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Beef: It's What You Can't Afford For Dinner

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Denny said:
With a case of beer costing around $20 and a pack of cigarettes at $7.50 here I think most that want beef just need to prioritize there luxaries.

Common sense! It could not have been said better!
 
There are a lot of people that don't drink or smoke,that can't afford to put
ten dollars worth of hamburger in their hotdish..........hotdish is supposed to be a cheap, healthy, tastey meal...........
Just stirring the pot!...... :twisted: :)
 
pups and bucks said:
There are a lot of people that don't drink or smoke,that can't afford to put
ten dollars worth of hamburger in their hotdish..........hotdish is supposed to be a cheap, healthy, tastey meal...........
Just stirring the pot!...... :twisted: :)


When I was a kid in the early 80's a deer would get hit and someone would snatch it up before it cooled off and processed it. Now days they just lay on the road side and rot so people are'nt that hungary yet.When that begins to happen then we may have to worry some.
Growing up we raised hogs,chickens and cattle and in 10 years I don't remember butchering more than 2 cattle for our own use hogs,chickens and a dozen deer a year cattle were sold to pay the land payments.Our hotdish had venison burger in it.
 
Denny said:
pups and bucks said:
There are a lot of people that don't drink or smoke,that can't afford to put
ten dollars worth of hamburger in their hotdish..........hotdish is supposed to be a cheap, healthy, tastey meal...........
Just stirring the pot!...... :twisted: :)


When I was a kid in the early 80's a deer would get hit and someone would snatch it up before it cooled off and processed it. Now days they just lay on the road side and rot so people are'nt that hungary yet.When that begins to happen then we may have to worry some.
Growing up we raised hogs,chickens and cattle and in 10 years I don't remember butchering more than 2 cattle for our own use hogs,chickens and a dozen deer a year cattle were sold to pay the land payments.Our hotdish had venison burger in it.

Well that works for us Rednecks........but there are a lot of people that couldn't butcher a deer if their life depended on it.....
I pick up the deer for the dogs......and I have to be quick about it or someone else will pick it up, I think for the same reason...
 
Pure Country, can you verify your statement that hamburger is 'washed' with ammonia?

I realize there is an ammonia based gas which has been/and or still may be used in production of some of the Lean Finely Textured Beef, but is not accurate, and some the statement in an inflammatory way to turn people off from eating hamburger at all, unfortunately.

The same process is used, probably with adaptation to suit the product being treated, on so many different food products, and has been done for many years with no problems until anti-meat activists seized the opportunity to do that classic smear job on a fine SD based company.

Somehow, this post jumped onto the site before I was finished.

Q for FH: have you used any of the Safeway brand Ranchers........, darn, can't recall the second part of their name for it. Ranchers Renaissance, is/was, I believe the name of the group of ranchers who supplied that beef. Not sure if it all is in place yet today. Knew some of the ranchers from Hawaii who built that business. They haul their calves to the mainland to be fed out, I believe. Been a while since I shopped Safeway, which is my maybe my favorite of Rapid City stores. I like Family Thrift, and Dan's a lot, too, but unless they have those wheelchair grocery carts available, I just can't get in enough miles on my compromised knee and ankle joints these days, to get what I need.

Having experimentally purchased even the lowest cost beef in several stores, I've rarely not been able to make it taste pretty good, tho our own beef is the flavor I'm used too. I will say our changes in genetics seem to be paying off in our 'reject' beef (in the form of a heifer losing a calf and saved to butcher later in early fall), as the tenderness level has improved. Or maybe the butcher is doing something different at processing, not sure. We can't seem to get anyone to hang/age it more than a week or two, at most. IMO, that would make a huge difference, but can understand the cost to them of the cold hanging space, too.

