OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — With St. Patrick's Day corned beef meals on the horizon and nationwide beef prices nearing record highs, we spoke with two Oshkosh-area meat-processing businesses about how to save on meat.
- The businesses, Beck's Meats and Lewie's Custom Raised Beef, shared these tips:
- Buy meat in bulk, and freeze it
- Supplement (or replace) beef with pork
- 'Cut out the middle man' by shopping local
- Some local meat/butcher shops also offer deals regularly:
- The Meat Block in Greenville offers deals on beef throughout March and April
- Maplewood Meats in Howard is selling corned beef for St. Patrick's Day, as well as large-quanity bundles of beef and pork
- Otto's Meats in Luxemburg offers a 'free Friday' promotion
- Beck's Meat Processing provides weekly deals on its Facebook page
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
You may be in the market for some corned beef for your St. Patrick's Day meal, but like all groceries, it can be a bit pricey. But now we're bringing you some tips on how to bring home the bacon, without breaking the bank.
Watch Karl Winter's full story here:
Bird flu has pushed egg and chicken prices higher and higher — and beef isn't far behind.
T.J. Beck and his dad, Terry, have sold meat from Oshkosh to Kaukauna for nearly 30 years.
"What are the major factors that are making beef and other meat expensive right now? " we asked T.J., the plant manager at Beck's Meat Processing.
"Biggest factors are supply chain, so there's a shortage of live cattle," Beck said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts beef prices will continue to go up.
"Animals are the driving market for for the price of meat, because we can't get enough animals ahead to get the price down," Mitchell Kunde said.
Kunde raises his own cattle in Oshkosh, and he started his fresh meat and vegetable business, Lewie's Custom Raised Beef, in 2015. He's seen the market shift too, but both Kunde and Beck agree on one way to save.
"Buying in bulk's a good option," Beck said, "[and] just finding value where you want it. If you want, say, a ribeye, and your favorite steak's a ribeye, you can buy a whole subprimal ribeye."
"If you were to buy the tomahawk [steak] with the whole bulk, well, you would get it at a cheaper price," Kunde said.
If you've got the freezer space, stocking up on multiple cuts of beef at once can help.
"It's a larger upfront cost," Beck said, "but it's an investment, rather than buying it piece-by-piece."
You can also switch it up.
"Pork is relatively cheap right now," Beck said. "It's a good option. It helps to supplement beef, in some ways."
Either way, Kunde and Beck say buying local keeps the money in northeast Wisconsin.
"We cut out the middle man, so it's from hook to hoof, and out the door," Beck said.
Kunde has one more tip for people buying meat from a butcher or meat processing shop: "Don't be afraid to ask questions, especially if you're a first-time buyer, because you have to know what you're getting."
Back at Beck's Meats, you can still grab a corned beef to pair with some cabbage next week.
And a fun fact about corned beef, if you were wondering — the name has nothing to do with corn and everything to do with the peppercorns that give it its distinct flavor.
