Are butchers really that much better?

Question on 28/12/2015 - 19:52

What i've heard :

-Butchers are cheaper (not in my experience, all the ones i've seen are about the same price as supermarkets, except that their sales are worse)

-Meat is fresh and not preserved like super market (How do you even tell if the butcher is using fresh and not preserved meat?)

-The quality is much better (not seen any taste difference yet)

Just how are they better? Is there some trick to finding a good butcher? Been to several here in Sydney, not impressed. Several had flies openly buzzing around in the shop and one shop scammed me by claiming the meat they were selling me was boneless, then when I realised it wasn't, refused to give me a refund becaue it was their store policy…

Food & Grocery

Comments

  • DeafMutePretender on 28/12/2015 - 20:14

    "Colesworths sucks! F the duopoly!"
    "Okay, where should I shop then"
    "Aldi"
    "None where I live or too far away"
    "IGA"
    goes to IGA. prices for everything are higher "Okay"

    • DeafMutePretender on 30/12/2015 - 00:15

      Admit it, you guys don't care about/didn't read the contents of my post, you just want to make the +ves and -ves equal.

        • ChickenTalon on 30/12/2015 - 11:39
          +13

          Lol where is this mythical IGA?!??

          I've been to plenty and my experience has always been higher prices on pretty much everything and recently I've noticed food sold waay past best before dates (although they've given me a refund every time it's still a PITA to carry the food back and explain it). Hey, maybe it's just the 10 IGAs in NSW/ACT I've been to.

        • James1976 on 30/12/2015 - 13:38
          +2

          Postcode 3135 to be exact. They have matched Colesworths on many everyday products. If you want proof, see the website:

          http://www.iga.com.au/price-match/

          If any of their prices are too high on other products, i generally don't buy them. But to say 'prices for everything are higher' is not correct, and why I downvoted the original post.

        • r3dfusi0n on 31/12/2015 - 00:33
          +1

          IGA's earnings have been steadily rising since they started their more recent advertising campaign. It wouldn't surprise me if they started being more competitive with Coles or Woolies since they are in a stronger market position now.
          My local one is still like 10% more expensive though.

        • James1976 on 31/12/2015 - 08:24
          +2

          @r3dfusi0n:

          10% more expensive overall or on every single item? I'm not sure if Price Match is in every store or only the bigger ones, but I am really surprised so many Ozbargainers are so negative about it. I wonder how many have been into an IGA in the last year?

          At my local (3135) I pay the same as Colesworths for Cereal, Chips, Crackers, Tea Bags, Bread/Muffins, Butter, Cheese, Milk. They actually match to the lower price as well, so if Coles do a Down Down and Woolworths don't, you get the Coles price.

          I am not massively anti-Coles/Woolworths. I shop there occasionally, Coles more often. But the thing that annoys me most about them is the number of Home Brands and the inferior quality. You want to talk PITA returning things to store, I bought Coles Chocolate Topping recently and it was awful. They refunded me but still.. Often there is only 1 actual brand in a category and the rest is 2 or 3 levels of Home Brand. And yes, the chocolate topping I returned was MORE expensive than the branded product. At IGA, the store is half the size and they still have more choice.

          Oh well, rant over. Feel free to downvote this one as well if you like.

        • [Deactivated] on 31/12/2015 - 16:40

          @ChickenTalon: Tell me about it. The IGA near me: $8 for 2L of home brand ice cream! And this, when there's a supermarket 15km down the road with a Coles, WW, & Aldi!! A 30km round trip in a car that gets about 9km/L and fuel costs $1.30/L = $4.33, and 2L of home brand ice cream = about what, $2.20? So you save money ($1.67) on just that ONE item, even after paying fuel both ways!!!

  • Miami Mall Alien on 28/12/2015 - 20:16
    +11

    Don't know about any of that.

    I merely go by taste, quality of the cuts (lean, low fat-to-meat ratio, minimal connective tissue, well-trimmed) as well as aesthetics (healthy-looking chicken meat that doesn't resemble cadaver skin) and in that regard, most of the meat I get from my regular butcher far surpasses Woolies/Coles run-of-the-mil MSA-graded, generic "Australian Lamb/Beef" meat. (Not talking about the Macro Organics range or Free Range Chicken brands, etc).

    Plus my local butcher is quite happy to give you whatever kind of specific cut you like; or whole baby lamb or goat for instance.

    It took me years to find a dependable butcher though. I tend to favour smaller, ethnic Deli/Butcher places as they do a wider range of specialty meats, sausages, dried/cured meats and other niche stuff you can't get from traditional butchers (Capretto - Baby Goat).
    I'm speaking about Perth, so I have no idea if this applies in Sydney, but here Italian and Balkan (Croat/Serb) butchers are quite prominent across most of the Metro area and are well-regarded.

