Super cheap ground beef

[Bookworm715]

I'll preface this by saying I hate Walmart and I hate ground beef (especially if it's not 97% lean). Buuuttt....I am trying to save lots on groceries and this is really helping.

Walmart has 73% ground beef marked down to $1.25 right now. Go here: http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/200...20-sweeps.html
and you get a 50c off coupon. A pound of ground beef for 75c is pretty darn great!

[mum4boys]

Thanks for the link maybe some mamas can take advantage of it. I know I for one would rather eat beans and rice or water for that matter before I ate ground beef from walmart.

[gentlemango]

I wish I'd seen this link and never seen that video going around about the disease & rot & trimmings they put in ground beef at the slaughterhouse. We could use that kind of food value but I can't look at a package of ground beef now w/o wanting to throw up.

[ksera05]

If you buy the super cheap ground beef, you can rinse it after you cook it and that will help remove fat.

[frugalmama]

is this in the tubes or in a regular meat pack?

I don't buy the tubes anymore - we kept finding bone in them.

[tinybutterfly]

I guess this would be okay to post this here...you can "stretch" ground beef by mixing oatmeal with it. That adds some whole grain, it's fairly nutritious if you eat grains and it makes the meat go farther like for tacos or meatloaf. I remember moms doing that in the 60s and 70s.

I don't like ground beef either, but sometimes you've gotta do what you've gotta do to get by.

I'd be happy to do beans and rice, but my guys not so much.

[wildmonkeys]

Thks to the op. We don't live near a walmart with meat, but I bet this will help some mdc mom!

[Smocked]

Originally Posted by tinybutterfly

I guess this would be okay to post this here...you can "stretch" ground beef by mixing oatmeal with it.

how much oatmeal do you add to say a lb of ground?

[Noelle C.]

The cheapest ground beed usually does have the bits in it that someone wouldn't eat whole. I'm also weary of cheap ground beef for another reason.

Does anyone remember the Food 4 Less scandal back around 1990 or so, where other animals were added to the ground "beef" to make it cheaper and so higher profit? It wasn't every Food 4 Less, just one of them. My uncle was the head guy behind that (corporate was NOT thrilled), and he let my mom buy it to feed to me and my brother. When I found that out, I stopped eating ALL ground products for any years.

Thing about ground beef is that it technically only has to come from a cow. No one says it has to be good cuts. It can technically be what we'd consider by-product.

[velochic]

Originally Posted by Noelle C.

Thing about ground beef is that it technically only has to come from a cow. No one says it has to be good cuts. It can technically be what we'd consider by-product.

Yeah... we eat ground beef only from our side that we get each year and is butchered locally. We get to pick which parts are made into the ground beef.

But last night, we watched Modern Marvels on History Channel and it was about "Butchers". They said that almost no part of the animal goes to waste. When dd saw how they make commercial ground beef she said, "Oh, mommy that's really gross. I think I have to be a vegetarian now." I assured her that our ground beef isn't made that way. Then they were explaining that hot dogs are made from livers and snouts and "other parts that people wouldn't normally eat" and she said, "I'm glad that I don't like hot dogs."

I understand that people have to do what they have to do, but I, too, would find alternative, healthy proteins before I'd buy Wal-Mart ground beef. This is a helpful coupon for people who do eat it, though.

[BetsyS]

Sometimes I stretch ground beef with TVP, too. Especially in highly spiced things like spaghetti, chili, and sloppy joes, you don't notice a big change in flavor. I buy TVP out of the bulk bins at a local place that is similar to Whole Foods.

[ParisApril]

The only reason Walmart can sell ground beef for so cheap is because they are so massive they can tell the farmers/producers and processers how much they will pay them. And because they are able to buy in such massive quantity the farmers and processers have no choice but to sell it at the price Walmart offers.

The farmers and processers then in order to make any money at all have to figure out how to produce animals at minimal costs. Treating animals nicely costs money. Feeding animals a proper diet costs money. Butchering in a humane way costs money. Dealing with animal waste in a way that doesn't harm the environment costs money. Walmart meat, McDonalds meat, any meat bought in huge quantities is not healthy meat.

Save money by cutting back on the amount of meat you eat. Eat less of a high quality meat and your body will thank you for it.

Rant done!

[tinybutterfly]

Originally Posted by Smocked

how much oatmeal do you add to say a lb of ground?

