This holiday season, the family wanted steak for dinner.
We had our fill of ham for Thanksgiving. We didn’t really need a full-sized turkey this Christmas, as we hardly ever finish the leftovers.
So we searched for steak at local grocery stores. The prices were more than our holiday budget allowed, so we settled on chicken.
As we closed out 2021, I noticed that my family has eaten more chicken and ground meat than it ever did before, mostly due to the price increases.
The next few Culinary Adventure columns will focus on certain products and tools that helped lower my family’s food budget.
Data on ‘meatflation’
In October, meat prices overall were 14.5 percent higher compared to the same month last year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Bacon and beef are up 20 percent or more over the past 12 months, according to money.com.
According to the data, consumer prices in general rose 6.2 purchases on a yearly basis in October, with food prices up 5.3 percent. Meat prices are rising faster than most other everyday purchases.
The price increase varies from meat to meat. For example, beef and veal have the biggest reported price surges, while traditionally cheaper options such as chicken and lunchmeat have experienced more moderate price hikes, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Hot dogs are 3.3 percent cheaper than they were last year.
Several factors contribute to rising prices
Many of the factors that led to meat’s price increase can be traced to 2020, when the pandemic shut down production plants and hobbled meat production capabilities, cnbc.com says.
The slowdown left farmers with nowhere to send their beef, which resulted in them having to cull livestock. That, coupled with uncertainty about the future, caused farmers to scale back their production at the time, which experts say “can affect production more than a year, year and a half down the road.”
Like many businesses, processing facilities have dealt with labor shortages that reduced their capacity to process meat at the same clip as before the pandemic. This reduced production came as demand for beef returned from both consumers and restaurants, forcing prices higher.
What is ground beef?
The definition of ground beef is chopped fresh and/or frozen beef from primal cuts and trimmings, according to Davey Griffin, professor and extension meat specialist at Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service.
Trimmings are the small pieces containing both lean meat and fat that come from a beef carcass. By law, the maximum fat content in any ground beef is 30 percent (70 percent lean) by law. No water, binders, phosphates or other meat sources may be added and still be labeled as ground beef. If a label has an added identifier, such as ground round, sirloin or chuck, the lean and fat used in the product can come from only the primal included in the name.
Reading the label
According to askusda.gov, the term “lean” can describe an individual food as packaged when it contains less than 10 grams of fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per reference amount and per 100 grams. For a main dish or meal to qualify as “lean,” it must meet these specified levels for fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol per 100 grams and per labeled serving. The term “extra lean” may be used to describe products that contain less than 5 grams of total fat, less than 2 grams of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams of cholesterol per reference amount and per 100 grams. For main dish or meal products, these levels apply per 100 grams and per labeled serving size.
Picking ground beef
Some recommendations to help in matching the appropriate ground beef product with the intended use include:
■ Use the label’s percentage lean or percentage fat/lean indicator to get the desired lean content regardless of any claim as to where on the beef carcass the ground beef was sourced.
■ If shopping for beef ground in a local store, ground beef will be redder in color the higher the lean content. If no other indicator is available, the redder the color, the leaner the ground beef.
ONE-POT PASTA BOLOGNESE
Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
2 onions, diced (about 3 cups)
2 carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon salt
1 lb. lean (at least 80 percent) ground beef
¼ cup canned tomato paste
1 can (28 oz.) fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1 carton (32 oz.) beef broth
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 lb. uncooked spaghetti
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
Directions
■ In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Cook carrots, onions and salt in oil 5 to 8 minutes or until softened. Add beef; cook 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned.
■ Stir in tomato paste and tomatoes. Stir in broth and red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning. Heat to simmering.
■ Break pasta in half, then thoroughly rinse under cold water. Place pasta into simmering liquid, covering completely. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook for 13 to 15 minutes or until pasta is soft and sauce is slightly reduced.
■ Top with Parmesan cheese and basil.
EASY BEEF ENCHILADAS
Ingredients
1 lb. lean (at least 80 percent) ground beef
2 cans (10 oz. each) red enchilada sauce
1 can (4.5 oz.) chopped green chiles
1 package (8.2 oz.) flour tortillas for soft tacos and fajitas (6 inch)
1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese (6 oz.)
Directions
■ Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 13-inch by 9-inch (3-quart) baking dish or pan with cooking spray.
■ In a nonstick skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce and the chiles.
■ Spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce evenly in the baking dish. Spread 1/4 cup beef mixture down the center of each tortilla; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cheese. Wrap tortillas tightly around filling, placing seam side down in the baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce. Sprinkle dish with remaining cheese.
■ Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let dish stand for 5 minutes before serving.
BACON CHEESEBURGER TATER TOTS CASSEROLE
Ingredients
1 lb. lean (at least 80 percent) ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons Montreal steak grill seasoning
1 can (10.5 oz.) condensed cream of onion soup
½ cup sour cream
1 bag (32 oz.) tater tot-shaped frozen potatoes
4 slices cooked bacon, coarsely chopped
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz.)
¼ cup chopped green onions
Cooking spray
Directions
■ Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 13-inch by 9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray.
■ In a medium-sized nonstick skillet, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat 7 to 9 minutes, stirring frequently, until brown. Drain off fat and return to skillet. Stir in seasoning, condensed soup and sour cream; stir to blend completely.
■ Place half of the frozen potatoes in a single layer in the baking dish. Top with beef mixture. Spoon on half of the chopped bacon, 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese, remaining frozen potatoes, then remaining 1 cup cheese.
■ Bake for 40 minutes. Take out of oven and top with remaining chopped bacon. Return dish to oven and bake 5 to 10 minutes or until the casserole edges are bubbly and the potatoes are lightly browned. Sprinkle with green onions.
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