What are some cheap and healthy cuts of beef and pork? Please also suggest yummy, easy recipes for them.?
Hi! I am seeking lean, economic cuts of beef and pork I can either broil, bake or sautée for dinner and tasty, relatively easy, pocket-book friendly recipes for them. I actually like marinating, I just don’t want to spend hours waiting for something to be cooked. My husband is trying to lose some weight, so healthy recipes are required. Thanks in advance.
October 9th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
any cut with the words “loin” or “round” in them are lean and healthy. ie: Sirloin, Top Round, Loin of Pork, Eye of Round
Now, these may require a super-quick sear of a thin slice to cook, OR a long, moist-cooking method like braising so they will be tender. But they’re wroth it!
October 9th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
To butt in: anything with loin around them is usually more expensive than, well, the “cheap cuts”.
Usually cheap cuts are things like chuck (“braising steak” for the non-Americans). These require a low-heat and long cooking time to breakdown the collagen. Hence use it when you are making a stew (brown the meat on the stove-top, add ingredients and then pop in a low oven for a few hours). Chinese recipes also add some cornflour to tenderize the meat.
Also, try mincing it for a really nice Bolognese sauce.
But remember: cheap means more collagen; more collagen means wet, low temp, long cooking time; more collagen means more flavor too!
October 9th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
This is a recipe that I’ve tried out once using pork and I absolutely loved it. It took me about an hour, but I’m still just learning how to cook.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/PORK-TENDERLOIN-WITH-BALSAMIC-CRANBERRY-SAUCE-100314
October 9th, 2010 at 8:03 pm
There are a few cuts of beef that I prefer to buy, even when they aren’t on sale (or cheap):
Chuck roast. Brown each side well in a tiny bit of oil in a 5qt pot, then just barely cover with water, add 1/2 onion (you can leave it whole), and a clove of garlic, peeled. Pour in a TBSP of salt, and a little black pepper, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 2 hours, turning once halfway through cooking. (If you like pot roast, during the last half hour of cooking, you can add some cleaned carrots and potatoes and maybe a chopped tomato or fresh green beans to the pot.)Leave covered, and let cool completely. Shred the meat to use in burritos.
Brisket….brown well on both sides, then put in a large baking pan, pour in hot water or beef stock halfway up the side of the meat, add onion and garlic and salt and pepper, then bake in the oven for 3 hours, covered tightly, turning once after 1.5 hours. Slice and eat. I use the leftover sliced meat for sandwiches with barbecue sauce, au jus, or with typical hoagie condiments. The meat has great flavor, and it’ll be eaten up fast…even if you make a lot.
We also buy pork loin (NOT tenderloin) when it goes on sale. You can get a huge 10 pound loin for less than $2 per pound. I cut it into 3# roasts, then freeze them.
The beef brisket is the same way. We just bought 15 pounds of brisket at $1.35 per pound. We cut it into 5# slabs.
Chuck roast is often under $2 per pound, but is usually on sale for about $2.50/lb. Arm roast can be cooked the same way and shredded. The shreds are finer, but tougher.
We love to make ham taquitos, so we also buy whole smoked hams when they go on sale for under $1.50 per pound.
I know you didn’t mention lamb, but we also buy entire legs of lamb in the spring when they are discounted, at under $5.50 per pound. I have never seen it cheaper than that. (I make lamb curry and freeze it…it is my favorite dish, and lamb is a luxury at our house….we also grind part of it to make homemade gyro meat.
Of course, buy ground beef whenever it is on sale. We are able to get 93% lean for under $1.50 per pound on a regular basis. You can make meatloaf, burgers, salisbury steaks, spaghetti sauce.
October 9th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
Chuck steak is cheap and can be a little tough, but if you marinate it the night before in fat free Italian dressing, it comes out beautifully. Another good cut is London Broil. For pork, you should buy a center cut loin chops. Shake-n-bake then spread stuffing on the top and then pop it in the oven until its done. The chops are juicy and taste great.
October 9th, 2010 at 9:01 pm
Pork tenderloin is expensive, but frequently you’ll find “buy one get one free” sales on the packs. They come 2 to a pack and the packs freeze well. It’s all lean meat – very little trimming needed. You end up eating every ounce of what you pay for. Leftovers are great cold (sandwich or salad) or reheated. Avoid the pre-marinaded ones (kinda fake tasting)
I love Pork tenderloin because it’s so easy to marinade with a variety of stuff (whatever you are in the mood for). You pop it in a 375 oven for about 30 mins and it’s done (use a shallow pan). Or throw it on the grill.
Here’s my favorite recipe. It’s cuban-style. The leftovers are great in sandwiches, quesadillas, etc. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/PORK-TENDERLOIN-CUBANO-5874
I also make a simple marinade with a little balsamic, lots of garlic, olive oil, about 2 T dijon mustard, rosemary, and whatever steak or pork seasoning mix I feel like throwing in (montreal steak seasoning is nice).
February 25th, 2014 at 9:17 pm
Losing weight reeuirqs balancing a diet. What will help most is eating small meals and consuming more dark greens and a mixture of veggies. Then fruits. Then meat. Then whole grains, though non-gluten grains such as tasty and versatile buckwheat are more helpful. Then starches such as potato, plantain, cassava. An example:1 cup of raw or quickly steamed veggies (firm and color will be bright when cooked properly)4oz of meat, rare to medium rare for best benefit1 whole fruit between meals (less fruit than veggies but more fruit than meat)1/4 1/2 cup whole grains or starch between meals cereal, toast/bagel/crumpet/plain bread with honey, real butter or peanutbutterDo NOT use lean meat! The fat that comes with meat contains digestive enzymes. What can interfere with losing weight is consuming meats treated with hormones.Read labels to avoid hormones, trans fats and refined sugars (usually end with ose’ like fructose and high fructose)Walking 20 minutes several times a day bring you closer to your goal much faster. If you can’t walk, build a light stretch and exercise routine into each day.Be sure to take a good multi-vitamin.Drink half your weight in ounces of water each day. If you weigh 100lbs, drink 50 ounces which is easy to do by exchanging other fluids for water.Digestive enzymes, like Now Foods Super Enzymes, will help digest food.Probiotics such as cultured kefir will condition the digestive tract with good bacteria required for proper nutrient assimilation.