Please post your PORK prices here!

[tender loins]

I can't believe the prices I'm seeing on pork butts, shoulders, etc. I live in Buffalo NY and you can still get a decent large (16-18") cheese & pepperoni pizza for about $9, 30 Buffalo Wings around $10, 2-story 3-bedroom houses for $50K, and pork tenderloins for as little as $2.69lb (though usually on sale for $2.99lb.)

Below is definitely NOT spam but is my local butcher's flyer for this week. This place is usually the cheapest in the county (or 9-county area.) Baby backs are $2.99 in qty. Spare ribs I bought a case of 30lbs for about $45 ($1.49lb.) Friday, I bought a good sized portion of a pork loin with bone to have chops for a party. I told them I wanted the "good end" of the pork loin and not the sirloin type with the bone in the center (the cheap sirloin stuff NO, the T-bone & center cut chop, YES!) and they charged me $1.69 including cutting the chops 1/4" thick.

CAN SOMEBODY TELL ME WHY "Pork Butt Roast" costs more than a pork loin????! That IS a pork shoulder or pork butt, right?

I find it very hard to fathom that I can buy beef tenderloins for $5.69lb (used to be $4.99) BUT CAN'T buy a decent pork butt cheap! Likewise that I can get baby backs for about a buck more per pound than a butt!

http://sloansupermarket.com/weeklyspecials.php

Please post what I should be paying for Spares, Babies, Butts, etc--what YOU are paying. I'd ask for beef brisket prices too but I don't know briskets/tri-tips are available here!

I'm posting the ad because many may not believe some of the prices, but if somebody finds it offensive or against the terms, let me know and I'll blur out the name/address/etc and stick it on my own webspace or attach it here. I'm in no way affiliated with the place but get most of my meats there because the prices are much cheaper than all the big local supermarkets & "clubs."

Thanks for any help! My new Masterbuilt came in today and want to try it out this week!

 

[jwbbq]

I just bought baby backs for $2.99/lb in 3-rack packs and 18# butt for $1.42/lb at my local Cash and Carry.

 

[pops6927]

Well, we're in the fall and along with that comes an increase in sausage sales; smoked and polish for Octoberfest, italian for more traditional dinners - spaghetti, rigatoni, etc. Sausage is a traditionally fall and winter meat. And, it's main supporters are butts, shoulders and hams. So, as in any supply and demand, those are in higher demand and likewise a higher price. Spares, bellies, and hocks go down in price as their summertime demand goes down and the quantity increases as more hogs are killed to support the butts, shoulders and hams sales. Loins get cheaper and more roasts and 1/4 cut chops sales occur. There used to be two 'kills' in pork; the fall kill and the lesser spring kill. After October, pork prices generally lowered as more pork became available in the market, and likewise in March. But, today, hogs are raised and killed 24/7 365, so the supply is generally abundant as markets give supply. It's marketing and merchandising is what increases the price unless there is a glut of a particular subprimal. For example, butts shoulders and hams are in high demand but loins don't move. They back up in the warehouses and sellers contact buyers and give them deals on 5-loin to 7-loin boxes, based on average size (8-11lb., 11-14lb. and 14-17lb or higher loins). Some come with the blade cap on, some with it off on the rib end. Some have been frozen and thawed, some are fresh. All factors determining price. The meat buyers of the chains take advantage of any deals they can get,and likewise plan their sales along the lines of what they are promised for supply. They know from historical figures that for a one week ad featuring 1/4 pork loins at XX price, they'll move say 10,000 boxes. If they lower the price .10 and cut 3 1/4 cuts from each vs. 4 (less cc chops in each), then they will make an additional 14% gross and can move 14,000 boxes and so on. Everything is determined by cutting tests they have their stores perform on different cuts cut different ways; I had to do them every week for 30 years. this is just the tip of the iceburg in how prices are determined and set, but gives you an idea of the complexity of it all.

 

[sea_munky]

I just bought a 9 lb "pork shoulder blade roast" - or as I recently learned a bone-in pork butt - for 1.49 / lb but that was on super sale. In my area, they usually go for 2.69 to 2.99 regular price. Spares are 2.99 regular, 1.99 sale. This is regular retail, not wholesale packs.

That shop's weekly specials seem pretty good compared to here. Do you happen to know what "pizza logs" are?

 

[pops6927]

Walmart remains high on their butts at $1.78 lb, and these are 'solution-added' Tyson pork product. I've written them complaining about their product and higher prices and how they could support the smokers that they sell with better quality product at a lower price.
Fiesta stores usually have the best price on pork as they are hispanic. This week they have fresh arm shoulder picnics for $1.27, pork shoulder steak for $1.57 and pork stew meat for $1.67, and CC loin chops for $2.39. Many times they will offer butts on sale, limit 4, for .99lb. to 1.29lb., but have not had them in a couple months, attesting to their higher demand in the sausage market.

 

[tender loins]

Thanks for your great detailed reply pops! And thanks jw too!

But using jw's prices, his butts are about 47% the cost of baby backs, which coincidentally are also $2.99 for both of us, though for me, butts are 63% the cost of babies!

Looking at my butcher's prices (it's actually a tiny corner store but majority of its business is meats & deli), how do they compare in TX?

