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USING MEAT THOROUGHLY Here are a few ideas and experiences we've had with using meat as effectively as possible, specifically trying to avoid waste and save money. Making broth and using all parts of the meat can really save money and give good results. |
Poultry - using the whole bird
We prefer to purchase whole chickens, because we can use the entire bird
and save ourselves a fair bit of money. Depending on your desires, you can
either roast the whole bird for an easy dinner, or process it raw for
further uses (separating breasts, legs, wings, etc.), freezing anything
you're not going to use right away. Chicken freezes well. Use the resulting carcass to
make broth (see below).
Poultry - making broth
Once you've used or separated the major
portions of meat you want, don't waste time trying to get every last scrap
of meat off the bones. Throw the whole carcass into a large soup pot with
4-6 quarts of water, some onions, garlic, vegetables such as carrots, fall
greens, or parsley, and any herbs you want to use, along with a bit of salt
and pepper. Simmer for an hour or more, until all the meat is thoroughly
cooked and falling off the bones. Then:
- Strain the broth and use/freeze. Compared to the cost of purchasing 4-6 quarts of chicken broth, making this broth will likely pay for the cost of the chicken itself, in effect giving you free meat. It will also have far lower sodium than any commercial product, and no additives.
- You'll probably have to compost the vegetables strained from the broth, but take a few minutes to collect most of the cooked meat scraps that came off the bones during the process. This should yield a nice quantity of tender, shredded chicken that's excellent for sandwiches, salads, barbeque, and other uses, and it's much easier to gather post-broth than attempting to pick it all off the bones.
Red Meat
Much of the above is true for red meat as well. Cuts with bones, such as
ribs and steaks, make excellent broths when the meat has been cut or eaten
off them. Boil the bones in the same manner as above, and you'll get an
excellent, meaty, healthy broth that makes simple soups much easier and
tastier. As above, the resulting broth helps pay for the cost of the meat in
the first place.