overpaying for Butts


 
D

Dupree

TVWBB Fan
So I placed my order for 3 6-8 lb butts for Labor day weekend (Doing a neapolitan cook, 1 Brown, 1 Yellow Mustard, 1 Nekkid). From a "Gourmet" grocer here in Western CT. Balduccis. It is all natural, hormone free, Heirloom pork at 4.99/lb boneless butts.

I know that is a pretty steep price but I am of the opinion that i will not know whether I am overpaying until I taste for myself. Just thought I would throw that out there and see you alls reactions.

That is all.
Thanks. I will try to get some pics this time..should be a more relaxed cook than the last one (10ppl vs 40).
 
Honestly I'm with you, how do you know unless you try! You pay more than that for most other cuts anyways so at least it's not unaffordable! Enjoy it and let us know if there's any difference at all.

Clark
 
Geez that is the most expensive butt I've ever seen. I thought I was getting ripped at $1.99 a pound! Plus, that actually equates to $10/lb since the yield from butt is about 50-60%.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Honestly I'm with you, how do you know unless you try! You pay more than that for most other cuts anyways so at least it's not unaffordable! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I paid earlier in the summer (from a butcher) $3.99/lbs for a 10.5lb brisket. Same thing as you mentioned....locally raised, no antibiotics, no hormones, the whole nine yards. I was nervous cooking it, in fear that I would screw it up being such an expensive piece of meat, but it turned out perfect and probably one of the best tasting smokes I have ever done.
 
Thanks for sharing...so glad I found this board!!

Well it is Fairfield County Connecticut so right there you can add 30% to the price of everything
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Besides the last butts I got were 3.50lb, I think, and they were run of the mill hormel big farm hogs. So really I am not paying that much more than I would normally.

However, the benefit (to me) of that purchase was the fact that it was a local family owned grocer that I like to support, more so than giving my money to Wally world or Stop and Shop, butt to paraphrase the dude that is just, like, my opinion man.

Now Balduccis is a small chain about 10 stores scattered throughout the NE but the win here (again for me) is that the supplier is a smaller (relative term here) farm with heirloom breeds. For me that takes a little of the sting out of the price. Besides looking at what gets spent on the spices why skimp on the key ingredient...

At the end of the day, however, if I can't tell a difference the next dinner will come from the family owned grocer with the better price.

(as a side note the Balduccis store had stack upon stack of Cowboy Lump charcoal out front, so I told the manager what I thought of the brand, which is not much, and that they should really look into Rancher Charcoal for a quality product that is also all natural; don't think it will make a difference but again you never know...)
 
Here is southwestern IL (15 miles from St. Louis) I regularly pay $1.39/lb for bone-in butts from my local butcher shop. No additives of any kind. I was told the meat comes from Indiana. It's always good.
 
If you like it and can taste the difference and afford it. I t is worth it. A friend sold me some pigs that where rased on concrete 50 bucks a piece cleaned and quartered. Mighty good. Better than store bought.
 
DSI:

Were either the meat or fat - uncooked and cooked - differently colored than the storebought stuff?
 
I haven't got my grubby little hands on it yet but I did call the butcher to confirm the order and ask him about some specifics regarding the pork I am getting which is a purebred Duroc hog, some key words in this description have my mouth watering already:

Duroc Pork - Breed description from random supplier
http://www.heritagefoodsusa.com/what_we_sell/meat.html
Duroc pigs provided the foundational genetics for many of today's mixed breed commerical hogs. Purebred Durocs are a breed high in marbling (small flecks of fat within the muscle), which makes it one of the juiciest and flavorful pigs available. Duroc meat is tender and boasts a mild taste. The Duroc breed originated from the blending of two strains of hogs from New Jersey and New York in 1830. The red breed was named "Duroc" after a famous thoroughbred stallion of the day.

And this from the farm that is actually supplying my 24lbs:
http://www.vanderosefoods.com/duroc_pork.php
When the hogs ready for market, a member of the Vande Rose Farms family hand selects each animal to make sure they display the ideal profile and weight to assure product uniformity. We load our market hogs on our own trailers and deliver them to our local processing partner less than an hour from our farm, preventing unwanted stress on the animals and preserving the meat quality.

We've trained our local processing partners to minimize stress during processing. They also use a special carcass chill down process retain the meat's natural qualities throughout processing and packaging.
Our commitment to the Duroc breed and sustainable, responsible and consistent production practices is evident in every bite of Vande Rose Farms Premium Duroc Pork.

Of course the proof is in the pudding and by pudding I mean pulled pork pudding which will be had on Saturday......will let you know
 
Wow, so you are ending up paying $120-$160 for 3 butts....I'll stick with my 99cent per lb butts I get at my grocer. I know they are good. I will save my money for a beef tenderloin for Christmas!
Hope you enjoy. I look forward to reading your post once they are done!
 
Actually due to the Fat content the Butcher called today to let me know it will be 3.99/lb which is going to run about $90 all told.

In my life experience for the most part I have found that you get what you pay for. Will the same hold true in this case... from a taste perspective...can't say for sure but I will have fun trying.

From the perspective of supporting the "smaller" farm and encouraging the cultivation of dying breeds of livestock that aren't as "profitable" and therefore less desirable to the market as a whole....that is a plus for me (the only way to keep these heirloom livestock breeds around is to eat them
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) .

It is like a hot house tomato vs an heirloom Brandywine
You will pay more, sure, but I am willing to bet that you will find the brandwine gives you a better flavor and is well worth the cost. Will the same hold true for the Duroc pork shoulder...well I will know soon enough. I guess I should have chosen a better title for this thread as I was more interested in the experience of others regarding heirloom meats and BBQ. Thanks for the updates but I am well aware of how inexpensive pork and everything else is at modern big box stores and what to expect from it.

Will I buy these butts for every cook I do? Unless the difference is unbelievable I doubt it...will I splurge once or twice a season, unless the difference is negligible, probably.
 
Dupree, I'm willing to bet that they will be fantastic compared to reg butts. I used to get a 1/2 hog from a guy I worked with every year that was fed nothing but corn and allowed to roam free. That pork was night and day compared to store bought pork. On a side note, Brandywine are my favorite also. I Never had a better tomato than a BW.
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I agree with the phrase, you get what you pay for, but at the same time, the whole point of smoking "low and slow" is to take a lesser cut of meat and making it fabulous. That is what I like to do.
Besides, a little fat in a butt goes a long way in the smoking process....
Now, I digress...had I won the $300 mil powerball, I would buy that high priced meat for my smokes...but since I didn't, I will have to rely on skill. I am relying on you guys for skill! Everyone, enjoy your holiday weekend!
 
Just picked up 42 lbs from the local butcher at 1.79/lb. Not organic, but have been ordering from the shop for a while and always satisfied with the product.
Have a great holiday weekend. Me I'm up at 4:00 a.m. local time tomorrow to start the butts
 
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