    Price isn't really a concern; if I'm getting better meat then I'm willing to pay a premium for it. I still buy some stuff from Coles and Woolies; namely the Macro Foods Gourmet Game Kangaroo at Coles, as very few butchers do Kangaroo or game meat. The Macro Foods Bush Plum and Herbic & Garlic Kangaroo marinades are quite good.

    When it comes down to taste though; the supermarkets versus my butcher is not even the in same galaxy.

    • Question on 28/12/2015 - 20:25

      Is the coles RSPCA chicken bad in your opinion?

      Edit : I forgot to mention this, but sometimes i see butchers selling large cuts of meat when i only want a smaller portion (e.g. 100 or 200g). Everytime i ask them if i can get a smaller portion of the meat, they say no and the size is fixed. But i've also had some people tell me that butchers will happily cut the meat for you?

      • Miami Mall Alien on 28/12/2015 - 20:28

        Never had it. I get the Mount Barker Free Range chooks. Again, that's Perth-specific, I have no idea what the equivalent brand of free range chicken would be in the Eastern states.

        • Question on 28/12/2015 - 20:31
          +3

          Oh, the coles RSPCA chicken isn't free range, it's just marked as "RSPCA approved".

        • Miami Mall Alien on 28/12/2015 - 20:42
          +1

          @Question:

          I forgot to mention this, but sometimes i see butchers selling large cuts of meat when i only want a smaller portion (e.g. 100 or 200g). Everytime i ask them if i can get a smaller portion of the meat, they say no and the size is fixed. But i've also had some people tell me that butchers will happily cut the meat for you?

          Thankfully I've only seen this happen at other butchers and I immediately decided against coming back. I'm sure there's plenty of outfits that do this and I'm sure it's done purely to keep profit margins high (bigger cuts will always have more skeletal tissue and connective tissue on them as well as fat; most of which is needed when cooking huge roasts, but for choice cuts you want it lean typically for things like barbecues), but if they're doing enough volume, it shouldn't really matter.

          Like you said in your original post, smaller butchers who are barely keeping their heads above water will probably go for all sorts of scam tactics like freezing meat, using meat fillers/high water content for things like mince and not allowing customers to chose their cuts.

      • saine on 28/12/2015 - 21:09
        +3

        This is actually the reason I prefer butchers, because I ask for and have always got smaller cuts.

    • team teri on 30/12/2015 - 01:12
      +2

      What is the name of your butcher? I would love to have an alternative to the Coles/Woolies duopoly.

      The best butcher I found in the Perth area is HELA. I highly recommend them for their German style 'Bratwurst' and cured hams. But their hours are very limited and meat is only sold Thursday - Saturday there, what they delivery in quality they lack in convenience…

      • Miami Mall Alien on 30/12/2015 - 01:58
        +1

        No worries. I PM'ed you.

        • josaya on 31/12/2015 - 16:29

          Can I get the name too please? The two south of the river we go to are both "Halal" and don't sell pork…

  • scrimshaw on 28/12/2015 - 20:19
    +4

    Some butchers are better than others.

    Most butchers in the smaller suburbs are pretty lousy, they don't have enough business volume so they end up using dishonest business practices to stay afloat, but the proper ones depend on good customer feedback to get business so they do offer better quality cuts and other niche stuff, at prices equivalent to, but not always cheaper than ColesWorths.

    Fish on the other hand is a completely different story — I've never bought fresh fish from the supermarkets. Colesworth don't offer as much variety yet they charge as much as the local fishmongers.

    • Question on 28/12/2015 - 20:26

      How do you judge the quality of the meat to see if its better?

      • scrimshaw on 28/12/2015 - 20:32
        +9

        Next time, try buying the cheapest bacon you find in Coles.

        Then buy the better quality stuff from a premium smallgoods seller.

        Compare the difference between the raw products — the Coles one will be moisture infused to give it more weight, you can tell by the amount of water inside the packaging. They do it because they pump brine into the meat— this process takes several hours only to perform. Pumped bacon has extra moisture, which means it's most likely to shrink and spit as it cooks. Eww!

        The quality stuff will look more natural -it won't look moist and glisteny like Coles Crap, and have better looking cuts overall. Good quality bacon takes a week to two to cure properly if traditional curing methods are used.

        • Question on 28/12/2015 - 20:33

          Isnt that cheating by inflating the weight? Like diluting beer with water to sell more pints?