The current batch of hamburger we have is VERY lean. Virtually no grease left when 'frying' it. Have had to put a little fat in the pan to get it to brown, but flavor is ok if I do that.

mrj
 
Price is affected by supply vs consumers likes and disposable income. Supply is affected by cost of production vs retail price of the product. The difference between us in agriculture and any other industry is we do not directly control price or supply. As a result we don't have total control over our profitability. If Ford can no longer sell pickups at $50,000 what do they do? They will most likely offer a more desirable truck, or, lower the price to their lowest tolorable profit margin and beyond that they will reduce production. All we can do is be as effecient as possible, produce a product that the consumer will be willing to purchase at a price that will be profitable to us. We just don't have a very big lever on either end, Cost or retail price until we get organized .
 
mrj said:
Pure Country, can you verify your statement that hamburger is 'washed' with ammonia?

I realize there is an ammonia based gas which has been/and or still may be used in production of some of the Lean Finely Textured Beef, but is not accurate, and some the statement in an inflammatory way to turn people off from eating hamburger at all, unfortunately.

The same process is used, probably with adaptation to suit the product being treated, on so many different food products, and has been done for many years with no problems until anti-meat activists seized the opportunity to do that classic smear job on a fine SD based company.

Somehow, this post jumped onto the site before I was finished.

Q for FH: have you used any of the Safeway brand Ranchers........, darn, can't recall the second part of their name for it. Ranchers Renaissance, is/was, I believe the name of the group of ranchers who supplied that beef. Not sure if it all is in place yet today. Knew some of the ranchers from Hawaii who built that business. They haul their calves to the mainland to be fed out, I believe. Been a while since I shopped Safeway, which is my maybe my favorite of Rapid City stores. I like Family Thrift, and Dan's a lot, too, but unless they have those wheelchair grocery carts available, I just can't get in enough miles on my compromised knee and ankle joints these days, to get what I need.

Having experimentally purchased even the lowest cost beef in several stores, I've rarely not been able to make it taste pretty good, tho our own beef is the flavor I'm used too. I will say our changes in genetics seem to be paying off in our 'reject' beef (in the form of a heifer losing a calf and saved to butcher later in early fall), as the tenderness level has improved. Or maybe the butcher is doing something different at processing, not sure. We can't seem to get anyone to hang/age it more than a week or two, at most. IMO, that would make a huge difference, but can understand the cost to them of the cold hanging space, too.

The current batch of hamburger we have is VERY lean. Virtually no grease left when 'frying' it. Have had to put a little fat in the pan to get it to brown, but flavor is ok if I do that.

mrj
Safeway meat is labeled Ranchers Reserve.

I think you may have missed this that I posted, mrj:

" so it should have a beefy taste.......right? Safeway has about the best hamburger in this area". I guess I haven't tried the other meat much, but I did see a front shoulder boneless roast cut that I wish I had bought. It was in the butcher counter, not wrapped and on the meat shelf and it was $3.99/lb. Next time. :D

The last roast I cooked was a Baron of Beef. 2.5# for $10. We had a couple for company and that's what I served. The next day I ground up the leftovers and we had beef salad sandwiches. The next evening I fixed Hash, so we got a lot of meals out of that $10. But most/many young cooks don't know how to do this. Hash and meatloaf are almost a lost art.

When I cooked for that Hunting Camp back in '08, Meatloaf was one of the guys favorite meals. Talk about Chow Down and ask when I was making that again.......another favorite was sloppy joes that I make from an old recipe. They loved it. I think many women don't cook these days.........which is a whole other subject. :D
 
Faster horses said:
mrj said:
Pure Country, can you verify your statement that hamburger is 'washed' with ammonia?

I realize there is an ammonia based gas which has been/and or still may be used in production of some of the Lean Finely Textured Beef, but is not accurate, and some the statement in an inflammatory way to turn people off from eating hamburger at all, unfortunately.

The same process is used, probably with adaptation to suit the product being treated, on so many different food products, and has been done for many years with no problems until anti-meat activists seized the opportunity to do that classic smear job on a fine SD based company.

Somehow, this post jumped onto the site before I was finished.

