Cheap Cuts of Meat and How to Cook Them The Right Way

What are the Cheapest Cuts of Meat? And How Do You Cook Them?

There are so many beautiful cuts of meat around that are affordable. They just tend to take time or skill in cooking them to perfection to get the best out of them.

Today we show you all the cheap cuts of meat, how much they cost, and how to cook them and include a few different recipes to try out.

More Reading: Where to Buy Inexpensive Meat in Bulk

Table of Contents:

1. Beef Brisket

2. Corned Beef or Silverside

3. Gravy Beef

4. Chuck Steak

5. Beef Cheeks

6. Beef Sausages

7. Whole Chicken

8. Chicken Maryland

1. How to Cook Beef Brisket

Cost: Woolworths has Beef Brisket for $6.50 per kilogram

Beef Brisket is trending right now. It is still a relatively cheap cut of beef, but it is perfect to cook in the winter months when you can cook it low and slow and make it just absolutely so tender and delicious. But where Beef Brisket shines, even more, is the smoker. Smoked Brisket is absolutely delicious. So if you have a smoker or barbecue, and 10 hours of spare time, here’s how to make it:

You will need:

• A 3 – 4kg Beef Brisket
• Your favourite Spice Blend

Rub the beef brisket with your spice blend (all over). Heat the barbecue or smoker up to 115 degrees. Cook the brisket directly on the rack for the first 3 -4 hours. Then place the brisket in a foil container and allow it to cook for an additional 6 – 8 hours.

Use a meat thermometer to check how the brisket is cooking. Once the inside of the brisket reaches 90 degrees, the brisket is ready. Allow it to rest before slicing up to serve.

Great recipes to use Beef Brisket include:

• Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Beef

2. Corned Beef Silverside

How much does it cost? Woolworths has raw Corned Beef for $10 per kilogram

The best way to cook Corned Beef Silverside is to poach it by popping it in the slow cooker for four to six hours. You can even flavour the water with brown sugar and vinegar or Ginger Ale to give it even more flavour.

Corned Beef can be sliced thinly to go on sandwiches for school lunches the next day – or even better to make delicious Corned Beef Fritters!

Recipes to Make Delicious Beef Silverside include:

• How to Make Traditional Corned Beef Silverside
• Corned Beef Fritters

3. Gravy Beef

How much does Gravy Beef Cost? $18/kilogram

Gravy Beef is my favourite cut of beef. But even though it has to be cooked low and slow – it is still up there even for a cheap cut of beef. But because Gravy Beef contains a fair bit of fat, it makes it perfect for casseroles or pies and it has so much flavour.

The key to making Gravy Beef delicious is to cut it into bite-sized chunks, roll in flour and then cook in batches in butter before throwing it into the casserole.

Recipes that use Gravy Beef include:

• Slow Cooker Beef & Gravy
• Beef Bourguingnon
• Beef and Guiness Pie
• Country Beef Casserole with Herb Scones

4. Chuck Steak

How much does Chuck Steak Cost? $18/kilogram

Chuck steak is a very flavourful piece of budget meat that is best marinated for additional flavour then grilled slowly. It comes from the shoulder of the beast so it contains lots of muscle which makes it tough. So with Chuck Steak, you want to grill it until it is just cooked – no more than that! Alternatively, you can cook it low and slow for hours to get the tenderness you are looking for.

Recipes to Use Chuck Steak include:

• Authentic Indonesian Beef Rendang
• Hearty Beef and Beer Casserole
• Steak Normanby Beef Casserole

5. Beef Cheeks

How much do Beef Cheeks Cost? About $15/kilogram

Beef cheeks are just that – the cheeks of the animal. Because this part of the cow contains a fair bit of muscle, it is a tough piece of meat unless it is slow-cooked for a long period of time.

So any long cooking casserole dish would be suited to using Beef Cheeks.

Recipes using Beef Cheeks:

• Slow Cooker Beef Cheeks
• Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks in Red Wine Sauce
• Agrodolce Beef Cheeks with Pappardelle

6. Beef Sausages

Cost: From $6 per kilogram

Everyone will probably be very familiar with the humble Beef Sausage. But apart from eating it on bread with a bit of tomato sauce, there are loads of ways to serve the sausage without it getting boring. Here are a few ways:

Recipes that include sausages:

• Frugal Sausage Casserole
• Rich Sausage and Gravy Casserole
• Curried Sausages
• Saucy Devilled Sausages

7. Whole Chicken

Cost: A whole chicken starts from $3.90/kilogram

The whole chicken used to be a family favourite every Sunday night – but it is slowly disappearing off our menu and it really shouldn’t. A whole chicken is a very cheap and economical way to feed a family. Whether you bake it whole as a Chicken Roast or cut it into pieces – remember that any meat that is cooked on the bone is always far tastier than meat that isn’t (ie chicken breast).

Find out how to cut up a chicken here!

Delicious recipes using a whole chicken or chicken pieces include:

• How to Cook a Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker
• Easy Yogurt Baked Chicken Pieces
• Honey Soy Chicken Drumsticks
• Honey Baked Chicken Pieces

8. Chicken Maryland

How Much does Chicken Maryland Cost? About $7.40 per kilogram

Chicken Maryland is the chicken thigh piece and the leg piece that hasn’t been cut into two pieces. You can purchase Chicken Maryland at the deli section of your local supermarket – although it is getting harder to find now as most deli’s are dividing the Maryland into two sections.

In the old days of America, Chicken Maryland was a dish associated with the state of Maryland that was fried chicken with cream gravy, traditionally garnished with bananas. Here is Australia though – Maryland is just the way the chicken is trimmed.

Great recipes for Chicken Maryland include:

• Creamy Mustard Chicken Casserole in the Slow Cooker
• Apricot Chicken

These are just a few of the cheap cuts of meat available, and how to cook them for your family so you not only save a dollar or two, but your family will rave about your cooking and beg you for more!