        • scrimshaw on 28/12/2015 - 20:37
          +3

          @Question:

          Brine pumping to cure bacon is an acceptable practice. The meat can also be immersed in brine, injected with brine, or it can be cured using some dry packing. The fastest method is obviously injection — So most commercial bacon is done that way to impart the salty flavour and to preserve it, but also produce it in large quantities at a time.

        • trongy on 29/12/2015 - 21:10
          +1

          @Question:

          It's not illegal if disclosed on the packaging.

          We had a whole (dressed) chook recently that said in the ingredients section: Chicken 90%, brine 10%.

          Edit: this chook came from IGA

        • airzone on 30/12/2015 - 09:41
          +3

          @trongy: Nearly as bad as buying prawns ice for $30/kg at coles or woolies.

        • DingoBilly on 30/12/2015 - 21:46
          +6

          Isn't this an unfair comparison though? Wouldn't it make more sense to buy quality bacon at Coles and at the butcher, and attempt to use the same test and determine from that whether the meat is actually better or not?

          Comparing a cheap version from the Supermarket to a higher quality, more expensive version from the butcher you'd of course expect the Supermarket version to be worse…

        • bargdebarg on 01/01/2016 - 09:35

          @trongy: bringing chicken is actually great. Although I'd prefer to do it myself. The salt and water mixture penetrates the meat and makes it tender.

        • gooddealmate on 04/01/2016 - 16:42

          Funnily enough, Coles is the only place i like to buy bacon from because of that exact reason. It most resembles british bacon which is very wet and produces lots of juices when cooked. See here - https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSgGBc4…

          I suppose its down to what i'm used to but, for i can't stand the typical aussie bacon.

        • WT on 05/01/2016 - 11:48

          @gooddealmate: from what i gather its just brine.

      • edgar28 on 31/12/2015 - 11:37

        weight before and after cook from different shops

        some injected in water to make up the weight

  • kima on 28/12/2015 - 20:22
    +5

    no its not better people just dont want to support woolies and coles. mostly the same suppliers.

    woolies and coles have a bigger range, the only thing i think is better is sausages. i hate the playdough that woolies and coles sell as sausages

    • Question on 28/12/2015 - 20:25

      Yea i tried some coles branded sausages once, was awful.

      Got some primo frankfurts (red colored sausages) from Coles recently though, and they are the best sausages i ever tasted. Not sure why, but they have a very "clean" taste.

      • edgar28 on 31/12/2015 - 11:39
        +2

        i used to eat a lot of sausages until the Dr ask me not to……. they call it mystery bag

    • [Deactivated] on 29/12/2015 - 22:43
      +3

      I've compared the sausages between coles and a local butcher and the coles ones were 70% meat and the butcher ones were 95% meat. The difference in taste was huge but the sausages were at least 1.5x more expensive from the butcher. I live regionally in Cairns though so that's probably why.

  • oscargamer on 28/12/2015 - 20:38
    +5

    our local butcher only has fresh meat, he sources it himself, butchers it himself, makes own sausages (but we are in a small country town)

    no idea what yours is like

    price-wise, slightly cheaper than colesworth (maybe 5-10%), but quality-wise…..streets ahead

    • toristo on 28/12/2015 - 21:11
      +7

      I grew up in a small country town where the butcher was actually the butcher. He and his team slaughtered the beast in many instances and produced their own sausages etc. The quality of the meat was excellent, price was fair and you accepted the fact that they may not have every imaginable piece of meat in the quantity you wanted every day. If you knew there was something you really wanted, you preordered it.

      I haven't found a butcher quite of that quality in Sydney but have to admit I have a good selection at my Woolworths and have found the quality generally to be quite good.

  • Live Dimension on 29/12/2015 - 08:18
    +3

    I find that meats from woolies tend to have a LOT of water in them compared to the butcher meat I get when we used to have a shop here. It's illegal to use water to artificially make meat heavier for selling, but I still get a ton of it. So while prices are similar between supermarkets and a butcher, you get more meat in the end.

    Of course, that assumes you find a good and honest butcher.

    Also shop managers I find have a large say in food quality. Some will make sure food quality is high, while others will lower it trying to make more money. I don't know how Woolies manage their stuff, but the closest IGA is ran terribly, especially with "fresh" fruit and veg all looking several weeks past date compared to Woolworths which looks fresh all the time - largely due to the staff pulling stuff off all the time as soon as they don't look that good.

    It may just be that whatever big supermarket you shop at actually has decent quality stuff so is more or less the same as any other good butcher?