Q for FH: have you used any of the Safeway brand Ranchers........, darn, can't recall the second part of their name for it. Ranchers Renaissance, is/was, I believe the name of the group of ranchers who supplied that beef. Not sure if it all is in place yet today. Knew some of the ranchers from Hawaii who built that business. They haul their calves to the mainland to be fed out, I believe. Been a while since I shopped Safeway, which is my maybe my favorite of Rapid City stores. I like Family Thrift, and Dan's a lot, too, but unless they have those wheelchair grocery carts available, I just can't get in enough miles on my compromised knee and ankle joints these days, to get what I need.

Having experimentally purchased even the lowest cost beef in several stores, I've rarely not been able to make it taste pretty good, tho our own beef is the flavor I'm used too. I will say our changes in genetics seem to be paying off in our 'reject' beef (in the form of a heifer losing a calf and saved to butcher later in early fall), as the tenderness level has improved. Or maybe the butcher is doing something different at processing, not sure. We can't seem to get anyone to hang/age it more than a week or two, at most. IMO, that would make a huge difference, but can understand the cost to them of the cold hanging space, too.

The current batch of hamburger we have is VERY lean. Virtually no grease left when 'frying' it. Have had to put a little fat in the pan to get it to brown, but flavor is ok if I do that.

mrj
. I think many women don't cook these days.........which is a whole other subject. :D



That is the truth.
 
4Diamond said:
Faster horses said:
mrj said:
Pure Country, can you verify your statement that hamburger is 'washed' with ammonia?

I realize there is an ammonia based gas which has been/and or still may be used in production of some of the Lean Finely Textured Beef, but is not accurate, and some the statement in an inflammatory way to turn people off from eating hamburger at all, unfortunately.

The same process is used, probably with adaptation to suit the product being treated, on so many different food products, and has been done for many years with no problems until anti-meat activists seized the opportunity to do that classic smear job on a fine SD based company.

Somehow, this post jumped onto the site before I was finished.

Q for FH: have you used any of the Safeway brand Ranchers........, darn, can't recall the second part of their name for it. Ranchers Renaissance, is/was, I believe the name of the group of ranchers who supplied that beef. Not sure if it all is in place yet today. Knew some of the ranchers from Hawaii who built that business. They haul their calves to the mainland to be fed out, I believe. Been a while since I shopped Safeway, which is my maybe my favorite of Rapid City stores. I like Family Thrift, and Dan's a lot, too, but unless they have those wheelchair grocery carts available, I just can't get in enough miles on my compromised knee and ankle joints these days, to get what I need.

Having experimentally purchased even the lowest cost beef in several stores, I've rarely not been able to make it taste pretty good, tho our own beef is the flavor I'm used too. I will say our changes in genetics seem to be paying off in our 'reject' beef (in the form of a heifer losing a calf and saved to butcher later in early fall), as the tenderness level has improved. Or maybe the butcher is doing something different at processing, not sure. We can't seem to get anyone to hang/age it more than a week or two, at most. IMO, that would make a huge difference, but can understand the cost to them of the cold hanging space, too.

The current batch of hamburger we have is VERY lean. Virtually no grease left when 'frying' it. Have had to put a little fat in the pan to get it to brown, but flavor is ok if I do that.

mrj
. I think many women don't cook these days.........which is a whole other subject. :D



That is the truth.

Many women work full time and in that scenario many men better learn to cook I can make a mean frozen pizza or a bowl of cold cereal.
 
We as producers have always been price takers when we sell into the commodity market. A very few of us have been able to find niche markets and sell direct but that isn't most of us and for those that do it likely isn't their whole crop. If our only hope for profit is when the market is this high we are in serious trouble. Making the comparison between high beef prices and gasoline is foolish when pork and chicken are competing with our product. They have to pay the price for gas or find some other way to get around but they don't have to eat beef if they feel it is overpriced and surrounded by cheaper pork and chicken. Lowering the overheads that are directly tied to the product we are selling is one way to increase our margin but this usually comes with a lot of changes in management and some of us are not comfortable with change. I love the business so I am looking for ways to change that will make us a profit when the prices go back down. I am listening to Bill Helming lately and he says we are going to need to be able to sell hamburger to compete with chicken if we are going to survive. I won't be able to direct market too many steaks to a burger society but the upside is me and my family will be able to eat them ourselves. Hating change but embracing it anyway.
 
