05/27/05 Summer grilling and meat prices

Now that Memorial Day weekend is here, many of us will not only be celebrating the official kick-off of summer. We will also be celebrating the official kick-off of the summer bar-be-que and grilling season. But if you have already been shopping for those meats to cook on the grill, well, you might notice a disparity in price among various items. LEIBTAG: I think we have a mixed bag coming up this summer. We're going to see beef prices higher than last year and it will be quite expensive to get most of your beef products. However, on the flip side, most of your chicken and pork products should be a little bit lower than they were last year. That's U.S.D.A. Economist Ephraim Leibtag. He specialists in tracking retail prices for good. And let' s put it this way. Currently, the U.S. cattle supply is the smallest in year. Low supply plus high demand equals higher prices. While the cattle ranchers and beef producers aren't complaining about the prices of their commodity these days, the consumers if you haven't bought beef lately might be in sticker shock& LEIBTAG: Beef prices are right now as high as they've been in the last year and a half or so and sometimes you see some more specials around the grilling season. But overall prices are pretty high now, and you are going to be paying somewhere at around three  four per cent higher for your beef products. So say for example what are you getting yourself into buying steak this summer? LEIBTAG: If you're looking at a sirloin steak, prices are now above six dollars per pound, about six dollars and thirty cents per pound. But what about that old grilling staple, hamburger patties? LEIBTAG: Ground beef prices are around $2.20 a pound currently, which again is the highest they've been in about a year and a half. You might see some specials but those are going to be higher than last year at this time. The flip side to the news of high beef prices is chicken and pork products are relatively affordable this grilling season. LEIBTAG: Chicken prices are about two to three per cent lower than they were last year at this time. For example, a whole chicken, you'll pay around a $1.05 - $1.10 per pound. That's a little bit lower than last year at this time. So there's a good option in terms of grilling. And on the pork side & probably about one to two per cent cheaper. We had very strong prices in the end of 2004. Those have come off the last few months and I think we'll see prices a little bit lower than last year at this time. So for example if you wanted pork chops & about three dollars per pound for the summer months. So now you as the cook are armed with the information you need to make it a delicious yet affordable grilling season, you just need to get the armor of chef hat, bib, tongs, and spatula ready to take on that grill, and make it a safe, and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend.