I'm such a cut up

Want to save some money in these recessionary times? Sure you do. Then why not be your own butcher? Now, I am not talking about carving up a whole cow, or even chopping up a chicken (although that's not a bad place to start, either - whole chickens are cheap). But how would you like some tasty, tasty boneless pork loin chops? At their usual $3.99/lb., maybe you don't feel you can afford them. But what if you can get them for $1.77/lb.? Here's all it takes:

1) When you see boneless pork loin on sale at the store, buy some. I snagged 7.34 pounds at $1.77/lb. for a total of $12.99. Any time I can get animal protein for less than $2/lb. these days, I feel like I've won a prize.


2) With a very sharp knife slice it in 1/2" to 1" chops, depending on how thick you like them. This roast yielded 23 fairly thick chops. For our household of seven, that's three meals worth. For your house it may be more.


3) Double wrap the portions you want to save and take a Sharpie and write how many of what and the date on each. That way, they don't become the "mystery meat" that's been in the freezer for a year (which ultimately wastes your money, since then you don't use them). Put them in the freezer.


4) Take the remainder for this evening and make something yummy like rosemary pork.


It's just that easy! You can do the same with other cuts of meat. For example, the few times a year sirloin roasts go on sale I will buy one and slice it up. The results aren't the same as aged sirloin steaks, but they're decent, especially for things like stroganoff. And saving a couple of bucks per pound is worth five minutes of your time, don't you think?