I often hear from people ‘I don’t know how to buy meat’, ‘what cut should I get?’, ‘how many kilograms should I buy?’
Most of us only know mince, boerewors, steak and chops.
Below is a guide on how much meat to buy for your family of 4 and how to calculate it. Over the next few weeks we will look at different cuts and how to best cook them. I’ll share some other meat-related articles as well.
Sirloin, Fillet, Rump, Topside: these are the most popular steaks. They are from the hind quarter of a cow and are the most expensive cuts. You will get them on restaurant menus in various weights. A good portion for a ladies steak is 200-250g and for men is 450g.
Mince is made from beef or game trimmings. Trimmings are offcuts from beef. Fat is added to make it more juicy, and it is then minced. A good portion of mince per person is 200g.
Stew is bony and the bone adds to the weight of each portion. A good portion to have is 250-300g.
Oxtail is so expensive because every animal has only one tail. A good portion is 300g.
Boerewors: 100-150g.
Lamb or pork chops are usually cut at 180g and beef chops at 220g. They are both bony.
Pork belly – go for a piece of 160g.
The calculation to determine how much to buy is simple: the suggested weight per portion times the number of people.
My dad says you always add one more portion just to be safe :).
Eg. 200g x 5 people = 1kg of steak. Your butcher will cut it for you too.
When you buy meat for the whole month, they can package it nicely for you in kg packs.
Ask your butcher for advice when buying meat. They are, after all, the experts.
Until next time!
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