  • boccos on 29/12/2015 - 08:55
    +1

    Smaller butchers can be excellent,but sometimes they "glue" chicken together to make crumbed chicken. If the piece is still pink after being well cooked then it has been "glued". Just beware of this. Some even do it to meat. I still exclusively buy Lamb from Supermarkets but the beef, chicken and everything else, from two favourite local butchers.

  • theoneandonly on 29/12/2015 - 09:51
    +4

    I used to buy meat from Coles /woolies out of convenience. Buy it while I was there sort of thing. But after a few experiences I won't buy meat from there anymore.

    Example, I used to buy the burger patties from wool/Coles . Not the cheap budget ones but the "better" expensive ones, grain fed, Angus, or organic ones.
    I cook them in a grill and fat (and water) always used to pour out of them.
    But the butcher ones, they don't use the fat trims, and very little fat comes out.

    This is just one example, but I have slowly been convinced that butcher is better, and now I do a butcher trip and won't buy from wool/Coles

    One of our local butcher also uses local meat, so it helps the community.

    Shop around to get a good butcher. Not all are good.

    • TailsK on 31/12/2015 - 11:26
      +1

      Budget/economy burgers are the best! You're missing out!

  • WT on 29/12/2015 - 12:08
    +2

    Some of the higher end butchers have aged beef on display. Price starts at 25/kg.

    I generally wont buy beef from a supermarket, too much water content means it boils more then anything and yuck. If im stuck and need some for stir fry i use it but mainly becuase you can do smaller batches to reduce boiling.

    Their vac packed pork can be good, but you need to understand the science if when it was packed to optimal cooking date. Or you can just cook it a couple of days before best before date. The down side is you cant see the fat content well. Fat is flavour but i dont want thick chunks, more even thin layers between muscle.

    Vac packed chooks are mostly full of water. Good becuase you can buy just 1 where red lea for eg. Sells 2 for like $9 that are on polystyrene and glad wrap.

    Basically i wont even look at beef or chicken from a supermarket unless its 1/2 pricw and any meat i buy im super picky about becuase it effects the end result.

    • peteru on 29/12/2015 - 14:33

      aged beef on display. Price starts at 25/kg.

      What universe do you live in? And do they deliver to Sydney?

      You'll be lucky to find beef strips for that price in Sydney. Dry aged beef will start at $50/kg - although even the local Woolies has several display fridges with hanging carcases.

      • WT on 31/12/2015 - 16:39

        You can get cheaper cuts for 25/kg. Rib eye is about 50 as with tbone

    • PVA on 31/12/2015 - 19:51

      the dry aged beef from Coles is really good too.

    • cowiie on 29/12/2015 - 18:59
      +2

      Incorrect. My local Coles butcher will do any cut I ask him and in any thickness. If you need a special cut, just arrive between 8-4. Can't find him, just ask any staff and they'll get the butcher out. I tried doing the same thing at Woolies - rang the bell, no answer. Called a staff member, they said they don't know.

      • bargdebarg on 01/01/2016 - 09:39

        Wish our Coles was like that!

        • cowiie on 01/01/2016 - 11:36

          Yeah. Problem is not everyone loves what they do

    • freakatronic on 31/12/2015 - 00:17
      +3

      …why are you yelling?

  • kipps on 29/12/2015 - 12:29
    +1

    Our local butcher is streets ahead of Coles/Woolworths, even if you're buying Coles/Woolworths' more expensive/premium meats. For us, it is no question. We will take the time, and effort, to make our way to the local butcher whenever possible. Coles/Woolworths meat is terrible quality, lacks taste and is full of water.

    For anyone else around our area (4152) try Carina North Quality Meats.

  • betsy86 on 29/12/2015 - 18:29
    +7

    You should try a good/busy Asian grocery store.

    It's usually fresh and you can get them to do things like mince up a whole bit of beef, so you know there is no added fat/lumpy bits in it.

    Plus you can also get interesting stuff like quail and liver etc.

    Cost is definitely cheaper than Coles/Woolworths.

  • [Deactivated] on 29/12/2015 - 18:58
    -2

    We're so far removed from our food and the art of butchering that people ITT claim to buy their meat from Coles/Woolworths because they know it's "fresh".

    Just forget about it and go back to eating your corn syrup.

  • MountainGoat on 29/12/2015 - 20:06
    +1

    I've worked in a small butchery in Sydney so I might be a bit biased, but the meat was always fresh with fresh deliveries every few days.

    It is quite a bit more expensive compared to coles/woolies but people have surprisingly been more than happy to pay for the better quality.

