Why to buy leaner meat

[DragonStryk72]

Okay, so my buddy has once again graced me with 73/27 beef, as opposed to the usual 93|7 beef that I usually buy. I realized something: There are a lot of people pissing their money away on meat, by buying the fattiest meat on market.

The 27 and 7 respectively are, of course, how much fat there is. This isn't only a measure of how healthy the meat is, but it also changes your yield, and how much you're spending per lb.

Okay, so let's use one of those 3 lb tubes of beef as an example. The yield of actual meat works out like this:

73|27- yields 2.19 lbs of actual meat, cooks down to about 2 lbs depending on level of cooking.

93|7- yields 2.91 lbs of actual meat, down to about 2.75 lbs depending on cooking.

okay that's a difference of .72 lbs of meat per 3 lbs, or 2 1/3 lb burgers with some leftover unused meat.

Then, we have the fiscal difference. let's say that it's 3.49/lb for the 73/27, and 4.49/lb for the 93/7. you're actually paying closer to 4.75/lb with the 73|27, while with the 93|7, you're paying 4.62/lb of meat.

Even if you're on a budget, then the 93|7 allows you to get more out the meat you have, by allowing to use less meat per recipe, while still getting the same yield as you were get with the 73|27. You simply aren't having to purchase as much, thus saving you money, as opposed to costing more.

Now, some will say that the lower quality beef has better flavor, and there's an extent to which that is true... until you involve your spice-rack. simple things like adding salt, italian seasoning, and/or garlic salt, can give you a really rather lovely burger, while still saving on your overall food costs. For other items, such as meatsauce for spaghetti, you're really not going to get much difference in the taste of the meat, as the herbs, spice, and tomato override.

And thus concludes the lesson.

[LongTermGuy]

Okay, so my buddy has once again graced me with 73/27 beef, as opposed to the usual 93|7 beef that I usually buy. I realized something: There are a lot of people pissing their money away on meat, by buying the fattiest meat on market.

The 27 and 7 respectively are, of course, how much fat there is. This isn't only a measure of how healthy the meat is, but it also changes your yield, and how much you're spending per lb.

Okay, so let's use one of those 3 lb tubes of beef as an example. The yield of actual meat works out like this:

73|27- yields 2.19 lbs of actual meat, cooks down to about 2 lbs depending on level of cooking.

93|7- yields 2.91 lbs of actual meat, down to about 2.75 lbs depending on cooking.

okay that's a difference of .72 lbs of meat per 3 lbs, or 2 1/3 lb burgers with some leftover unused meat.

Then, we have the fiscal difference. let's say that it's 3.49/lb for the 73/27, and 4.49/lb for the 93/7. you're actually paying closer to 4.75/lb with the 73|27, while with the 93|7, you're paying 4.62/lb of meat.

Even if you're on a budget, then the 93|7 allows you to get more out the meat you have, by allowing to use less meat per recipe, while still getting the same yield as you were get with the 73|27. You simply aren't having to purchase as much, thus saving you money, as opposed to costing more.

Now, some will say that the lower quality beef has better flavor, and there's an extent to which that is true... until you involve your spice-rack. simple things like adding salt, italian seasoning, and/or garlic salt, can give you a really rather lovely burger, while still saving on your overall food costs. For other items, such as meatsauce for spaghetti, you're really not going to get much difference in the taste of the meat, as the herbs, spice, and tomato override.

And thus concludes the lesson.


Interesting....I'm a 93|7 person...

[DragonStryk72]

Interesting....I'm a 93|7 person...

Yeah, I broke down the math one day while I was shopping in WinCo, and realized I was really just pissing away money on meat that looks far too close to alpo for my tastes, when I could spend less, get more meat, and eat healthier all in one go.

[fj1200]

And thus concludes the lesson.

:slap:

You completely ignored the taste factor.


To make the juiciest, most flavorful burgers, choose ground beef that is 70 percent lean and 30 percent fat.

To make more healthful burgers—but ones that are still pretty juicy and tasty—choose ground beef that is 80 percent lean and 20 percent fat.

Ground beef that contains less than 15 percent fat makes dry and somewhat tasteless burgers. To see what the lean-to-fat ratio is on ground beef packages, look on the label. The ratio will usually appear in slashed numbers, with the lean content before the slash and the fat content after the slash—such as 70/30, 80/20, and so on.
http://www.bhg.com/advice/food/grilling/what-lean-to-fat-ratio-in-ground-beef-will-result-in-the-juiciest-best-tasting-burgers/

Your taste buds may vary.

[DragonStryk72]

:slap:

You completely ignored the taste factor.


http://www.bhg.com/advice/food/grilling/what-lean-to-fat-ratio-in-ground-beef-will-result-in-the-juiciest-best-tasting-burgers/

Your taste buds may vary.

I did not. Read again. Involve your spice-rack in your cooking, as well as adding salt(a flavor enhancer, it specifically makes food taste more like itself).

[darin]

Dude. You're buying your beef from a tube? Ugh. :(

Worst beef ever.

Grass fed, nice and fatty = best taste and nutrition, regardless of cooked weight.

[fj1200]

I did not. Read again. Involve your spice-rack in your cooking, as well as adding salt(a flavor enhancer, it specifically makes food taste more like itself).

