follow these steps:

• Cut the meat into slices that will make it easier to store in flat containers. The flatter the containers, the more you’ll be able to fit into your freezer. The slices can be of medium thickness, so they’re not too thin but also not too thick to store easily.

• Cook a portion of the meat, divide the serving into daily portions and freeze. This is the perfect solution for those days when you don’t have time or energy to cook. Simply thaw that pre-cooked those braised short ribs whip up some mashed potatoes and you’ve got yourself a great dinner.

Make Room in Your Freezer

If you don’t have enough room for a separate freezer, use the one you got but make sure its settings are ideal for meat storage. The recommended temperature to freeze meat successfully is 0 degrees fahrenheit. Look for the freezer temperature dial and adjust it to the coldest setting.

A clean freezer is another important step in keeping meat safe for longer periods. Make sure to do this before buying the meat so you could put the meat in the freezer as soon as it arrives at your home. Since ice tends to form in thick layers in home freezers, defrosting your freezer will clear that out and make room for more meat. Wrap frozen food in towels and keep in a cold dark room to make sure they don’t defrost in the cleaning process.

Be sure to keep track of when you bought each cut of meat. Meat can last for long periods when stored properly, but not indefinitely. NY Strip, flank steak, sirloin, and hanger steaks will last up to 8 months, although they’re best before the 4 month mark. Pork and lamb chops will last up to 6 months but are also tastier before the 4 month mark. Bacon can stay in the freezer for up to 6 months and ground meat for up to 4 months.

Wholesale Meat from Cheetah

Lugging 20 lb of meat from the butcher is no easy task. Cheetah offers contact-free, next-day-delivery or pickup for your groceries. Choose from a wide selection of fresh halal and traditional meat cuts, including leg, ribs, back and more, packed into 10lb, 15lb or larger packets.