    Everything is done at the store including butchering the meat, smoking, making sausages/rissoles etc

  • ThadtheChad on 29/12/2015 - 20:35
    +4

    I've had some fairly awful experiences with Coles and Woolies with regards to spoiled meat (well within the expiry date; and not reduced to clear). Other times, the meats have been of rather poor quality or just simply old and fibrous. Sadly, this isn't isolated to some specific errant Woolies/Coles; I've had to relocate a number of times and have had fairly consistently poor experiences.

    As a result, I buy my chicken solely from butchers. I also buy cuts of red meat from woolies from time to time, but prefer going to a butcher.

    An easy way to find a good butcher (or atleast an acceptable one), is to find one that is fairly high traffic. That would mean that turnover of product would be very high and thus, you're likely to get fresh stock. Also, they must be doing something right to get a high volume of sales. This is especially true in suburbs where the population is more "fiscally sensitive" :P .

    • mmd on 29/12/2015 - 21:10
      +2

      Never have to diet, detox, exercise

      Surfing is not considered exercising? :P

      Where do u get ur iron from if u don't eat meat/egg?

    • FW190 on 29/12/2015 - 21:59
      +5

      “where do you get your protein from”

      from that creepy old guy at the local park? :)

    • Miami Mall Alien on 30/12/2015 - 02:21
      +9

      I just finished an absolutely delectable and succulent veal rack from my local butcher.
      Soft, pink on the inside, visibly porous with juices when you dig your fork in; delicious.

      Happy New Year to yourself as well, I hope you find many more green things in the back garden that you can blend into abominable, algae-coloured shakes that you chug while pinching your nose and telling yourself you're doing the 'right thing'.

      I understand the benefits of veganism (and believe me I have considered it multiple times), but there's absolutely no ambiguity in your holier-than-thou bullsh*t.

      You can tell me all about the horrors of factory farming, livestock welfare, animal slaughter, and unethical agribusiness and I will concede you'd be right about most of it; but I'm still going to eat meat. I'm making an informed decision here to willingly engage in something that is harmful to other living things and the planet.

      The same way you consuming electricity to browse the Internet and type rants is damaging "Mother Earth" for no good reason. The Earth runs on sacrifice and there's no way in hell, any uppity vegan from a first world nation is going to convince me that they're on a pedestal above the rest of us and not engaging in consumer habits and materialistic consumption that is damaging lives, nations and nature. You are. Everyone is.

      Veganism is not some modern day order of hermetic, warrior-monks who will bring humanity back into harmony with nature, contrary to what you people might tell yourself. You're just a couple of percentile points less fatter on average and probably fart less; so, well done but I get to chow down on epic steaks that are better than sex. Life really is too short to be worrying about who and what you're hurting by merely existing; there's enough guilt on an average conscience to feel party to the Führerbunker at the end of WW2, without having to think about which cow I might have helped bump off for a good dinner with friends and family to enjoy this goddamned life that isn't about miserable, hand-to-mouth survival (like say, a cow's). The same way if I was eking out a hunter-gather existence on the Serengeti and a lion ambushed me and tore off pieces of me, I'd say the better man won and consign myself to a lesser fate. I wouldn't come back to haunt the Earth and cheer on human advocacy groups hunting down the lion responsible to try him for crimes against humanity at the UN War Crimes Tribunal; he was just doing his job, as are a majority of us.

      • meatgasm on 30/12/2015 - 03:31
        +3

        Life really is too short to be worrying about who and what you're hurting by merely existing…

        That's pretty selfish, don't you think? Life is the longest thing you get to experience (Bar re-incarnation/heaven/hell/ghost/whatnot) and you only have one shot at it.

        So we shouldn't give a shit that our eating habits contribute to a large proportion of green house gasses emitted due to human activities? Should we ignore that our demands are at-least partially to blame for the horrible factory farming of animals which leads to so much environmental devastation, animals in suffering, proliferation of resistant microbes, spread of bacterial disease, etc etc?

        Pretending that a problem is superficial or not worthy to be addressed, due to your personal eating preferences is a very selfish approach.

        Which is fine. Its okay being selfish.

        I love meats too. So So So much. But the fact of the matter is, our lust for meat, combined with the booming population has lead to a HUGE set of problems.

        While I dont like the preachy 'holier than thou' vegan stereotype at all, you cant claim to have moral superiority whilst being selfish at the same time, especially when comparing yourself to a group of people that are at least partially motivated to change their dietary habits to try to better the world we live in.

        TL;DR: "Life really is too short to be worrying about who and what you're hurting by merely existing" is a very selfish attitude, and broad consumption of meat does have its fair share of issues.

