Farmergeorge said "It’s a sad reality that Store bought meat is typically poor because it is often not butchered and cut properly. In the case of beef it is imperative that the carcass is hung for 21 days for proper aging but in large high throughput processing plants this rarely happens. I cannot afford to pay a premium for store bought product that is of inferior quality so we avoid it.
I’ll guarantee that meat bought from a small local processor or a local skilled butcher will have far higher eating qualities, will cook more easily and when bought as a quarter or half will work out quite a bit cheaper.
Edited by Farmergeorge, 2021-10-15 20:22:57"
We have bought most meat we eat directly from the farmer or the butcher in bulk for quite a few years now, and I'm always flabbergasted at the price in the grocery stores. I pay quite a bit less for the same quantity of meat by buying sides/quarters.
I can tell you from experience that properly aged and cut meat reduces the waste at the consumer level because it's fully edible. It's easy to cook/work with, it's better textured, it's better trimmed, and frankly just tastes better.
It also gives you a better perspective of how much of anything comes off a single animal. It's makes you appreciate that tenderloin more, or savour that finite amount of bacon, or be aware of how many chickens died for that plate of chicken wings!!
Part of consuming animal proteins ethically and sustainably is to make sure we utilize the entire animal efficiently and responsibly. We're very disconnected, on the most part, from how meat is produced, which is turn leads to waste IMO. That increases the cost for all of us, both financially and in environmental costs, which we're seeing now in how those environmental choices are impacting the price we pay for things.