What brand of chicken is your preference? Taste/Cost

legendaryhog · 07-17-2013, 02:37 PM

I was reading LAMJ's thread entitled "chicken thighs" and the work that was put into them to make them boneless, trimmed, and skin scraped of fat, which was kind of where the thread was going: a universal disgust for the process, but a love of the finished product (greasy nasty cutting board full of chicken slime and a lot of work, but great bite-through skin).

So this begs the question. Are the brands that are "air cooled" or "free-range" or "organic" that are vastly more expensive per pound than the store brand worth it in terms of taste, labor savings, and value?

DownHomeQue · 07-17-2013, 03:48 PM

the ones at sams... lol Sanderson Farms i think.. i don't think that it matters ther brand.. as long as its fresh..

landarc · 07-17-2013, 05:05 PM

I mostly buy Mary's Chickens, and they are pastured, air-chilled, I think they are organic. They definitely taste a lot better, with much better texture. Allegedly they are safer to eat as well, I could care less about that.

But, I can definitely tell the difference in taste and texture from all of the regular supermarket brands of chickens out here. Right down to how the skin takes marinades, how the meat takes marinades, how it handles and bones. A whole lot different.

Bludawg · 07-17-2013, 05:23 PM

Sanderson Farms

bbqgeekess · 07-17-2013, 07:11 PM

My preference is Tyson because it's the only chicken I see for 99 cents /lb lol. (I'm always looking for deals because I don't make a lot of money.) I always buy whole chickens and cut them up because individual pieces are much more expensive, and also I make REAL homemade chicken stock with the cut out backs and leftover bones.

At one time I looked into pastured organic whole chickens -- chickens without overly large genetically engineered breasts. However they were like $7.99/lb and I just can't afford that! So I buy the cheapest chicken I can find if I can't have a proper chicken.

Once I get my own home I might start raising them in the back--pastured & freerange--fed organically. So they will be more affordable than $7.99/lb.

Teamfour · 07-17-2013, 07:16 PM

I have been told by a highly reputable competitor that the organic chicken thighs have very little fat under the skin. Personally I use Costco thighs and can get bite through skin without scraping.

HankB · 07-17-2013, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DownHomeQue

the ones at sams... lol Sanderson Farms i think.. i don't think that it matters ther brand.. as long as its fresh..

All of the chicken at my Sam's is "enhanced." I complained, particularly since it was labeled "100% Natural" but nothing has changed. (It's not Sanderson Farms.)

Sanderson Farms is carried in a lot of other groceries around here and I do buy that because it is not enhanced and is frequently on sale.

caseydog · 07-17-2013, 08:53 PM

Costco has a brand of all-natural chicken that I like. It is not the organic brand they sell, just chicken that is not shot up with stuff and enhanced before packing. I just ran out, so I don't have a package to look at for the brand. But, if you are a COSCO member, it is easy to find, and if you are not a member, I guess it doesn't help you to know the brand.

BTW, Kroger Simple Truth branded products are pretty good, too. They have both "all-natural" and "organic" chicken. Here in the Dallas burbs, I often find it marked down because people here either buy name-brand, or whatever is cheapest -- mostly name brand.

CD

BruceB · 07-17-2013, 08:56 PM

Bell & Evans

RatRod · 07-17-2013, 09:03 PM

Costco all natural.... As a bonus it comes freezer packed that are perferated cause I'm lazy and when I do a meat run it saves on food saver bags

marubozo · 07-17-2013, 09:12 PM

I happen to be lucky where I live and the main supermarket chain here mostly stocks Miller's poultry. They are a small family-run Amish farm only about 50 miles away. Not always the cheapest when compared to Tyson or other big names on the shelves, but you can taste the difference in quality.

Bludawg · 07-17-2013, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbqgeekess

My preference is Tyson because it's the only chicken I see for 99 cents /lb lol. (I'm always looking for deals because I don't make a lot of money.) I always buy whole chickens and cut them up because individual pieces are much more expensive, and also I make REAL homemade chicken stock with the cut out backs and leftover bones.

At one time I looked into pastured organic whole chickens -- chickens without overly large genetically engineered breasts. However they were like $7.99/lb and I just can't afford that! So I buy the cheapest chicken I can find if I can't have a proper chicken.

Once I get my own home I might start raising them in the back--pastured & freerange--fed organically. So they will be more affordable than $7.99/lb.

