Some things are obviously bad ideas.

Trimming your bangs after drinking is a poor decision.

Asking Donald Trump his opinion about anything will definitely come back to bite you.

And negotiating with a three-year-old or a teenager is pointless and painful.

But prudently purchasing meat on sale can be a great idea.

Every time I go into the supermarket, no matter whether I have one item or thirty on my list (don’t go shopping hungry or without a list; two more bad ideas), I always troll the meat aisle for mark downs.  When it’s getting close to the discard date meat is reduced, sometimes more than 50%.  Just be sure to cook it or freeze it the same day you buy it.

Look for a brightly colored sticker.  Most will say “Reduced for quick sale”.  But Kroger’s is the best.  Their sticker just says “WooHoo!”, which coincidentally is the sound I make when I discover an awesome carnivore’s discount.

The Matthews family loves duck breast.  But it’s not cheap, so consequently, we don’t eat it as often as we’d like.

Whole Foods is my most reliable source.  I normally get two breasts for about $14.00.  In Kroger the other day I got one breast on sale for $3.49.  In addition, there was a manufacturer’s coupon on it for an extra dollar off.   That’s an almost 65% savings.

We eat plenty of pork, but I’ve never cooked a center-cut pork loin roast.  They’re about a pound or so, and perfect for 2 or 3 people.  Normally they run between five and seven dollars.  But I found one for three bucks, so decided to give it a try.  It turned out really good.

Primordial Pork Loin

1 totally frozen center-cut pork loin roast

2 teaspoons seasoning salt (I use Goya Adobo bitter orange)

Or

1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

To dry brine:

Unwrap frozen loin and liberally sprinkle seasoning over the entire surface.  Place in zip top bag and refrigerate until thawed.

Herb coating:

3 cloves garlic, minced

Zest of one lemon

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

½ teaspoon dried thyme

Pinch of salt and pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

Stir together all ingredients and set aside.

Preparation (You’ll need):

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350.  Heat heavy skillet (cast iron is best) on stove.  Add oil.  With paper towels, dry off loin.  Carefully remove any silver skin.  Silver skin is an outer thin skin of a white-ish, silver hue.  Place in pan, and get a nice golden sear all around.  Take off burner and paint the whole thing with a thin coat of mustard.  Press herb mix all over.  Put skillet with pork into oven and cook until internal temp is 140-145 for medium (about 8-12 minutes).  Let rest, lightly covered for 5-10 minutes.  Slice and serve.

You’ll need a probe thermometer to check the internal temp.  I have one which is inserted before the cooking starts.  You can also use an instant-read.  But in either case, don’t remove the thermometer until the meat’s rested.  If you don’t wait, the juice will run out of the hole like a punctured jugular.

I don’t automatically buy everything I find on sale.  I always look at it closely, and give it a good sniff.

Because you’re not saving any money when you have to lay out a couple of hundred bucks for your emergency room co-pay after dining on dodgy lamb chops.

Thanks for your time.