This past summer, while cooking for some big events, I was trying to figure out the best place to buy good quality meat without breaking the bank. A couple people mentioned Sheridan Fruit Company (409 S.E. MLK Jr. Blvd, Portland), which seemed strange, because… well, the whole fruit thing. Am I the only person that has driven past this place hundreds of times, thinking they just deal with fruit? Too bad they don’t make it clear on their sign…
But it’s true! They have competitive prices on good quality meat. Think Draper Valley Farms chicken, Carlton Farms pork, and Painted Hills beef. They also have an impressive selection of wild game, seafood, and poultry. And more sausage options than I have ever seen in my life. They have tons of other options packed on to their shelves, especially bulk and produce, but I was looking for the most bang for my buck at the meat counter.
Now, before you think I was perked by the lovely folks at the Sheridan Fruit Company, let me assure you they didn’t give me a single turkey leg for writing this post. Well, they did give my children chocolate candy and pepperoni sticks while we were shopping, but that’s beside the point.
The point is, our family doesn’t eat much meat these days, maybe once or twice a week. So when it does make it on to our menu plan, I want it to be good. Responsibly raised, preferably local. But I have to be able to accomplish that on a tight grocery budget. I typically buy 3-5 packages of whatever meat is on a good sale each week at New Seasons or Market of Choice. By shopping the meat department this way, I stay within our budget and build up a nice selection of quality meat to store in our chest freezer.
This week, I headed to Sheridan Fruit Company to stock up on meat, using my $10/50 Chinook Book coupon before it expired (10/31). I just chose basic cuts of meat that were cheaper than or competitive with the prices at New Seasons. I tossed them in my freezer and will pull them out for meals throughout this fall and winter. I plan to head back in the next few weeks to use the $5/25 coupon for beef stew meat, pork chops, and ground sausage. These will stretch into quite a few meals for our family.
Here is what I bought today, split into smaller packages:
1 lb. Carlton Farms thick sliced bacon ($4.99/lb.)
3 lbs. Painted Hills 14% ground beef ($3.99/lb.)
3 1/2 lbs. Draper Valley boneless, skinless chicken breasts ($4.29/lb.)
5 1/3 lbs. Carlton Farms boneless pork loin roasts ($3.99/lb.)
– $10/50 Chinook Book coupon
Total: $43.27 for 12.85 pounds of meat (average $3.37/lb.)
Not too shabby, considering this meat will be the base for seven dinners, with plenty of leftovers, for our family of four!
How do you save money on meat?
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For those of you who buy shares of an animal straight from a farmer, Good Meat: The Complete Guide to Sourcing and Cooking Sustainable Meat by Deborah Krasner would be a great resource. Even if you don’t have the budget or storage space for that kind of purchase, this book is filled with great tips and recipes on different cuts of meat and the best way to prepare them.
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We usually split a 1/2 of beef with my parents once a year. We get it from a local SW Washington farmer. This year I am student so putting out that much money up front is not possible for us, so I asked for a 1/4 of beef for Christmas from my parents. My mom was happy to have a gift suggestion that would be something that we need, and I am happy to know that my family will have tons of meat in the freezer.
I love this idea! Just watch, you’ll be a trendsetter, with beef showing up under Christmas trees everywhere this year.
We raise and sell grass fed beef and recently had a customer say she could only use a 1/4 herself, but was interested in purchasing more to give to her kids as Christmas gifts.
I had never thought of it before, but it’s actually a great, practical gift idea. And buying from a local farmer is great, we take great care in humanely raising quality beef and rely on local customers to purchase our product and spread the word.
I’ve used my Chinook book coupon here to stock up on meat for a couple years. Love all the sausages!
Sounds all too familiar, rarely eating meat and demanding the best quality for the $$$. My options have gotten so narrow, I sometimes chuckle that we are 95% vegan. 😉 I find myself in a pinch lately discovering the fact that meat that says natural and/or vegetarian fed is actually referring to feed that more often than not contains soy and or corn. So my issue of late is tracking down a company that is not necessarily organic, but will give the assurance that it is NOT fed GMO. I am in the process of collecting a list of meat companies that do not resort to the use of biotchnology in their products. If anyone would like to contribute by sharing what NW meat companies fit that category that would be most awesome.
Tks Emily for the unique idea, I had nearly forgotten about that coupon and was previously curious how one might make good use of it.
I would love to see the list when you finish it, Mae!
Thanks for the tip. We went in and found that so much stuff was so expensive there that we just walked out. I would have NEVER thought to look at the meat. I still have my coupon so I’d better give them another shot.
I agree, nothing tempted me on the shelves or in the produce section. I wish I had taken a closer look at the bulk prices.
I really enjoy your blog. I am 78 years young and on a fixed budget – Social Security only and I have returned to my basic training from my Mom. Cooking from scratch at least 90% of the time. I enjoy cooking and eating well and now my new challenge of getting the best I can for as cheap as I can. My question: what is – $10/50 Chinook Book coupon? I’m in Washington. Thanks & keep up the good work.
That means $10 off a $50 purchase. The Chinook Book is a local coupon book that features businesses that “treat their employees and suppliers well, they minimize their environmental impact, and they support the community.” In the NW, they have books for the Portland and the Seattle/Puget Sound area. I buy one every year, and they easily pay for themselves in savings within 2-3 purchases.
I just bought half a pig from Carleton farms and had it cut and cured to my specs. I had this done last year also – they have great meat that is lean and just tastes better than the normal pork I buy in the grocery store. Thanks, Emily, now I know where to go when I run out and want a smaller amount!
That is so great you were able to purchase it straight from the farmer. We ate the pork loin from Carleton Farms this week. Delicious!