Shopping for Beef this Holiday Season

**The following guest post is the first in a series of four by Chef Dave Zino, Executive Chef with the National Cattleman’s Beef Association (you know, the team behind the glorious slogan: “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner.”)**

I love the holidays and I especially love cooking for large groups of people. Call it the professional chef in me. There’s something to be said about a warm house full of people, all naturally gravitating toward the kitchen. The kitchen is a magnet for houseguests. To kick off my series of blog posts, I wanted to share some tips and tricks for choosing the best beef for your budget this holiday season.

First and foremost, the best thing about beef is the variety of cuts that can be found at any local grocery store or butcher. With so many options at your fingertips, including 29 cuts that qualify as lean, you can easily find a cut of beef that is right for you and that meets your budgetary needs.  

When preparing for a big meal, I always think about a few factors aside from simply that final, beautiful plated dish – though that’s obviously near the top of the list! Below I’ve put together a few extra considerations to keep in mind, which can help pave the way for a more efficient and rewarding shopping experience.  

Looking for the cut that counts

• Think about making your purchases based on the cost per serving – not just the price per pound. Things such as bone and fat trim will affect the yield of the final product, so depending on what you want to serve, the amount of beef to buy will vary. For example, while bone-in rib roasts are wonderfully delicious, consider purchasing its boneless ribeye roast cousin as an alternative, which eliminates the cost of the bone and does not jeopardize the final taste. 

Planning ahead for leftovers

• One of my favorite dishes is a quick and easy shredded beef sandwich a la leftovers from the previous night’s pot roast, so I always think ahead about how I can turn that one meal into two. Likewise, top sirloin steaks are not only good for serving multiple people, but you can also cut the leftover meat into cubes to make a quick and easy steak salad. So in addition to thinking about how much to buy to feed the number of people that you will be entertaining with the initial dish, think about that next step before you shop as a way to extend your dollar and tap into the versatility of beef.  

Buying beef in bulk

• Pay attention to specials and coupons. Buying in bulk and freezing beef is a great way to capitalize on lower prices and can save you money over time. Fresh ground beef can be frozen for up to three months and steaks/roasts for up to 6-12 months, which is plenty of time to make a few meals throughout the holiday season all from one purchase.

The website BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com also lists more ways to help you during this busy timeframe within the “Shopping for Beef” tab, including some downloadable tip sheets and plenty of holiday recipes.  

You can also access hundreds of free recipes via your mobile device which offers a streamlined version of the original site. Now home cooks, busy moms and anyone on-the-go can navigate the meat case and plan menus in a pinch. Simply enter “Beef For Dinner” into your web browser (it’s available for all carriers, blackberry, iphone, etc) and you’ll have instantaneous access to hundreds of delicious beef recipes and related shopping lists in the palm of your hand without any downloads.

However, if you forget your cheat sheet and your cell phone is flashing its last bar, don’t be afraid to ask your friendly and knowledgeable butcher behind the meat case. They are there to help and usually they have some great tips of their own to share.  

Until next time, happy shopping! 

Chef Dave
 

 

As Executive Chef for the leading food authority on beef and veal, Dave Zino is responsible for concept development, ideation and recipe development for the beef industry. Dave also works very closely with the checkoff-funded Beef Innovations Group in evaluating and developing new beef products.

 

 

Connect with us online!

Visit www.BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com

Join the BeefItsWhatsForDinner Facebook Fan Page

Follow Chef Dave @zcooks on Twitter

Follow @BeefForDinner on Twitter

Tags: Beef, Cooking, Dave Zino, Shopping