Is ground beef uber-expensive for anyone else?

[HamburgerBoy]

A couple years ago, 80/20 was $2/lb. After a year it went to $2.50/lb. Last week it was $3/lb and I decided to skip it, then I check again and now it's $3.50/lb.

Bought a pound regardless; gonna make me some bacon burgers. :awe:

 

[FoBoT]

no no, there is no food price inflation
you are wrong

 

[spidey07]

Gas prices.

 

[Crono]

This is why I buy my beef in bulk.

 

[spidey07]

This is why I buy my beef in bulk.

Elimination of pink slime

 

[spidey07]

no no, there is no food price inflation
you are wrong

Warp you ALL!

 

[Matthiasa]

Not a clue since i don't get ground beef.
I get ground specific cut of meat which has always a been a bit more expensive.

 

[spidey07]

A couple years ago, 80/20 was $2/lb. After a year it went to $2.50/lb. Last week it was $3/lb and I decided to skip it, then I check again and now it's $3.50/lb.

Bought a pound regardless; gonna make me some bacon burgers. :awe:

Warp OP, activate! Shape of pink slime, form of gasoline!

 

[SunnyD]

Strangely so, yes.

 

[Matthiasa]

A couple years ago, 80/20 was $2/lb. After a year it went to $2.50/lb. Last week it was $3/lb and I decided to skip it, then I check again and now it's $3.50/lb.

Bought a pound regardless; gonna make me some bacon burgers. :awe:

Erm and reading the last part... there is your problem.
4 or 5 pound packages cost like half per pound.

 

[Fern]

It's been at $3.58 lb where I live for quite some time. That's the cheapest 80% stuff.

Larger packages, e.g., 3 lb are usually about 20 or 30 cents per lbs cheaper.

Lately however, it's been on sale for about $2.88 lbs. Just bought several packages and put in my freezer.

Fern

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Erm and reading the last part... there is your problem.
4 or 5 pound packages cost like half per pound.

They only sell 1lb and 2lb packages here, but they were the same rate.

 

[spidey07]

I'd like to add you should use 70/30 for burgers. 75/25 at the most. Burgers need fat and lots of it. 80/20 does not a good burger make.

 

[raasco]

Elimination of pink slime

Luckily for me a guy at work gets a few head of beef slaughtered a couple times each year. $2.50 a pound, no pink slime.

 

[Fern]

I'd like to add you should use 70/30 for burgers. 75/25 at the most. Burgers need fat and lots of it. 80/20 does not a good burger make.

Yeah, it could be those ratios. I'm likely mistaken.

It's the cheapest stuff, so it probably is.

Fern

 

[boomhower]

Wife picked up ~10lbs of 80/20 on sale for $2 a pound a couple days ago. Between all the big supermarts it's not hard to find it on sale for $2-$2.50/lb at least a couple times a month.

 

[spidey07]

Yeah, it could be those ratios. I'm likely mistaken.

It's the cheapest stuff, so it probably is.

Fern

Then your burgers shall be moist and delicious.

 

[Pray To Jesus]

Pink slkieme

 

[Balt]

This is why I buy my beef in bulk.

Hmm, so about 5 pounds? About alternator-sized?

 

[Nintendesert]

Prices are only going to keep going up. There was a major drought down in the South West so in New Mexico and Texas the ranchers had to dump their cattle. This means next year and the years following we're looking at hundreds of thousands of fewer cattle than we should have.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I'd like to add you should use 70/30 for burgers. 75/25 at the most. Burgers need fat and lots of it. 80/20 does not a good burger make.

You would be incorrect. 80/20 is the preferred ratio by Chefs and fast food chains depending on who you put more faith in.

 

[SlowSpyder]

I'd like to add you should use 70/30 for burgers. 75/25 at the most. Burgers need fat and lots of it. 80/20 does not a good burger make.

I actually like 80/20 for my burgers. The wife bought ground sirloin, 95/5 before, that makes an awful burger. But 80/20 isn't bad to me at all.

 

[sjwaste]

You would be incorrect. 80/20 is the preferred ratio by Chefs and fast food chains depending on who you put more faith in.

I'm neither, but I second this. 70/30 is a little too much fat for too little meat. If you cook it med-rare, there's way too much grease in each bite. If you cook it past that, the fat renders out fast and leaves you with a hockey puck. It could work with an egg in it and retain moisture up to med-well, though, I'd bet.

80/20 and 85/15 are my preferred ratios of ground chuck. These are doable med-rare or medium and retain their moisture.

I've been doing 90/10 lately, mostly since I need to lose some weight and still want to throw a burger on the grill once a week. Good, but it works better if I put a beaten egg in there to bind it. Otherwise it dries out fast.

 

[spidey07]

I'm neither, but I second this. 70/30 is a little too much fat for too little meat. If you cook it med-rare, there's way too much grease in each bite. If you cook it past that, the fat renders out fast and leaves you with a hockey puck. It could work with an egg in it and retain moisture up to med-well, though, I'd bet.

80/20 and 85/15 are my preferred ratios of ground chuck. These are doable med-rare or medium and retain their moisture.

I've been doing 90/10 lately, mostly since I need to lose some weight and still want to throw a burger on the grill once a week. Good, but it works better if I put a beaten egg in there to bind it. Otherwise it dries out fast.

I've been playing around with my burgers on the grill. I need 75/25 to get the crust/browning on the outside and still maintain medium without overcooking.

I want it to explode in my mouth, so the more fat the better for me. A skillet would be different.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Gas prices.

Funny thing is it's not attributed much to gas prices. That does have a big impact on supermarket prices as about 2/3 of every dollar you spend at the grocery store goes towards the transportation of product from field to packer to distributor to warehouse to store. There are a lot of truck rides from Elsie in the field to a burger on your plate. But in the case of ground beef the price hikes are WAY out of line with what's happening in the rest of the store and even with what's happening with other meat products. Chicken has gone up very little in the last few years, pork has gone up very little in the last few years, hell, even many cuts of beef have gone up very little in the last few years. Stuff like short ribs, roasts, london broils are very close to where they were before gas went bonkers. Ground beef has shot through the roof all by itself.