Bulk buying meat

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evil_g

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I'm thinking of buying a chest freezer. Is bulk buying meat, a thing that people do to make savings?

I've searched online but nothing's jumping out at me. (Google's algorithm is really gone to pot).

To be clear I'm not looking at picking up stuff when I see it on sale, I'm wondering if there are any quality suppliers (either online, or walkup around Dublin), who'd sell a whole sheep or a whole rib steak at a good price.
 
Especially in the farming sector it is or used to be common.
Get a bullock or a heifer killed and butchered and put it in the freezer.
Or a sheep or pig.
There are some butchers too that specialise in the cheaper cuts of meat where you could get bargains on meat.
 
What if there are power cuts over the Winter? I had one, got rid of it. Prefer fresh and only keep a low stock of frozen food now. We have regular enough interruptions to our ESB.
 
A decent freezer should be able to withstand even a prolonged power cut. Especially in winter.
 
I used to do that years ago, we're talking maybe 35/40 yrs, buy a lamb or share a full animal of whatever sort. It was grand at the time as supermarket choice wasn't the same and maybe we had more time back then for packing/cooking although I know they come pre packed ready for freezing these days. The downside I always found was too much of the stewing/mincing stuff for the sake of a few good cuts. Grand if you have the time and the interest in cooking the slow cuts.

These days I still have 2 freezers and always have a good stock of meat, most I buy on special offer, pork steak being one example, very versatile and often great value. For steaks every now and then when there is a special offer I buy from an online retailer and then trim/cut up/freeze myself.
 
. Probably takes a lot of organisation because of this and keeping a careful eye on expiry dates too.
 
Sue Ellen said:
. Probably takes a lot of organisation because of this and keeping a careful eye on expiry dates too.
Click to expand...

I’ve had a talk recently with about stuff being frozen and going out of date.
There opinion was it’s grand once it’s frozen,my opinion was once it’s past it’s sell by date it’s gone.

Tesco does sell of some meat cheaper as it’s running out of date.
 
Once you freeze it sure you extend the life, there wouldn't be much point freezing stuff if you then had to abide by the sell by date or am I misunderstanding you?

The date that applies once frozen is the recommended storage based on the freezer, some are better than others.
 
Pinoy adventure said:
I’ve had a talk recently with about stuff being frozen and going out of date.
There opinion was it’s grand once it’s frozen,my opinion was once it’s past it’s sell by date it’s gone.

Tesco does sell of some meat cheaper as it’s running out of date.
Click to expand...
If you freeze something 2 days before its use by date you can keep it frozen as long as you like but once you defrost it use it within 2 days.
The storage dates for freezing on food are how long the food can be frozen before it's wrecked through freezer burn or whatever. Basically it's the time after which the food will taste bad but it's totally edible. Proper packaging will effect how long you can store something in a freezer. If you are serious about keeping meat for a long time then vacuum seal it before you freeze it.
 
I'm a farmers son, we'd get a bullock and lamb killed every year by our butcher and then freeze it and it was grand.

Have a conversation with your local butcher, that might be the starting point and they may give you a discount for a bulk buy. Places like Kildare Farm foods do bulk bags of meat as well, I've no connection with them but it might be worth a shout.
 
Like Peanuts20 I am also a farmers son. We used to have a freezer that my Dad supplied whenever he had a heifer butchered. However it never really worked out as we didn't really understand all of the differant cuts involved (not helped by the butcher tagging the bags well enough). It was also a pain thawing out the meat overnight. We gave up on the freezer and now buy fresh meat.
 
Sue Ellen said:
. Probably takes a lot of organisation because of this and keeping a careful eye on expiry dates too.
Click to expand...
Easily done with loaves of bread and cartons of milk, cheap solution and handy to have to hand too rather than having to buy weekly. I usually make my own brown bread anyway so always have a stash of that too to fill space. Not sure though it's really a substantial amount of energy one would be talking about anyway!
 
Monbretia said:
Easily done with loaves of bread and cartons of milk, cheap solution and handy to have to hand too rather than having to buy weekly. I usually make my own brown bread anyway so always have a stash of that too to fill space. Not sure though it's really a substantial amount of energy one would be talking about anyway!
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Milk? :oops:
 
Leo said:
You can store milk frozen for 6 months, can save a trip to the shops. Higher fat content milk may separate, but a good shake or few seconds in a blender will re-emulsify.
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Putting milk in a blender? I think I'd prefer to nip to the shops...
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Leo
T McGibney said:
Putting milk in a blender? I think I'd prefer to nip to the shops...
Click to expand...
I'm freezing milk for many years, never had to blend it yet! Buttermilk for baking I find does separate and requires a good shake but that's all.

Started when my father was unable to do his own shopping, he drank milk every day with his dinner plus used it for porridge and more milk than tea in his tea! You could be buying every couple of days so to save time I got a small under counter freezer, stuck it under the stairs and filled it every two weeks or so with milk/bread and some other handy stuff like butter/orange juice. It was a great plan and to this day I freeze milk too, I usually get about a months supply as I don't use much of it, so handy, especially during Covid when it was easier not to have to shop!
 
Leo said:
You can store milk frozen for 6 months, can save a trip to the shops. Higher fat content milk may separate, but a good shake or few seconds in a blender will re-emulsify.
Click to expand...
But once you defrost it surely it would be gone bad ?
 
A freezer puts things into suspended animation, they don't go off! That's the whole point, have you seen the old mammoths that are still found in glaciers, wouldn't eat them but it preserves them. Saw lately that the foot of a missing climber came out of a glacier on Everest still in the boot! :oops:
 
Purple said:
No. it was frozen. That's the point of a freezer. Things don't decay in a freezer, they just dry out due to freezer burn.
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They may not decay but they do pass the sell by date which could lead too all sorts of issues.
That’s the reason the likes of Tesco sell some meat cheap as it’s very close too it’s sell by date.
 
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