Oh right, you did. You can't replace the right amount of fat though for certain things, you can't spice away dry. :)

[Kathianne]

I did not. Read again. Involve your spice-rack in your cooking, as well as adding salt(a flavor enhancer, it specifically makes food taste more like itself).

One should season to taste any meat. While lean meat has less shrinkage, it's not the best choice for hamburgers and some other dishes in which the 'fat' provides moisture and taste.

As for 'health' it's probably better to avoid red meat if one is working at keeping certain 'counts' down. Turkey is better in these cases, meat substitutes that are vegetable based superior over those. Not nearly as tasty though, regardless of seasoning.

[hjmick]

I prefer bison...

[Gunny]

Okay, so my buddy has once again graced me with 73/27 beef, as opposed to the usual 93|7 beef that I usually buy. I realized something: There are a lot of people pissing their money away on meat, by buying the fattiest meat on market.

The 27 and 7 respectively are, of course, how much fat there is. This isn't only a measure of how healthy the meat is, but it also changes your yield, and how much you're spending per lb.

Okay, so let's use one of those 3 lb tubes of beef as an example. The yield of actual meat works out like this:

73|27- yields 2.19 lbs of actual meat, cooks down to about 2 lbs depending on level of cooking.

93|7- yields 2.91 lbs of actual meat, down to about 2.75 lbs depending on cooking.

okay that's a difference of .72 lbs of meat per 3 lbs, or 2 1/3 lb burgers with some leftover unused meat.

Then, we have the fiscal difference. let's say that it's 3.49/lb for the 73/27, and 4.49/lb for the 93/7. you're actually paying closer to 4.75/lb with the 73|27, while with the 93|7, you're paying 4.62/lb of meat.

Even if you're on a budget, then the 93|7 allows you to get more out the meat you have, by allowing to use less meat per recipe, while still getting the same yield as you were get with the 73|27. You simply aren't having to purchase as much, thus saving you money, as opposed to costing more.

Now, some will say that the lower quality beef has better flavor, and there's an extent to which that is true... until you involve your spice-rack. simple things like adding salt, italian seasoning, and/or garlic salt, can give you a really rather lovely burger, while still saving on your overall food costs. For other items, such as meatsauce for spaghetti, you're really not going to get much difference in the taste of the meat, as the herbs, spice, and tomato override.

And thus concludes the lesson.

Depends on what you're using it for. If you're grilling burgers, leaner meat tastes like sh*t. If you're using it in a casserole or some other mix, then it's okay.

And before you start harping on me, I eat flat iron steak and flank steak. Same rule applies. The fattier the meat is, the better flavor. I just learned how to make it have some taste.

[Bilgerat]

I prefer bison...

Some of the best, leanest meat I ever ate

http://mainedeerhunting.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/MDH_Deer_4031490_860x466.jpg

[Gunny]

Some of the best, leanest meat I ever ate

http://mainedeerhunting.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/MDH_Deer_4031490_860x466.jpg

My daughter spent 3 years in the Army and a tour in Iraq. She could shoot by the time she was 6. ;)

[DragonStryk72]

Oh right, you did. You can't replace the right amount of fat though for certain things, you can't spice away dry. :)

Addressing dryness, that's not about the fat content. A lot of people make the mistake of pulling their meat off the heat when it is already cooked how they want or they keep squeezing the burger with the spatula. Squeezing does speed up the cook, but it squeezes out the juices. Taking it off the burner does not stop the cooking of the meat. You actually want to pull it off slightly before the cook that ywant.you want.

This is referred to as resting the meat. You can also us a grill cover to circulate the juice that evaporates off back inward, or if working in a skillet, put down some olive oil.

[Gunny]

Addressing dryness, that's not about the fat content. A lot of people make the mistake of pulling their meat off the heat when it is already cooked how they want or they keep squeezing the burger with the spatula. Squeezing does speed up the cook, but it squeezes out the juices. Taking it off the burner does not stop the cooking of the meat. You actually want to pull it off slightly before the cook that ywant.you want.

This is referred to as resting the meat. You can also us a grill cover to circulate the juice that evaporates off back inward, or if working in a skillet, put down some olive oil.

While fat is not exactly healthy, it adds to the taste of the meat. I tried exactly what you are talking years ago in my health nut powerlifting days. Like it or not, fat adds to the taste.

[fj1200]

Addressing dryness, that's not about the fat content. A lot of people make the mistake of pulling their meat off the heat when it is already cooked how they want or they keep squeezing the burger with the spatula. Squeezing does speed up the cook, but it squeezes out the juices. Taking it off the burner does not stop the cooking of the meat. You actually want to pull it off slightly before the cook that ywant.you want.

This is referred to as resting the meat. You can also us a grill cover to circulate the juice that evaporates off back inward, or if working in a skillet, put down some olive oil.

I know how to cook a burger. Not that I always do it correctly. :eek:

[DragonStryk72]

I know how to cook a burger. Not that I always do it correctly. :eek:

I wasn't referring to just you. This thread is meant to be instructional, since I know many people who don't know that point, so if I'm mentioning something that you already know, then it's likely a thing that I'm edifying in a more general sense.