The price of stew meat

**Megareader** · 09-20-2008, 06:52 PM

I stopped at the store for a few things earlier and while I was there I thought I'd pick up a package of stew meat to throw in the crockpot tomorrow...it was $4.99 a pound!! Are these people serious? It's just stew meat! I did not buy it. I'll come up with something else for tomorrow.

So, how much is stew meat in your area?

**Ms. Clear** · 09-20-2008, 07:19 PM

I bought three pot roasts for $2.09/lb last week. Heard that the price of beef is set to skyrocket. I figured that was going to be a good price. It was $2.49/lb regular. Three pot roasts should be good for a winter. One per month.

Just cooked up a crockpot beef stew today, same a pot roast, just used stew beef instead. However, stew beef had been in freezer for about two years, so I don't remember what I paid for it!

**POOTERSMOMMY** · 09-20-2008, 07:23 PM

I buy the cheapest cut of roast or whatever and cut it up myself. I check mark down meats (roasts or chuck steak), bring home, cut up, and freeze immediately. I never buy stew meat.
$4.99 per pound is a lot. No sense paying them to cut it up. Glad you didn't buy it!!!!!!!!

**Domestic Gal** · 09-20-2008, 07:26 PM

I do not buy stew meat. I just use the really cheap cuts of meat and cut up into small pieces.
Stew meat is all of the leftover little bits and pieces that the butcher trims from the beef anyway. There is no way I would pay more that $1.49 lb. for stew meat.

**Lady_V** · 09-20-2008, 07:27 PM

I actually had the same idea today when I went to the store. The stew meat here is not known to be from 'the good cuts' more of 'if you cook it to death in the crockpot, it may be okay'. It was $3.99/lb and looked to be over 50% fatty pieces.

The London Broil has been going for $2.09/lb so if I decide to make them stew, thats where I am looking.

I've been trying to get them to go veggie, but there is still some resistance there, can't blame them, if someone told me I had to give up my veggies, I'd think they were off their rocker.

If the prices keep going up on EVERYTHING, we're going to have to make a choice. Right now I can get a 'ground meat tube' for about $1.69/lb and it is enough to make 2 months worth of food for us (13 lbs) because I don't eat it... but this keeps up, they are going to come over to the 'dark side' if they like it or not.

**shoiji** · 09-20-2008, 07:28 PM

I also make my own stew meat out of roasts. Saves alot of money that way.

**Darlene** · 09-20-2008, 07:52 PM

Originally Posted by Domestic Gal

I do not buy stew meat. I just use the really cheap cuts of meat and cut up into small pieces.
Stew meat is all of the leftover little bits and pieces that the butcher trims from the beef anyway. There is no way I would pay more that $1.49 lb. for stew meat.

Same here, I think the last time I bought stew meat I was a newlywed and didn't know I could do that with very little fuss.

**Starlight9803** · 09-20-2008, 08:38 PM

I also never buy stew meat. I just find sale roasts and cut those up. Less fatty and usually tastier cuts too. This week I'm picking up some london broil (on sale 50% off, which makes it about $2/lb) and will get 3-4 packages of stew meat out of each one (one runs around $6)

**shortstack** · 09-20-2008, 08:45 PM

Stew Meat and Roast both have skyrocketed here. I bought 2 marked down chuck steaks for $3 last week and made that into stew meat.
It used to be that I would make a pot roast and the leftovers became stew the next day but with the prices so high I've been skipping them.
I am thinking about buying a half side of beef for us in Nov. to try to make our meat prices go down.

Andrea

**brennasmom** · 09-20-2008, 08:46 PM

I have some defrosting for beef stew tomorrow so I just went and looked at the price.

I paid $2.39 per pound and that was in the reduced section.

Normal price was $3.99 per pound. Yikes.

**cmdarlin** · 09-21-2008, 09:57 AM

I too don't by the regular stew meat. I'll by a cheaper cut and cut my own. I've been craving stew for the past few weeks. I may have to go see what's in my freezer!

Debbie

**Megareader** · 09-21-2008, 10:06 AM

I have to do my regular grocery shopping today...after I menu plan. Thank you everyone for the cut-up-a-roast- tip. I'm going to look for a cheap roast to turn into stew meat.

**Parksfamily5** · 09-21-2008, 11:23 AM

We just had a steer butchered. I asked the butcher for some stew meat this time since I did not have any done last year. I hate to hear that beef is going to go up. I love having a freezer full for the year. It makes things so much easier for me.

**peanut** · 09-21-2008, 12:08 PM

I'm the same as most everyone else. Years ago I discovered stew meat was more expensive than an inside or outside round roast (boneless) on sale. So I just buy the roasts on sale, cut them up myself, and freeze them in 1 lb. amounts to make stew in winter.

I wouldn't even hazard a guess at the price of stew meat locally. But I do know every time I look I come away in disgust. I haven't looked for at least a year though.

Seems to me if beef goes up, it might be a good time to go vegetarian...

Jean

**anna021** · 09-21-2008, 12:15 PM

I wait till London broils are 1.79 a pound, then buy 3-4 and freeze them, when ready to make stew I just defrost, cube, trim and throw in the crockpot after browning, comes out tender and delish! We don't eat much beef dishes anyway so 3-4 packages are plenty for this family.