        • belongsinforums on 30/12/2015 - 23:21

          If you're worried about the environment, just eat less beef.
          Otherwise, life is short and people have a right to make their own decisions.

      • ThadtheChad on 06/01/2016 - 21:20

        Take all my upvotes!

    • FittyFitty on 30/12/2015 - 05:12
      +2

      Always wondered; do vegans swallow? :)

    • freakatronic on 31/12/2015 - 00:23
      +3

      Funny how it's automatic for you to let everyone know you're vegan. I can't really see the relevance of your diet choices to someone asking for a good butcher. But yes, how incredibly vegan of you to pipe up with "I wouldn't know a good butcher, I'm a vegan."
      If you're a vegan it's probably safe to assume no one was asking you ;)

      Peace and love.

  • peterw1 on 29/12/2015 - 22:16

    I've yet to meet a vegetarian/vegan who thinks so. that said anecdotally I've heard a lot a male butchers find it easy to attract women - I don't know why.

    • Sage on 30/12/2015 - 10:14

      What are you referring to?

      • patinadiary on 30/12/2015 - 16:17
        +5

        Q: How to distinguish a Vegan from a meat eater?
        A: You don't have to, they will tell you.

        • freakatronic on 31/12/2015 - 00:25
          +2

          Only every single time.

        • Gnosh on 31/12/2015 - 08:44
          +5

          someone starts having a heart attack
          Person: is anyone here a doctor?!
          Vegan: I'm a vegan.

  • gimli on 29/12/2015 - 22:57

    Become vegetarian

    • Thenarrator on 29/12/2015 - 23:25

      some butchers sell vegetables.. some..

      • meatgasm on 30/12/2015 - 03:08
        +2

        I prefer to get mine at the retirement home.

        • FittyFitty on 30/12/2015 - 05:14
          +2

          Soylent Green?

        • meatgasm on 30/12/2015 - 20:05
          -1

          @FittyFitty:

          It was a joke about paralysed/brain damaged old people -_-

        • FittyFitty on 30/12/2015 - 23:12

          It just "gerried"… :)

  • Japius on 30/12/2015 - 07:09
    +1

    Personally I found it easier to find a good Coles/woollies for Meat. I have three Coles near me and one seems to get better selections of meat.

    I just don't trust the independent butchers, the ones near me all look like they cut corners in every way possible to make $$$ and I've never been happy with the meat.

    I trust that the minimum wage jockeys at Coles don't give a crap about how much things cost their employer so aren't going to be trying to screw me. Also that Coles and woollies care more about their brand and are happy to not only discount but to quickly refund any issues (real or imagined).

    If you find a good local butcher then they can be better but in my experience a local butcher that is consistently better than Coles/woollies is very hard to find.

    • DrStinge on 01/01/2016 - 06:49

      Butcher's at Coles and Woolies earn good money, they're not on minimum wage.

  • tomleonhart on 30/12/2015 - 08:22
    +3

    My local Asian Butcher is great. I don't go anywhere else.

    They:

    • Are always cheaper than Woollies (which is located next door)
    • Have the cut that I want
    • have good quality meat, not saying Colesworth is bad, for the same price I'd get more at my local butcher.
    • I bought a tray of 24 eggs, 20 of them were double yolks.
    • If I don't have cash that day, I'll just come back and pay another day.

    I haven't bought meat from Colesworth for years.

  • James1976 on 30/12/2015 - 08:34

    Yes, a good butcher really is much better than Colesworths, who have admittedly improved recently, especially Coles.

    However, I have yet to find a good butcher that has prices that are cheaper than supermarkets. In my experience, if a butcher is selling meat at a cheaper price than the local supermarket, the meat will be a lower quality.

    If you want the best meat and price is not a major factor, find a good butcher.

    If OK meat will do and price is your main consideration, supermarket is best.

  • peterpeterpumpkin on 30/12/2015 - 09:19

    There are butchers that are cheaper than major supermarkets (in Sydney's eastern suburbs, predominantly Asian-specialist butchers). More accurately, I'd say their prices are more consistent and therefore not always cheaper. If I wanted a kilo of chicken breast from a butcher I could confidently walk in with a $10 note (though admittedly don't go often these days).

    I found quality less consistent with butchers in terms of smell…

  • gimli on 30/12/2015 - 10:15

    Become a piscatarian

  • saxlady on 30/12/2015 - 11:15
    +1

    We buy our meat from a local farmer which is then butchered to our specs. I like that we're supporting a local, we can visit the farm and see the condition the animals are treated in (very good) and we know it's fresh. Downsides are that obviously we have to buy in bulk (well that's not a downside for us, but it might be for others) and you end up with an assortment of cuts whereas you might choose only certain steaks or roast etc from a shop, right when you want it, rather than thinking what you've already got and how to use it. It takes a couple of hours for me to sort it and pack it in the freezer when I get it - that's probably the worst part, but acceptable, as price is comparable to supermarket but the quality is much better.

