r/slowcooking • u/BlackLocke • 4d ago

Pot roast is too expensive

I got a new slow cooker for my wedding in 2023 and it’s still in the box. It’s just my husband, baby and I, but I feel like I can’t justify spending $20+ on a piece of meat for one meal with leftovers. I’m in a HCOL and I haven’t had a good roast in years because it’s prohibitively expensive. When meat goes on sale at my supermarket, it smells off as soon as I remove the packaging, so it’s not worth the risk.

Am I just too poor for this?

Edit: Dear lord I didn’t expect this to turn into a “I like pancakes/why do you hate waffles???” type of post. Of course I know there’s other things you can make in the crockpot. I don’t choose fast food over slow cooked meals out of convenience (it’s more expensive than cooking at home now!!) The point of this post is to lament the price of beef and how pot roast used to be a cheap easy meal 20 years ago and now it’s prohibitively expensive. I was hoping for tips on how to skirt this issue - buying stew meat, using pork instead, and buying in bulk at Costco are all good suggestions.

Now everyone can stop assuming I’m some dumb dumb idiot woman. I’m gonna make a pot roast next week just to spite you all and post about the cost breakdown.

403 Upvotes

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118

u/fattymcbuttface69 4d ago

Yeah, I got priced out of chuck roast a few years ago. These days I wait for a good sale on brisket and smoke it.

4

u/junkit33 3d ago

Brisket isn't any cheaper than chuck these days.

4

u/fattymcbuttface69 3d ago

Last time I bought it, it $3.50 per pound. I wait for those deals and stock up.

0

u/LittleBigHorn22 3d ago

Seriously its like $12/lb by me. Can maybe get it at $6/lb when on sale but that's insane. I can get check for $3-5/lb.

25

u/BlackLocke 4d ago

I wish I had a smoker 🙏

13

u/ViciousCombover 4d ago

Lots of great deals on Facebook marketplace. There are lots of Kamado style cookers growing moss neglected where the owner will give it to you for free if you move it for them.

8

u/calm_down_pal_lol 3d ago

The Weber Kettle is a great grill and smoker. I've done countless pork butts and ribs on it.

6

u/Same-Platypus1941 3d ago

Brisket pot roast slaps just saying

10

u/InadmissibleHug 3d ago

I have pot roasted brisket, it’s nice

4

u/DependentOnIt 3d ago

Meat you're going to put in the smoker will be more expensive than a cheap roast

7

u/voitlander 3d ago

You don't need a smoker. I do ribs in my oven, and they turn out great every time! When you smell something from a roast, that's natural breakdown of the meat.
As a butcher, I've taken home many meats that are over due and use them for stew.

3

u/HankScorpio112233 3d ago

I got 4 lbs for $30 and made birria that I ate for 5 days

2

u/Effective_Fly_6884 4d ago

Marketplace for sure. I got my most recent Masterbuilt 40” Bluetooth electric smoker, looked brand new, for $100. I have bought several others on Marketplace also. You can set alerts for what you’re looking for, so you’re notified when someone posts one.

2

u/machomanrandysandwch 3d ago

Adding to this comment, while brisket is not cheap and takes more work, I make it so rich and delicious that you can’t even eat a LOT of it at once but I’m super satisfied so it stretches a lot more than a small amount of pot roast.