Save Money While Doing The Carnivore Diet

Here's how to source meat cost effectively so you save money while doing the carnivore diet.

You don't need to spend a fortune on meat to be a carnivore. In fact, most people end up saving money because they no longer waste it on things like alcohol, coffee, snacks and supplements.

Where to source your meat:

#1 Local regenerative farmer. Find a farmer in your local area and get to know them and learn how they raise their animals. Buy direct from them in bulk and it will work out better for them and for you. Eg. you can buy a half cow and you get all the cuts at prices similar to ground beef.

#2 Befriend your local butcher. Butchers throw out the fatty cuts of meat because it's not what the market wants, this gives us a huge advantage because we can source fatty cuts cheaply. They also throw out fat off cuts so they will give them to you at a really cheap price or even free sometimes. Butchers also love it when customers appreciate their products and take an interest in what they do. So take some time to chat with them, put some effort into finding the good ones, and you will be rewarded.

#3 Buy in bulk from wholesalers or CostCo. Purchase the large pieces of chuck, rump, scotch, porterhouse, brisket etc. and slice it up yourself at home to save money. Some of these wholesalers will even slice it up for you which is amazing service.

Whole rump cap

What to purchase:

Beef - buy the whole pieces and slice them up yourself. You do not need to buy sliced rib eye or scotch fillet all the time! Go for the less popular cuts and you will save money and they are still delicious you just might need to put a bit of effort into preparing them like dry-brining. Also, buy fat off cuts from grass finished cows and it will cost you almost nothing and there is lots of nutrition there.

Ground beef is also a good option as it's just steak or brisket ground up and it's super cheap. The only thing to watch out for is that it can be quite lean. Ask your butcher to add some more fat when they grind it up and/or add some butter, tallow or fat off cuts to your meal when you eat it. Personally, I think fresh ground beef cooked medium rare with plenty of butter is delicious.

Lamb, pork and other cuts - again go for the less popular cuts and if you prepare them well and it's a well-raised animal then it will be delicious.

If possible buy meat from animals who ate a natural diet. This means grass finished beef and lamb and pasture raised pork and chicken (ideally not fed soy or GMO feed). I prioritise these things over getting the expensive cuts. One of my favourite meats is lamb forequarter chops which are super cheap here in Australia because they have bones and they're not pretty but the flavour is beautiful, meat is tender and they have lots of fat.

I hope that helps and if you have any questions about sourcing meat cost effectively please reach out.

Simon
hello@howtocarnivore.com