 

[tender loins]

YES, pizza logs are about the size of an egg roll, perhaps 4"-5" long by about 1"-1.5" diameter. They are rolled up like egg rolls, possibly a slightly different dough, and filled with cheese & pepperoni. Kinda like a mini Stromboli. They really do look a lot like egg rolls. Restaurants & pizzerias generally fry them for 2-3 minutes though you can bake them too. They (restaurants) often sell them either alone with a dipping sauce (marinara, blue cheese, etc) at about 4 for $4.95 to $5.95, or else as part of a fried food combo platter (1 or 2 pizza logs, 3-4 mozzarella sticks, fries, onion rings, breaded mushrooms, etc) for $6-$9. Hope this helps.

 

[tender loins]

Thanks pops, I was typing my reply to you and missed this post w/prices. How about spares & babies?

 

[tender loins]

Here is the ad that ended 8/30, it has both ribs on it. They didn't have a whole case of baby backs left but honored the price since I took 10. The box of spareribs were cryovac packed in pairs.

 

[biggiesize]

Sams club is 3.89 for b.b. 1.99 for spares, 1.89 for butts everyday. bulk prices are @ 50 to 60 cents cheaper per pound

 

[capt dan]

I wouldn't waste anymore time with that conquest!


case price, I pay

$2.99 babybacks, $1.49 Spares
$1.39- $1.49 butts

singles in cryo, $2.29- $2.49 chuck rolls and clods, $2.19-$2.29 brisket flats.

Lil ma and pa stores can help out the lil guy if your good to them and they don't hafta do alot of stuff to the meats you want at a discount.

 

[flash]

We don't jump until we see sales.
Spares around $1.49 and butts around .99 cents a Lb. gets me stocking up.
Rarely buy BB ribs.

 

[pops6927]

That's true. But, even if it gets to one merchandiser, it might spark some interest. I added that I was in the meat business for 30 years and that if they'd support their smoker buyers it would be profitable. First off, I told them that Walmart was known to NOT be the place to buy your meat as it's solution injected and overpriced. Second, did they know that the one ingredient almost universally used is apple juice? Set a pallet in your pallet row of apple juice near your bulk meat section of briskets and butts (more on that later). Second, set up an I wall gondola display or end hang display of meat thermometers, basters, tongs, mitts, aprons, beer mugs, can insulators, coolers, etc., everything the overnight smoker or daily smoker would use; even set up a Brinkman Smoke'n'pro or an electric nearby. What few cents they'd lose on the pork they'd more than make up on the hard goods sales.
Now it shouldn't take much for a lightbulb to go off in a merchandiser's mind that this is good merchandising practice and would increase sales and profits! I told them that their greatest detractors were customers, just like me, getting on national smoking meat forums and dissing Walmart for their high prices, poor quality product and lack of effort supporting a 12 month a year hobby that is money intensive, but all goes into the foodchain so it's money well spent.
But, if merchandised and supported properly, it can be easily known that Walmart is THE place to go for all your smoking needs, just like it's been advertised in the forums to get RO lump and grillin' wood there. They sell the smokers and the coal, why not support what goes into the smokers and the accessories that are necessary? Sales and Profits, baby - that's what it's ALL about in the grocery business.
So, anyways, my 'get back to it later' about the apple juice - I was in my local Walmart yesterday and guess what... right across from the bulk meat section is a pallet of gallons of apple juice, and it'd been picked over pretty good, too! Maybe, just maybe, a few of my words got thru to somebody!

 

[flash]

LOL, in our Wal-Mart, across from the Smoker section is cases of beer.

 

[pops6927]

Nothin' wrong with that basting liquid either!

 

[tender loins]

Thanks for all comments & prices.

 

[fishawn]

Baby backs $2.99 - $3.99 .lb, Pork butts $1.50 .lb (.99$ on sale), brisket ranges from about $1.50 on sale to $3.99 .lb.

 

[capt dan]

personally I wouldn't buy a bottle of water from walmart if i was dying of thirst. When they run all other stores outta business, and then decide to sell only what they want to, who will be left with no other choice. Everyone! Nothin personal against you pops, Just walmarts business practices. They carry what they want, not what the customer needs. Thats ok if there are other stores to fill the gaps, but more and more small stores and chains can't compete with the cut throat tactics, and they close down, leaving no competition, and thats the big plan for walmart.

Not good for america in any way.

Sorry to highjack your thread tender loins.

 

[pineywoods]

Just got an add today pork spareribs normal 2.69 sale price 1.99 Boston butts normal 2.19 sale 1.69 oh yea T-bones on sale 6.99 Porterhouse on sale 7.99 Don't know current on BB's but know its high

 

[waysideranch]

Couldn't agree more. Wal-Mart meat is to preserved for me. Find a local locker where there is fresh cut meat that never goes in those plastic containers or bags. Buy their meat, smoke it and takes them some at lunch one day and brag on there meat. I pay the same as WalMart maybe a little more but to me its worth every penny. SCREW WalMart. Once these guys know your telling people about their store they will get you some deals and let you in on the better meats that come in. My local locker only slaughters local farm raised animals (some are mine). I'd hate to know where Wallys beef came from. Well actually i do. If for some god awful reason you would have to go thru Dodge City, Kansas look all around, you will see the cattle standing **** and piss and eating i don't know what thats Wally beef.