Buying meat in advance to save up to 30 percent, Digi Mart USA News (Paris, France): Every saving counts, and meat prices can sometimes be quite high. According to a publisher article from 750g, the key is anticipation, and Romain Leboeuf, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France and artisan butcher in Paris’s 15th arrondissement, shared tips for paying less for meat throughout the year.
Leboeuf explained that the season clearly affects meat prices. When the first cold weather arrives and demand for pot-au-feu surges, customers ask for oxtail and beef cheek in large quantities, and he cannot discount those cuts because he must source them from everywhere.
By late winter and early spring, however, demand for skewers rises and he will no longer sell pot-au-feu.
He notes that he will still have the same cuts, prepared in the same way, and these will be much cheaper at that time of year. “It is supply and demand,” he said.
The same applies to Bresse poultry, which is untouchable during the year-end holidays when everyone wants it, while there is no demand in July.
According to the Meilleur Ouvrier de France, buying cuts in spring to prepare a pot-au-feu later is an excellent idea, because it can save up to 30 percent on purchases, subject to weather conditions that also influence supply and demand. Meat bought in spring can be frozen until the cold days arrive, since it keeps well in the butcher’s paper for three to four months depending on the cut.
Leboeuf stressed that freezing works only if it is well managed. Consumers must follow the same process and standards as professionals: the packaging must be impeccable, the cold chain respected, and a cooler should be used if transport takes longer than about 30 minutes on foot or by car.
To finish, a well-organized and ventilated freezer will do the job.
