Cheapest Meat To Buy (And Which To Skip!)

Meat is often the priciest part of most grocery hauls, but it doesn't have to break the bank. You can snag the cheapest cuts and still whip up great meals. Some options aren’t worth the savings though, and knowing which to skip makes all the difference.

Going meatless isn’t the only way to save money on family meals. Eating savory, tender meat is possible while still staying within budget. The secret is to buy the cheapest meat that’s easy to cook in various ways.

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• Cheapest Cuts of Meat
• Skip These Cheap Options
• Cheap Meat, Big Flavor
• 💬 Reviews and Comments

Ground beef

One of the most versatile ways to eat meat is to cook with ground beef. It’s easy to buy it in bulk, and grocery stores often put it on sale when the sell-by date is close. Use it in easy skillet recipes like creamy ground beef and cauliflower rice.

Pay close attention to the numbers on the package. Ground beef is classified by how much fat it has; the price will often increase when it has less fat. The leanest ground beef could be as much as $1 more per pound than ground beef with the most fat. If a package is labeled 70/30, it is 70% lean meat with 30% fat content.

Ground sirloin is the leanest cut, with only 10% fat. It will be the priciest. If the price of ground beef is too high, consider poultry. Ground chicken or turkey can be substituted in many recipes without affecting the flavor.

Flank steak

Whether you’re looking for cheap meat for grilling, stews, or casseroles, flank steak is always the right answer. It’s inexpensive, versatile, and full of flavor. It’s also known for being a tougher cut, so it usually requires marinating.

The best marinade will work for both flank and sirloin steaks. “I find that cheap cuts do really well when you marinate and cook them appropriately. Flank steak is one of my favorites, as is beef sirloin,” says Michelle Price of Honest and Truly. “Both do well with a marinade to tenderize them and keep them from drying out.”

Chicken

Keep an eye on the grocery ads because chicken goes on sale often. It’s a lean protein high in nutrients. Save even more money by grabbing the bone-in chicken breasts, thighs, or drumsticks.

“When feeding a family on a budget, buying cheaper cuts of meat like chuck roast or bone-in chicken thighs can be both cost-effective and flavorful,” says Jessica Haggard of Primal Edge Health. “These cuts are great for slow cooking and braising.”

You can make almost all chicken recipes with boneless or bone-in chicken breasts or thighs. They are basically interchangeable. Instead of following the cooking times in the recipe, closely monitor the internal cooking temperature of the chicken. The chicken needs to reach 165 F to be fully cooked.

Pork

Save even more money by cooking with pork instead of chicken. Pork chops and loin are lean cuts that are easy to cook in various ways - grilled, smoked, fried, broiled, and baked.

Pork is another cut of meat that goes on sale frequently. Bone-in pork chops are often priced significantly lower than thin boneless chops. Pork shoulder roasts have a low per-pound price that will keep money in your wallet.

This versatile meat feeds a family for pennies, from shake-and-bake chops to pulled pork tacos.

Spam

The name Spam comes from combining the words spice and ham. It’s essentially a super salty processed ham product. Even though a 12-ounce can only cost about $4, leave this one on the shelf.

A quick peek at the nutrition label shows why it’s a no go. There are 36 grams of saturated fat in each can. As for the salt? One can of Spam contains 198% of the daily value of sodium. And the fact that there is more fat in Spam than protein is enough to make you walk away from it.

To maximize your savings, check out this article on how to Say Goodbye To Food Waste, to make the most out of what you already spent your money on!

Looking for more creative ways to save money on groceries? Check out these cheap dinners that go way beyond cereal!

Frozen chicken nuggets

Chicken nuggets are another processed meat that might seem tempting to buy, but it’s better to make them from scratch. The breading often has added sugar and a high sodium level, fried in hydrogenated oil.

Making homemade nuggets or chicken tenders is easy and so cost-effective that you’ll wonder why you ever bought the frozen kinds. Just cut up the chicken breast, batter them, and then bake or air fry them. It is that simple.

Chicken wings

Forget about buying chicken wings, too. They don’t have enough meat on them to justify the cost. They’re mostly made up of saturated fat from the skin and all those bones.

Plus, most people bread or deep fry the wings to get that classic flavor. They also drench the wings in a spicy sauce, which usually has added sugar. To put it simply, wings aren’t a good purchase.

Ham hocks

People use ham hocks to flavor beans or soups, but there’s nothing nutritious about it. There isn’t much meat in a ham hock - it's mostly saturated fat and sodium.

Since they’re mostly fat, bones, and salt, ham hocks aren’t a good idea. They might be cheap, but it’s better to flavor soups with whole garlic and onion and a bit of salt than to add a bunch of unhealthy fat.

Combine your knowledge of these budget-friendly meats with these tips on low-cost foods to make the most of your grocery budget each and every trip to the food store!

This article originally appeared on Food Drink Life.