We stopped for a few things Sunday afternoon and came home with 2 frozen 20 lb. turkeys. They must need freezer space because they were 50 cents a pound. That's a lot of meals for a ten dollar bill. People do not realize how little we pay for food in this country.
 
mwj said:
We stopped for a few things Sunday afternoon and came home with 2 frozen 20 lb. turkeys. They must need freezer space because they were 50 cents a pound. That's a lot of meals for a ten dollar bill. People do not realize how little we pay for food in this country.

:agree:
 
FH, I did see your point re. "beefy taste", or lack thereof. Guess I spaced it out thinking about other things. We always have more hamburger than anything else, so almost never buy that. I do think it is lack of fat which may account for lack of flavor, since our very lean beef is a similar in that respect. Having the pan too full when I browned it may have been part of the problem as well as not adding fat. Being in too much of a hurry just doesn't pay off when cooking! It is still very tasty in mixed dishes with plenty of seasoning, like the pasta sauce I made that day. Put most of it into quart zip-lock bags and back into the freezer for a quick meal for other days.

Thanks for the reminder that Safeway uses Rancher Reserve for their beef brand. Rancher Renaissance is, or was the name the ranchers' group had for their product before it got to the consumer, I believe. I could almost feel sorry for those Hawaiian cattlemen, except that living in paradise makes up for most of the problems they have raising and selling beef! I think the 'greenies' long ago eliminated nearly all feeding and processing of beef on those islands. Getting the calves hauled to the mainland is a real chore, too, made more complicated than necessary by government regulation, of course.

mrj
 
I have some salmon that cost about $15.00 / lb. We had to go catch it ourselves, but I am enjoying it the second time, but now back to beef. We will have a future in the beef industry; Abraham killed the fatted calf to offer honored guests. They ate goats to survive. We are still here. Our industry will look different, but we will be here. Beef is not a survival dish. We have to eat to live, and that is why some people do. I enjoy eating. I like to eat delicious, nutritious meals in moderation. Beef is the cornerstone on the plate. The meal is based on the main event, that being the beef. People eat beef to enjoy the experience, and to add zest to life. When a soldier returns from deployment, they head to the steakhouse and celebrate. Birthdays are celebrated with a juicy steak. Look at beef exports to China, they have skyrocketed. Beef demand went up as their economy grew. They eat rice to survive, and beef to enjoy life. Beef is not a cheap dish, never has been, but it is the best food money can buy, and darn well worth it!
 
Shortgrass, that is the best beef commercial I've seen in quite a while. You should send it to your state Beef council and see if they can spread it around!

Comments re. the Flat Iron steaks/roast makes me wonder how much of the Flat Iron cut there is on that shoulder. And Colonial House restaurant in Rapid City does a wonderful job with Flat Iron steaks. My favorite is to have it grilled to order and sliced onto one of the great salads they serve. They also will put a nice little salmon steak, or a generous serving of grilled shrimp on salads. I usually get a small version of the salad, as they are huge if you order the regular size.

mrj
 
We have come up with a quicker version of maybe even better than fries:

Cut up nice potatoes into wedges about a half to an inch wide, more or less.

Dry them with paper towels and dip in good flavored olive oil, or even warm bacon fat, let drain a few minutes, sprinkle liberally with Mrs. Dashs' spices or favorite herbs and spices.

Either bake (maybe 350%), or microwave, or pan fry in a dab of oil. They are quicker than reading the directions, imo. And taste really good with a burger or other quick meal. I might make them more often with pan browned minute steak, add a salad, and it's a pretty nutritious, quick and tasty meal. And switch out the salad for a few onions and cherry tomatoes in the pan when cooking the potatoes, and it works for a hot breakfast when there is a long day of riding and working cattle ahead. Serve with toasted home made bread with honey or jam, and no one should complain, too much about not getting eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, which I think takes way too much time and is too 'heavy' for going out to work.

mrj

mrj
 

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