How is smoking yourself more economical than purchasing in a store?

[Bearcarver]

Here's another one.

Here's a King Cut Med/Rare Prime Rib.

It cost me about $6. with Veggies.

What would it cost you in your favorite restaurant??

DSCN0082.jpg

• Bearcarver
• Sep 5, 2017

Here's a whole bunch more, all costing me between $4.99 and $7.99 per pound---Most of them were under $6:

Link:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/138992/prime-rib-calendar-my-favorite-smokes

So there's how you save money by Smoking your own Meat.

Bear

 

[Rings Я Us]

Really nothing at a store that is pre cooked is smoked.. just those things we all use for soup and beans. Ribs and chicken and pulled pork is mostly done in ovens or electric rotisserie.. it may have liquid smoke too. Like some bacon has liquid smoke. They don't have to say that.

Hocks, shanks and neckbones are cheap to buy , yes.. Turkey pieces smoked are pretty cheap. But not much more is really smoked that you can buy. I only use those things in soup 3 times in winter maybe.
I smoke to make what I would normally buy to eat anyway, taste better or different than the usual. Smoked Digiorno rising crust pizza is good.. lol

 

[hillbillyrkstr]

Count me in on one of them barrel proof rye's! I've been on the Woodford rye a lot the past few months.

 

[dward51]

And have you read the labels on any of that stuff you buy pre-done?  Try and just pronounce half of the chemical names, much less know what they are and why they are in there.

With home made you get:

1)  Total quality control - in the meat, in the spices, in the "ingredient list" (ie, no poly-dextro-sorb-a-thingie powder added)

2)  Total control of the flavor - you mix the spices.  Need a little more punch, then tweak it

3)  Fresh (and when did they actually smoke and package that grocery store pre-done stuff?)

4)  Pride in knowing you made it, you knew how to make it (and can make it whenever you want), and it is a quality product.

The flavor of home made just does not compare to the store bought mass produced stuff.

And Woodford Reserve is currently my favorite (but I do like Elijah Craig small batch as well).

 

[lovethemeats]

Here's another one.
Here's a King Cut Med/Rare Prime Rib.
It cost me about $6. with Veggies.
What would it cost you in your favorite restaurant??

DSCN0082.jpg

• Bearcarver
• Sep 5, 2017

Here's a whole bunch more, all costing me between $4.99 and $7.99 per pound---Most of them were under $6:

Link:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/138992/prime-rib-calendar-my-favorite-smokes


So there's how you save money by Smoking your own Meat.

Bear

Bear--- You gotta stop. Your killing me with that food. That plate looks awsome. See what you started tempnexus.
Now you have the big guy breaking out his guns. I hope you have been persuaded to stay away from the stuff from the store. Even a couple bad smokes is better then what a mass-produced version could ever be.

 

[noboundaries]

I've never tasted prepared food at a grocery store that could come close to what I can smoke, barbeque, cure, roast, bake, braise, fry, dehydrate, or simmer at home.  Rarely do we come across restaurant food that is better than what I can prepare, and that food is usually ethnic, creating flavors from ingredients and techniques I never use.  Most of the ready-prepared grocery food we buy is fairly neutral tasting.  It satisfies, but doesn't shoot your taste buds into heavenly ecstasy. 

Once the OP gets his techniques down, he'll definitely understand.   

 

[gary s]

I've been smoking for over 50 years, Really never thought about smoking just to save money. Now don't get me wrong I like to save a buck every chance I get. I'll stock up on Butts, Ribs Steaks etc when they are on sale. But the main thing to me is Quality and Flavor profile and The Fun of it. I enjoy firing up my smoker, smelling that wonderful smoke smell and enjoying a great meal at the end.

Nothing like it. I have seen Brisket, Ribs and all sorts of things that are smoked at the store, but never tried any of them. 

Just me

Gary

 

[Rings Я Us]

Yeah.. it's never any money issue.. but it is fun to find deals and smoke um up.

 

[noboundaries]

Wait, jerky.  I can smoke inexpensive bottom round beef for about 1/4th of what jerky costs at the big box stores ........ and it tastes a heck of a lot better! 

