#204 Brad Baych: How to Buy Cheaper Meat That Tastes Better!

October 5, 2024 Ian Dawson Mackay ALL PODCAST EPISODES, COOK LIKE A FAMOUS CHEF!, LEVEL UP YOUR SKILLS, REAL-LIFE INSPIRING, TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE 1:26:29 0 Comments

TODAY's GUEST IS Brad Baych!

Episode #204: Brad Baych on How to Buy Better Meat for Less and Cook Like a Chef

On this episode of the Next Level Guy Podcast, we’re joined by Brad Baych, the talented chef and former butcher behind the popular YouTube channel “Butcher Wizard.” Brad’s expertise in all things meat helps people save money while elevating their cooking skills. As food prices rise, learning how to buy quality meat on a budget has never been more valuable. Brad breaks down how to pick better cuts, make the most of large portions, and cook meals that are both affordable and delicious.

In this interview, we explore:

  • Tips on saving money by buying larger cuts of meat
  • How to pick quality meat at the store without breaking the bank
  • Expert techniques for butchery, storage, and prepping meals
  • Knife skills and other tips to elevate your cooking game.

Brad’s YouTube channel offers easy-to-follow tutorials on everything from butchery basics to mouth-watering recipes, with videos reaching millions of viewers. His passion for meat and cooking makes this a must-listen for anyone interested in improving their kitchen skills and stretching their food budget.

🔗 Listen to the full episode: https://www.nextlevelguy.com/bradbaych204/

Keywords: #BradBaych #ButcherWizard #CookingTips #MeatPrep #SaveMoneyOnGroceries #HomeCooking #Butchery #FoodStorage #NextLevelGuyPodcast

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KEY POINTS, Links & Actions

Here are some key points that I would advise you to concentrate on

  • Food is part of life but it can be expensive, Brad explains how you can save money and still get a great product at the same time with some better choices!
  • Brad recommends learning the techniques, as it allows you to tackle the majority of recipes, even if you haven’t done them before, by understanding the techniques, you can complete the action regardless of the ingredient or style of cooking, by understanding the basics and concepts, you understand the process and the rest is just window dressing! 
  • To choose better meat options, it can help to understand which animal, and where on the animal the cut comes from. By understanding the location of the meat on the animal, you can understand how it will taste, the muscle vs fat breakdown, the texture etc eg it is near a part that works more time so it is more muscular compared to a fatter cut.  
  • Knife skills are difficult to start with, but become easier with practise. Try slower, more controlled cuts. Give yourself time to cut up the meats, if you are making a dinner, no need to rush! 
  • Befriend your local butcher! Tell them what you want to accomplish, ask for advise, shop regularly there, ask for advice, it’s their profession and they will appreciate your using their experience and expertise! 
  • A meat grinder is a good purchase to consider to allow for ground beef etc to be made right at home, compared to store bought.
  • Cooking can be a painful experience, but it should be a joyous experience! Don’t be afraid to try and keep falling forward until you get some staple meals under your belt, and you will never look back.
  • You can typically save money by buying in bulk or a larger cut of meat and prepping it yourself, compared to buying the small pieces or pre-cut meats etc. 
  • A chuck-eye, flat-iron, hanger, Denver cut, are great choices to ask your butcher for! These are less-known, cheaper cuts of meat, and are usually butcher favorites as they are so tasty! Try them! 
  • Brad recommends for beginners to: cook with a cast iron skillet, keep your seasonings simple, check the temperature with a meat thermometer, allow the meat to rest when cook, and understand that it will raise the temperature of the meat while it rests, and to pull the meat slightly sooner than you want it, as the rest time will have some carry-over cooking time. 
  • Meat can be expensive, so you need to prepare them correctly. Seal it, freeze it or use it! 
  • Brad mentions a Sous Vide and a meat slicer as his level up products, they cost more than the basics, and a bit more specialist, but can allow you to diversify your cooking methods, and storage options, from your own home, and reduce the store costs associated with buying some of the more prepared meat selections.
  • Cooking bulk can be a major money saving tool. It saves you money, as larger quantities of an item can work out cheaper than a small amount, it saves time as you can make a lot of a dish and then portion it and freeze, and it saves you a lot of energy, when you are tired, and you just need to defrost/heat up, and add in a side with without veggies and go for it!
  • If you can, and have one, support your local butcher! These shops are the backbone of the local community, a tradition that is passed down through the family generations, and feeds the locals and gives the community a local hub to congregate, shop and connect than a supermarket offers! 
  • Pork is a great meat choice to purchase to cook with, train your skills with, and practice knife skills with, as it tends to be cheaper than other meats.  
  • Brad is not a fan of the Tomahawk steak … its all for show, and you get less meat than a normal steak! Don’t chase the likes, chase the best quality meat options! 
  • Oil has a smoke point, where it heats up and oxidase the oil at, without burning the oil (as it will typically leave a horrible taste on your food). You want to pick an oil with a higher smoke point. 
  • A menu can save you a considerable amount of money, it saves wasted food, wasted time and wasting odds and ends of foods that you don’t have a plan for! By setting up a menu, you can plan meals, buy in bulk to accommodate multiple meals, and allow you to prepare space in your freezers, plan lunches etc, in advance, so you can feed your kids and buy, and prepare in advance, to reduce costs and stress too! 
  • What you see on the cooking TV shows rarely give a true reflection of what cooking can and should be – cook for you, not for entertainment!
  • Anyone can learn to cook better. That’s the beauty of Brad’s channel, his videos on skills and better choices in stores, are free! Level up without spending a penny! 
  • Even if you mess up cutting up meats into steaks, you can then braise it, cube it, stew it, and so many other options! There is always something else that you can do. By failing, you can find out a new meal recipe that becomes your favourite, purely by accident! 
  • Brad recommends that you get the best meat you possibly can. However, some of the labeling methods sound good for you and the animals life, but are nothing more than marketing terms. Finding a local supplier, and with some google searching, you can find a good supply of meat, at an affordable cost, that meets your chosen ethical considerations. 
  • If you look after your knifes, they will look after your cutting and cooking for you. You should pick up a blade sharpener tool and with some regular maintenance every month or so, and your knifes will last a long time for you! 
  • A professional chef is cooking towards perfection every time. You don’t need to. Make mistakes. Fail. Mess up! Cooking should not be a life or death activity, it should be fun, part of your life, and most of all TASTY! Stop taking it so serious, you don’t need all the fancy gadgets to be good at cooking, stop thinking of it as just fuel, also consider it as a way to connect, build a community on, and be a family over! 

LEVEL UP Time WITH THIS KEY LESSON!

Cooking well is a skillset that any one can learn. You can save a lot of money by buying a larger piece of meat and cutting itself, into various meal types. Then learning techniques compared to recipes, and practise to make perfect, you can save more by batching and prepping meals from one large piece. 

Even if you mess up cutting up meats into steaks, you can then braise it, cube it, stew it, and so many other options! There is always something else that you can do. By failing, you can find out a new meal recipe that becomes your favourite, purely by accident! 

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About the Author
I’m a podcaster who interviews great examples of people to discuss and highlight the methods, hacks, tips and procedures you can use in your own life to help you develop and better your life. I would definitely not consider myself an expert, so to improve, I ask them and action it in my own life! My personal journey has been marked by awkwardness and awesomeness, OCD and ‘OMG’. I have suffered with depression, shyness, unhappiness and lack of focus and motivation so I know what’s it like to feel lost and hopeless. Back then, I wished I had a podcast to listen to and find actual fixes and concrete action steps and not just unobtainable suggestions and promotion of their products but couldn’t find it … so I made my own!

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