  • ddk77b on 30/12/2015 - 11:56

    there is a awesome butcher out western sydney. pendle hill meat market

    we used to goto the local woolies and butchers but found we get better quality meat and more for the same price

    plus they actually have staff that want to help and assist with any questions you have

    • locosam on 31/12/2015 - 00:41

      Yup pendle hill meat market is good, as well as Meat Emporium in Alexandria…but they are not really that convenient for me. I would be so happy with the Meat Emporium opened up somewhere more west!

  • bringbring on 30/12/2015 - 12:00

    The pork and beef at coles seem good to me but the mice and chicken products are too watery and make it difficult to cook. I go to glenmore meats for those

  • thushan on 30/12/2015 - 14:21
    +1

    My folks have only ever bought from butchers and after I moved out many moons ago and started going to the local Coles & Woolies I came to realise the difference in quality. This is especially evident in mince meat, steaks and the sausages. We're around Essendon (in Victoria) and we're lucky to have a really good butchers Anthony's of Essendon and a new style of supermarket called La Manna Direct which I only started going to since early this year.

    Compared to Coles, Anthony's beats them forks down! I found some of the meat from the supermarkets (and Aldi) was heavy in water (or deiced). Anthony's on the other hand use good quality meat sourced locally (from farms we also know) and use them in their mince and sausages and they'll trim the fat of meat and customise - you'll also end-up paying a bit more for the quality but I'm happy to do that. La Manna on the other hand shows you what a truly well run shopping experience should be like without the duopoly of Woolies/Coles. It's not budget, but they have butchers and fish mongers who put out some great stock.

    If anyone's heading to Melbourne, on the way out of the Airport - on the Tulla, stop over at Essendon Fields and check out La Manna, truly refreshing! (PS. I'm not associated with them in anyway, just a fan!).

    At the end of the day, I'd pick one the butcher for specific meat cuts or their awesome sausages (Lamb, Cheese & Mushroom!) but use La Manna for regular weekly shops.

  • T1OOO on 30/12/2015 - 15:16

    Totally agree, perhaps once in the day butchers were better but no longer the case at all. If anything a butcher is more likely to rip you off. Esp if you get one trying to move crap products. At least with woollies there is ability to pick and chose. I find the same thing for fruit and vegetables a lot of the time. Not always.

  • DiscoJango on 30/12/2015 - 16:28
    +1

    i have a large local butcher that is very busy, so the meat is always fresh (it turns over very quick), whereas if i go to coles, i can tell some meats/fish have been sitting there for quite a while

    i love salmon, my local butcher is about $19-$21 a kg, whereas coles is $29 + a kg, thats a big difference, especially since coles isnt always fresh

    • T1OOO on 30/12/2015 - 19:27
      +3

      Wtf?!? You just dug your slef a hole. If ur buying your seafood from th butchery our doing it wrong!!! Wrong. Wrong!

      $19 salmon?!? Fark!

      Only buy seafood from the fish markets. Only.

      Crazy. Just crazy.

      • DiscoJango on 30/12/2015 - 22:42

        does this genius theory of yours apply to safeway and coles, who both sell seafood and meat?

        • T1OOO on 30/12/2015 - 22:57
          +1

          I very very rarely buy seafood from Coles and woollies and if I ever do its coz I'm lazy as hell. And then it's only from very specific stores that don't let the produce sit for a ages. Not only that if I buy salmon and it's not odderless I take it back. And seafood marinara mix that's not from a new pack and melted if stick away from too.

          Now with your "genius" comment I can see your trying to be condescending and be littleing, which I don't mid if you actually had a point to make or tell me something I could learn from. But you just come off as Rude.

          But stick to your magic butcher with fresh surf and turf that is cheaper than the markets. Makes for some good eating.

        • DiscoJango on 31/12/2015 - 09:56

          @T1OOO:

          looks like you woke up to write a proper sentence, compared to your first post

          the "butcher" is a market butcher, and has a separate seafood section altogether. thanks genius :)

        • T1OOO on 31/12/2015 - 13:06
          -2

          @kamkam:

          nah i woke up in a magic butter at the markets serving unicorn meat.

          here's the problem with your statement, even though on the out set it looks like its given you a way out, and your able to save face.