I don't know. We don't use ground beef and I was very young when I remember moms doing this.

I Googled "using oatmeal to stretch ground beef" and several links came up with proportions and recipes. My computer won't C&P right now. It's quirky. I think i have crumbs in my keyboard from eating at the computer.

The first one that came up was a subforum of flylady.

Another site also said bread crumbs, cream of wheat, TVP, grated vegetables (potatoes or carrots) beans, rice or ground turkey could be used to do the same thing.

[Noelle C.]

Originally Posted by velochic

But last night, we watched Modern Marvels on History Channel and it was about "Butchers". They said that almost no part of the animal goes to waste. When dd saw how they make commercial ground beef she said, "Oh, mommy that's really gross. I think I have to be a vegetarian now." I assured her that our ground beef isn't made that way. Then they were explaining that hot dogs are made from livers and snouts and "other parts that people wouldn't normally eat" and she said, "I'm glad that I don't like hot dogs."

I have an intense love for Modern Marvels.

Some people are fine eating these parts, and I've got no problem with that. My fiance loves some of these things I couldn't force myself to stomach. Tongue tacos are something he adores! I do wish though that ground products stated what parts were in them for those of us who are fortunate enough to be picky. (I love hot dogs, but only the kosher ones that aren't allowed by-products.) In fact, I'm glad there are people who eat snouts and such because it does mean less waste. Why waste what some people are perfectly happy eating? I just had a hard time getting over things like horse being added into the ground "beef" my uncle sold us.

Funny note aside: Quite a few people are against feeding by-products like this to dogs and cats, yet feed hot dogs to their kids.

[Noelle C.]

Originally Posted by tinybutterfly

Another site also said bread crumbs, cream of wheat, TVP, grated vegetables (potatoes or carrots) beans, rice or ground turkey could be used to do the same thing.

Lentils is another one to add to ground beef.

[gentlemango]

Here's the video about e.coli and ground beef.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/he...t.html?_r=1&hp

[mum4boys]

Originally Posted by velochic

Then they were explaining that hot dogs are made from livers and snouts and "other parts that people wouldn't normally eat" and she said, "I'm glad that I don't like hot dogs."

Except kosher hot dogs. Kosher hotdogs contain no bad parts like butts (lol)
From Hebrew Nation Hot Dogs. A Rabbi actually has to inspect the plant a certain number of times a year to give it the Kosher seal.
From Hebrew Nation's web site.

You've heard the word kosher, but did you know that it literally means "fit to eat"? In order for our meats to be deemed kosher, Hebrew National® must follow strict biblical dietary laws, use only certain cuts of beef, and meet the highest standards for quality, cleanliness, and safety.

[A&A]

Originally Posted by Noelle C.

The cheapest ground beed usually does have the bits in it that someone wouldn't eat whole. I'm also weary of cheap ground beef for another reason.

Does anyone remember the Food 4 Less scandal back around 1990 or so, where other animals were added to the ground "beef" to make it cheaper and so higher profit? It wasn't every Food 4 Less, just one of them. My uncle was the head guy behind that (corporate was NOT thrilled), and he let my mom buy it to feed to me and my brother. When I found that out, I stopped eating ALL ground products for any years.

Thing about ground beef is that it technically only has to come from a cow. No one says it has to be good cuts. It can technically be what we'd consider by-product.

Yep. Read this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/he...%20beef&st=cse

[Bookworm715]

Originally Posted by A&A

Yep. Read this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/he...%20beef&st=cse

Do you think there's a person alive that isn't already aware of this?

I was in Peru and was offered chicha de jora- are you familiar with it? Tribal women chew up yuca and spit it out. Then they offer it to you to drink. I took the goblet and pretended, and was sure to act very graciously.

No way in heck was I drinking it, but I respect that they seem to enjoy it. I'm not nearly smug enough to say "do you KNOW what's in there?!?!?!?!?!" I cringe to think of someone whipping out some info on the germs that could be transmitted thru the drink.

[ParisApril]

Originally Posted by ediesmom

and this is why?

Because in order to make money farmers and producers have to cut costs. These animals are supposed to live for 20 years live only 6 years because of the poor diet they are fed. If you are okay eating that meat, fine with me.

Information IMO will always be a good thing. A good book on the current food system works is The End of Food by Paul Roberts.