 

[keithu]

I hear McDonald's has a $1 menu if all you want is cheap food.

 

[noboundaries]

And Canadian Bacon or Buckboard Bacon.  6 oz of Canadian Bacon costs a small fortune, in the neighborhood of $5, or $13.33/lb.  The cheapest I can remember seeing 6 oz on sale was $3.50, or $9.33/lb. 

I can cure and smoke 1 lb of pork loin or pork sirloin for less than $2 / lb for the meat alone.  I think the highest I've paid in the last year for pork loin, sirloin, or shoulder was $1.88/lb, lowest 99 cents/lb.  I usually cure 8-10 lbs at a time.  The other stuff I need (cure, brown sugar, black pepper, salt, charcoal, wood chunks) might cost another $1 in total.  WAY cheaper and WAY better tasting than the stuff at the store. 

 

[link]

As others have stated it has nothing to do with the cost for me. I do it because I like to do it. I can plan a day around it. Another big plus for me is I have always tried to teach my son that cooking is a lot of fun and when you make it yourself it is always better.

This has paid off as he can make many things on his own (now 19). The other day we were trying to figure out what to get for dinner and I suggested a local BBQ place and he says "no thanks I pretty much do not eat BBQ if you did not make it. No restaurant we have ever gone to compares". 

That right there is why I do it.

Link

 

[jokensmoken]

I've yet to eat ANY pre packaged BBQ from a grocery store that comes close to my own or that which others I know have smoked.
And cheaper...WHAT...
I smoked 4 butts for my family reunion and tracked the costs.
The butts we're .99 a pound from Krogers...35 pounds...35 bucks.
Spices for my 3 cups of rub came out to about 6 bucks...
The finishing sauce was about 4 bucks.
Two disposable pans...3 bucks
Foil for wrapping 2 bucks.
About 15 pounds of Kingsford at less than 30¢ a pound...$4.50
Hickory and apple wood for smoking Free...I harvest my own from the roadside out in the country.
So all in all I fed 50 folks great pulled pork for about a buck per person and had some left overs.
I don't see it getting much more cost effective for high quality smoked meat...
NO SIR...your investment in equipment is not folly nor is the time you spend perfecting your technique so those mishaps you worry about become non existent.
And the fun you'll have is priceless.
Have fun with it...
IMHO it's very much worth it if it cost double.

Walt

 

[jokensmoken]

And as noboundries said...I smoke 3-4 cured pork loins for Canadian bacon twice a year.
It's 20% the cost of buying it and WAY WAY better...and I can have several flavor profiles...
Maple, brown sugar and bourbon,
apple cider, spicy hot or not...you name it...

 

[noboundaries]

And as noboundries said...I smoke 3-4 cured pork loins for Canadian bacon twice a year.
It's 20% the cost of buying it and WAY WAY better...and I can have several flavor profiles...
Maple, brown sugar and bourbon,
apple cider, spicy hot or not...you name it...

I should have added above that my wife won't let me buy pork belly bacon at the store any more.  We can't get pork bellies out here anyway without paying more than it costs for commercially cured bacon.  She was never a fan of pork belly bacon, but she LOVES CB and Buckboard bacon.  Woe be to me if we run out.  Makes good Christmas gifts too!

 

[jokensmoken]

I give CB, smoked cheese and jerky every Christmas...Uncle Walt is a very popular guy at Christmas.

Walt.

 

[jokensmoken]

Last year's Christmas bacon

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• jokensmoken
• Sep 6, 2017

And cheese

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• jokensmoken
• Sep 6, 2017

 

[dward51]

As to why do we do this?

The best complement you can hear is when two of your office interns tell you they worked last summer in a BBQ joint and your meat and sauce is better than anything the had there (and it was a well known and locally famous joint in a college town).

 

[jokensmoken]

Couldn't agree more...had a culinary student who works at one of those road side BBQ joints who just said "wow" when he ate my Q...he didn't need to say anything else.

 

[tempnexus]