          1. no one leads off by saying they buy their meat from the "butcher" if they are buying from the markets,.. they just say they buy it from the markets! its like saying, i live in a house, yet that house is on a tropical island all to my self, you start of with the best aspect, " I live on a tropical island" otherwise your not informing the person properly, and unless i called you on it we wouldnt know your butcher is apparently in the markets, so your post is crap to being with as most butchers are not in the markets.

          2. if your at the markets, then its the place where you pick the place who sell the best meat, and the BEST seafood, they are never ever the same place,.. it can be a butcher with a seafood section, just like coles, but its never ever the best. Shop at a place that specilises in seafood and only seafood, the reason why they dont need to do bot is coz they dont need to, they sell seafood and lots of it and its very very profitable, and its more than $19 a kg for salmon,..

          anyways, i wont continue to rip your post to shreds and humiliate you even more even though you dug your self into a hole and continue to dig, just say your sorry and dont really know what your talking about and at this point you want to press the undo button, and we will all be on our merry way,..

          happy new year, "genius"

        • DiscoJango on 01/01/2016 - 16:15

          @T1OOO:

          you are a very angry person, i am sorry you get so upset so quickly :)

        • T1OOO on 01/01/2016 - 17:18

          @kamkam:

          This was me in a happy mood.

          Now I'm shaking uncontrollably with furious rage. I had to calm down for 20minutes after I read your comment before I could even type in the keyboard.

  • leighjames on 30/12/2015 - 16:46
    +1

    My old man was a butcher for a large retailer and was involved in the purchasing of product across the state. Large retailers are cutting costs by outsourcing and having all the cuts delivered prepacked and ready to stock. They no longer have to refrigerated large amounts of meats. This saves on energy, storage and shrinkage.

    Fresh meat is a myth, you want the meat to age because it tenders and becomes easier to eat. Recent changes in supermarkets have seen many butchers become redundant in stores. The new method allows the animal to be killed and put on the shelf quicker. The cons of this method is the meat doesn't age, it's tougher to eat but it's cheaper.

    With the decline in quality in the last 12 months, we have found our selves going to the butcher to buy our product. It's more expensive because theirs more overheads. The quality is better (There are good and bad butchers) but the hip pocket is worst off.

    • locosam on 31/12/2015 - 00:37
      +1

      That's a good point actually.

      But the difference is, I want my meat aged as a big piece in a proper refrigerator and then cut down to size.

      If its just supermarket stuff, id rather it be as fresh as possible.
      Not already chopped and sitting there in styrofoam and cling wrap.

      Ive noticed a lot of butchers now just order in the vac packs.
      I feel I could just go to Pendle Hill meat market and pick up the same thing.
      And the butcher that I know orders in a big carcass (and actually butchers the meat off) doesnt open late enough to make a run after work.

      I have noticed, sometimes woolies gets a supply of really nice meat (maybe there is a supplier trying to offload some premium meat they couldnt sell), so because of those times, I do loop round the meat section of woolies every shop.

  • [Deactivated] on 30/12/2015 - 17:52

    I buy Kosher meat from Coles (Kosher section) or from a Kosher butcher. There are so many regulations on Kosher meat that you can always expect the same high quality.

    • meatgasm on 30/12/2015 - 20:06

      But make sure to boycott/ban halal d:

      • [Deactivated] on 30/12/2015 - 23:17

        Halal doesn't bother me. I generally prefer it over non-Halal, especially for vegetarian/dairy items.

  • nephilim on 30/12/2015 - 21:11

    Anything thats possessed will be worst quality then your average butcher, thats things like sausages, kebabs. I worked in the food industry many years, coles want everything made cheaper by a huge margin then the normal product (timtams clones, shapes clones, pie clones whatever).

    There is a reason why they keep jumping company to company to make there homebrands, they are vampires.

  • Diji1 on 30/12/2015 - 22:22

    Honestly I think Coles - not Woolies (at least for red meat) - is on par or better than the majority of butchers.

    But occasionally for whatever reason there are butchers that deliver WAY better product than Coles. There used to be a butchers named Moo Baa Oink in the Adelaide Hills that people used to travel 50Km to get to … there was a major difference.

    -Meat is fresh and not preserved like super market (How do you even tell if the butcher is using fresh and not preserved meat?)

    It's interesting that you bring this up: just in case you don't know it's customary for red meat to be aged in Australia - many butchers do it. But there is some process that Woolies uses and Coles does not that preserves meat for longer after the aging process and it causes their red meat to appear lighter red rather meat not treated this way. Supposedly Coles does not do it - perhaps this is why I prefer them over Woolies.

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