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Only 6 months in, and I'm already experimenting with various meat options. I had been eating sausage in some form almost daily, and/or cured meats. I'm trying to cut back on these. Finding sausage without corn syrup added, or at least sugars added, isn't cheap. Cured meats add dextrose, which is a sugar, but pepperoni slices are a cheap and easy snack.

I started with nuts, but the peanut jar was one of the first things I gave up, maybe a month in. I'd been drinking more milk recently, even adding it to coffee (which I normally drink black). Interesting that you found it stalled weight loss.

I think my next thing to add is chicken organs (liver and others). I keep seeing the tub at the store, or the package of gizzards and others, and just haven't had the courage to pick it up. I'm afraid my cooking methods might fail me, more than the taste, which I don't mind at all.

I'm doing this on the cheap as best I can, out of the supermarket, hunting sales. I'm not going to argue that this is the way, but it is the circumstance I am currently in.

a source familiar with the matter 2y ago

IMO egg yolk covers most of what you'd want from organ meat. I am not a fan of gizzard. Another option is salmon roe, which is objectively quite expensive but a spoonful with breakfast will cost you maybe $10/week.

I'm able to get grass fed beef liver for something like $4 per pound, and a little goes a long way. I've seen beef liver at Walmart for $2 per pound.

Ground beef can be had for about $4/lb where I am, specifically 70/30 which is what I prefer/recommend anyway. I am mostly grass fed now (which is usually ground leaner) but I don't think finishing feed makes a huge difference.

I get chuck roasts ($4 a pound for choice, I get grass-fed which is like $10 per pound) and cut them into steaks. Not quite as much fat as something like a ribeye but some marbling and more flavorful meat.

Mussels are an excellent budget option - I can get 1lb of frozen mussels for $4.

My wild salmon I get frozen from my grocer at $16/lb, thaw and cut into poke-style cubes. Then I just eat it raw.

If you tolerate milk well, cream is a very cost-efficient calorie source. Just be sure to check for additives. Half & half is more readily available without additives.

IMO $10/day can get you a basic carnivore diet, while $20 gets you to grass-fed pasture raised etc and $30 gets you all that plus some mix of caviar, fine sausages, fine cheeses, etc

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Discussion

Sedj 2y ago

This is super helpful, for comparison.

My primary sources are currently:

Hempler's ground pork (or similar sausage varieties), which I get on 30% off sale, normal price $5/lb. These seem to have a reasonable ingredient list, much better than store brand or Johnsonville. I like this for a morning meal, with some butter over the top.

markdown steak, usually sirloin, top or bottom round. I try not to get it sliced thin. My goal price is under $7/lb. I'm really flexible otherwise. Today ate about 1 pound of top sirloin from walmart, marked down to $6.17/lb.

Shrimp. Walmart sells medium size, pre-cooked, for less than $6 per package. I think the packages are 16 oz, but may be less, maybe 12 oz.

Pepperoni slices. 6 oz packs of store brand. (about $2.50) Trying to keep this to two or less per week.

Salmon - typically the pre-portioned 4oz smoked peppered one, when it is on sale, for a little less than $7. This is kind of a treat item, once or twice a month.

Butter - unsalted. on pork, steak, or by itself. occasionally in coffee. Try to find it on sale for $3.50/lb or less.

I eat other stuff my wife cooks too, and occasionally other stuff I cook. I'm making a pork roast right now, that I will mostly turn into a Mexican inspired stew with green peppers and enchilada sauce. I will probably have some, but not much, and as little of the sauce as I can manage. I may save some when I shred it, before I add all the sauce stuff.

But those are my staples. I have a Cinder grill in my home office that I cook on during the day, which is when/where I normally eat most of my food. I normally don't eat dinner with the family, even if I cook it. If my wife makes a meat thing (she likes cooking me steaks sometimes), I'll eat some mostly to be polite, but usually it is overseasoned and often sauced.

I think generally I am between $10 and $20 per day. I'd like to be closer to $10, maybe a little less, most days, but still learning how to get there. Maybe I'll start on ground beef, as I have been accumulating it as its been on sale, often at less than $2/lb

I admit to being a little more leery of cooking things on the Cinder grill that require being cooked well or all the way through. That thing malfunctions all the time, already looking for better options. I don't care if my steaks are underdone, not sure how I feel about ground beef or organ meats being similarly underdone.

The liver I see at Walmart usually looks a little sketchy, not sure what they've added to it to preserve it. But I can probably give it a try.

a source familiar with the matter 2y ago

I just eat the liver raw - cut into cubes/ pieces of about a forkful and eat 2-3 with breakfast. You can soak in whole milk first to reduce bitterness.

Shrimp I've enjoyed but I think how well/over done they are varies by brand