Pork Butt At Kroger

[BGKYSmoker]

Was at Kroger this morning.

Jumping on this one.

Yeeeeeup

Leave em in the original bag then i vac seal.

 

[indaswamp]

$1.25/#....great price! See...now you can make some salami to put in your new chamber!!! LOL!!!

 

[Oceantoad]

Beginning of February, Kroger in our area had Pork Butt on sale for .99 a lb. I bought 2 the first time through. Went home, unloaded groceries and thought I better go back for some more. Bought 9 more!

 

[BGKYSmoker]

And thats why there is no TP

 

[Oceantoad]

Nope, I left all the TP behind. There was plenty of pork butts there after I left also.

 

[yankee2bbq]

Heck of a deal!
Nice!

 

[jkc64]

Wish they had that sale when I was there Saturday. 2.49 lb and only had 3 or 4 in the case. I'll wait for another sale.

 

[sandyut]

Man that is a deal! But not in Utah :(. Enjoy!

 

[jcam222]

its an excellent price! That is especially true with current prices and world affairs.

 

[WI Smoker77]

Yes prices up all over it seems. Did score on a couple of pork butts today. $1.49/ lb at Festival Foods. Plan a doing a little fresh sausage within next couple of days so
glad I found a good deal.

 

[crazymoon]

Rick, Nice price, our area had 1.77/# so I stocked up also.

 

[tallbm]

In Dallas area, tomorrow they go on sale again at Kroger stores for $0.97/lb . Maybe sales will happen in other regions as well so keep an eye out :)

 

[indaswamp]

Found a sale @ local Winn Dixie for this weekend....same price- $0.99/#. So I'm gonna pic some up for more salami. Gotta replenish the stock...getting low....

 

[Oceantoad]

OK, here's a head scratcher. You score this great deal at Kroger, and decide to replenish your stock on pork so you buy 8 bone in pork butt roasts. What do you do with the 8 roasts once their home? Freeze them whole, then at a later date, thaw, debone and grind for sausage one at a time? Debone them all now and cut them unto strips and freeze for grinding at a later date, or grind it all at once and then freeze in 3-5 pound portions to be thawed out later for sausage? Or, Do you plan on smoking them all at once? Decisions, Decisions.......What do you do? Oh Yea....what is your plan for the 8 bones?

 

[tallbm]

OK, here's a head scratcher. You score this great deal at Kroger, and decide to replenish your stock on pork so you buy 8 bone in pork butt roasts. What do you do with the 8 roasts once their home? Freeze them whole, then at a later date, thaw, debone and grind for sausage one at a time? Debone them all now and cut them unto strips and freeze for grinding at a later date, or grind it all at once and then freeze in 3-5 pound portions to be thawed out later for sausage? Or, Do you plan on smoking them all at once? Decisions, Decisions.......What do you do? Oh Yea....what is your plan for the 8 bones?

This all depends on time my friend.

In my mind the most ideal situation is to get them home and grind them and store them in 1 pound poly meat bags so you have max versatility and great storage for them. Polybag storing is very fast and convenient compared to vac sealing. Also my 1lb polybagged ground meat never has any freezer burn issues. Even a 2years later so it's good to go at way lest cost!

The no time at all solution is to freeze them without ever opening them and defrost and handle them as needed.

I would completely avoid cutting them into strips and freezing them. It's a waste of time, bags, and also introduces more bacteria into the meat where a whole cryovaced butt would be sterile'ish deep inside the muscle.

 

[912smoker]

OK, here's a head scratcher. You score this great deal at Kroger, and decide to replenish your stock on pork so you buy 8 bone in pork butt roasts. What do you do with the 8 roasts once their home? Freeze them whole, then at a later date, thaw, debone and grind for sausage one at a time? Debone them all now and cut them unto strips and freeze for grinding at a later date, or grind it all at once and then freeze in 3-5 pound portions to be thawed out later for sausage? Or, Do you plan on smoking them all at once? Decisions, Decisions.......What do you do? Oh Yea....what is your plan for the 8 bones?

I put 2 in the freezer and 1 sliced into 1 1/2 steaks ! Smoking them this weekend !
Love me some pork steaks

Keith

 

[tallbm]

I put 2 in the freezer and 1 sliced into 1 1/2 steaks ! Smoking them this weekend !
Love me some pork steaks

Keith

Oh yeah, great idea!
If not going for sausage or grinding then preping for pork steaks, chops, etc., vac sealing, and freezing is totally an option!

I often buy a pork but when it is on sale just to eat throughout the week as pork steaks, stir fries, Mexican guisado dishes, etc. I always feel bad for folks who are unaware of how much money they could save and how good they could eat if they just learned to cook AND they understood how far a $0.97/lb pork butt or 2 can go for the family in these hard times.

Now I'm going to have to go buy one since they are onsale again at Kroger hahaha :)

 

[Oceantoad]

This all depends on time my friend.

In my mind the most ideal situation is to get them home and grind them and store them in 1 pound poly meat bags so you have max versatility and great storage for them. Polybag storing is very fast and convenient compared to vac sealing. Also my 1lb polybagged ground meat never has any freezer burn issues. Even a 2years later so it's good to go at way lest cost!

The no time at all solution is to freeze them without ever opening them and defrost and handle them as needed.

I would completely avoid cutting them into strips and freezing them. It's a waste of time, bags, and also introduces more bacteria into the meat where a whole cryovaced butt would be sterile'ish deep inside the muscle.

tallbm, Now you tell me. I did EXACTLY what you recommended NOT to do. I brought home the nine, left them in a cooler on our deck,(it was 15 degrees outside most of that week). one by one, brought them inside, deboned and then cut into strips to be frozen in a vac seal bag. No worries. I have gone through about half since then. Made some original brats, Italian sausage, hot brats, bangers, some other English sausage with more rusk, (hate that stuff), Kielbasa, and of course Breakfast sausage. I need to hit up another sale soon!!

 

[tallbm]

tallbm, Now you tell me. I did EXACTLY what you recommended NOT to do. I brought home the nine, left them in a cooler on our deck,(it was 15 degrees outside most of that week). one by one, brought them inside, deboned and then cut into strips to be frozen in a vac seal bag. No worries. I have gone through about half since then. Made some original brats, Italian sausage, hot brats, bangers, some other English sausage with more rusk, (hate that stuff), Kielbasa, and of course Breakfast sausage. I need to hit up another sale soon!!

Hahahaha. What you did was fine and safe though. It may have just been a little more work and use of materials (vac bags) but hey it offered max flexibility.

If the goal was nothing but sausage I would not have cut into strips.
If the goal was to have max flexibility of strips or sausage, then I would have done the same as you. To me the bags and time are worth the cost if I want strips/steaks/chops on a whim, which I often do hahaha.

Now that you've done it you can gauge how you will treat all that meat. You can freeze whole pork butts for about how much sausage you think you will make and then cut up and vac seal the rest for how much strip grilling/cooking you will be doing :)

I make cured pork franks almost every year and 99% of the time I grill them like a fresh sausage instead of smoke them. I don't mind that they are cured and grilled because they taste amazing like that AND I can do that quickly. Then in that 1% of the time I just lay them on the smoker rack and smoke em. Max flexibility :D

I once heard it said that "Happiness in life means having options".
It didn't sound right to me but after thinking on it and exploring it for a while I came to agree with it 100%. It just seemed too simple to be true but I found it to be true.
So having the flexibility and options to do what you want = greater happiness :D

 

[BGKYSmoker]

You know what they say.
No pics
Never happened.