Note: This is a loose transcription of the video, ‘Meat Part 1 – You CAN Afford Grass Fed Meat!’

Bex:
Hi, we are here with Andrew Lupton at Brookvale meats in Sydney, where we have been buying our meat for quite some time and recommending to everyone we can. The main reason that we buy and we recommend the meat here, is that it is grass-fed, sourced from local farms, antibiotic and hormone-free. The meat is coming from animals that are raised well. Animals that are healthy, and that’s going to make us healthy. However, Andrew, lots of people are concerned that they can’t afford grass-fed, free-range meat. What would you say to customers about this concern?

You CAN Afford Grass Fed Meat!

Bex: That will do it!!

Andrew: As simple as that.

Andrew:
They’ll find the difference here. One lady customer was told by her husband not to shop here, because we’re very expensive. So, she went out and compared like for like in one of our well-known supermarkets around the corner, and we were 50 percent cheaper. So, let’s dismiss that myth, there’s no penalty for buying grass-fed meat. No, on the contrary, you can buy grass-fed rump meat, a whole grass-fed rump for $12/kg. That’s cheap meat. So, no it’s not more expensive and you don’t have to pay that.

Bex:
Do you think a lot of that might come  from the fact that people are used to only a few popular cuts of meat, and that those cuts might be the most expensive cuts?

Andrew:
It certainly could be possible, that could be a reason. I think perhaps more likely is that people are used to markets, where they buy similar meat, free-range meat from boutique producers, who because of the size of their operations, they have to charge a lot  more than we do (Brookvale Meats), and so here comes the perception, from perhaps buying free-range meat from markets and boutique suppliers, that it’s very expensive. It’s entirely a bit more expensive but it’s a very, very small price to pay at this point.

Bex:
Absolutely, and another thing that  might be able to help consumers in budgeting their meat purchases, is buying in bulk. How does that work and what are the best cuts for bulk purchase?

Andrew:
Well, I suppose the best cut for a bulk purchase, is to buy a whole cow! Indeed, it’s something that we do. We cut it up for them and they come in their ute (pick-up truck), and they take it away. So, people do buy whole pigs, they buy whole lambs, they do buy half cows. So, there are some people out there that buy in bulk.

Bex: Smaller families?

Andrew:
Smaller families, smaller freezers. Buying in bulk it is important but it’s not necessary, you just need to buy the cheaper cuts. If you want to reduce the expenses, then talk to your butcher. What do I do with a beef blade, how can I cut it? How can I cook it?

Bex: Exactly.

Andrew:
These are the things that you should be asking the butcher to try to reduce  the weekly spend. A lot of that is on our website, there’s a whole section of cheaper cuts and loads of recipes involved within the website on cheaper cuts. To me, it’s not necessary to fill your deep freezer to save a few bucks.

Bex: So, can you list off a few of these cheaper, less popular, lesser known cuts that you recommend?

Andrew:
Gosh, where to start? Okay, pigs trotters! They cost next to nothing. We give them away! They’re not for the faint-hearted indeed. You have to like your dose of fat, but it’s extremely cheap. The cheaper cuts would be anything that is a little bit tougher to cook that doesn’t cook quickly. Lamb shanks, lamb neck… lamb neck makes the best stew, it has the most flavour and when you cook it right it is a tender meat. I love it! I prefer it to loin chops which are three times the price. On beef, we’re talking about Osso Bucco, we’re talking about the shoulder, and the leg; these are the cheaper cuts. They do indeed involve longer cooking periods , most of the time, although we can tenderise it for you. We can get you a shoulder or leg and cut it nice and thin, bash it and tenderise it, and still be treated like a steak.

Bex:
Beautiful, and as you mentioned you have a wonderful page. A couple of pages on the website talking about cheaper cuts. Where they are all listed out with pictures and everything.

Andrew: There’s a few recipes too, I try to encourage people…

Bex:
Great recipes, and your website is, www.brookvalemeats.com.au. Have a look there and learn about the cheaper cuts, and realise that you’re going to get a lot of bang for your buck and you’re not going to have to spend more than you want to. It’s really about choosing quality food. Thank you, Andrew.

Andrew: Thanks for your time!

Other videos in this series:

Meat Part 2 – Do You Know Where Your Meat Comes From?
Meat Part 3 – What is Free Range, Grass Fed, Organic Meat?
Meat Part 4- What makes meat lean and tender?

Do you cook with cheaper cuts of meat? What are your favourites?

Meat Part 1 – You CAN Afford Grass Fed Meat! – September 2013