Great minds think alike I but whole birds too at .88 lb I can afford to cut & Vacusuc cheaper.

dbq · 07-18-2013, 08:50 AM

I get Tyson All Natural( yeah right) without additional solution from the local market. I find it strange that Walmart has the same Tyson "All Natural" but with 12-14% added for about the same price.

Hoggy Style · 07-18-2013, 10:01 AM

SMART CHICKEN is all I ever use. Great flavor and texture

DownHomeQue · 07-18-2013, 10:18 AM

Sams here seems to carry sanderson farm..

07-17-2013, 02:37 PM	#1
legendaryhog is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 03-08-13 Location: LawrenceFarkingKansas	What brand of chicken is your preference? Taste/Cost I was reading LAMJ's thread entitled "chicken thighs" and the work that was put into them to make them boneless, trimmed, and skin scraped of fat, which was kind of where the thread was going: a universal disgust for the process, but a love of the finished product (greasy nasty cutting board full of chicken slime and a lot of work, but great bite-through skin). So this begs the question. Are the brands that are "air cooled" or "free-range" or "organic" that are vastly more expensive per pound than the store brand worth it in terms of taste, labor savings, and value? __________________ -jeremiah LG BGE-Brinkman Cimmaron-Custom Pull-behind (old grade school boiler)-Weber Kettle-DCS 30" some say he's dead...some say he never will be. Last edited by legendaryhog; 07-17-2013 at 04:13 PM.. Reason: typo

07-17-2013, 03:48 PM	#2
DownHomeQue is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 10-11-12 Location: Jonesboro. AR Name/Nickname : DHQ	the ones at sams... lol Sanderson Farms i think.. i don't think that it matters ther brand.. as long as its fresh.. __________________ [URL]http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=243527[/URL] 150 Gallon Build (2017) [URL]http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148660[/URL] 250 Gallon Offset Build (2012) [URL]http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=211078[/URL] 600 Gallon Offset Build (2016)

07-17-2013, 05:05 PM	#3
landarc somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 06-26-09 Location: sAn leAnDRo, CA	I mostly buy Mary's Chickens, and they are pastured, air-chilled, I think they are organic. They definitely taste a lot better, with much better texture. Allegedly they are safer to eat as well, I could care less about that. But, I can definitely tell the difference in taste and texture from all of the regular supermarket brands of chickens out here. Right down to how the skin takes marinades, how the meat takes marinades, how it handles and bones. A whole lot different. __________________ [COLOR=DarkGreen][COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]me: I don't drink anymore Yelonutz: me either, but, then again, I don't drink any less [/SIZE][/COLOR][/COLOR][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkRed] [COLOR=Pink]SSS[/COLOR] [/COLOR][/SIZE]

07-17-2013, 05:23 PM	#4
Bludawg somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 07-04-09 Location: Jonesboro,Tx	Sanderson Farms __________________ I'm a Proxy Vegetarian> Cows eat grass & I eat cows.

07-17-2013, 07:11 PM	#5
bbqgeekess Babbling Farker Join Date: 07-06-13 Location: Oklahoma	My preference is Tyson because it's the only chicken I see for 99 cents /lb lol. (I'm always looking for deals because I don't make a lot of money.) I always buy whole chickens and cut them up because individual pieces are much more expensive, and also I make REAL homemade chicken stock with the cut out backs and leftover bones. At one time I looked into pastured organic whole chickens -- chickens without overly large genetically engineered breasts. However they were like $7.99/lb and I just can't afford that! So I buy the cheapest chicken I can find if I can't have a proper chicken. Once I get my own home I might start raising them in the back--pastured & freerange--fed organically. So they will be more affordable than $7.99/lb. __________________ 18.5" WSM and 22.5" OTG.

07-17-2013, 07:16 PM	#6
Teamfour is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 07-13-12 Location: Sterling, VA	I have been told by a highly reputable competitor that the organic chicken thighs have very little fat under the skin. Personally I use Costco thighs and can get bite through skin without scraping. __________________ BWS Party \|UDS\|Maverick ET-73 \|Maverick ET-732 \|Super Fast [COLOR=DarkOrange]Orange[/COLOR] Thermapen \| BBQ Guru DigiQ \|Two 100 QT crawfish boiling rigs \| LEM Meat Grinder \| Grizzly Sausage Stuffer Smokin-n-Style BBQ Team - Pitmaster Lagniappe Chili Team - Head Cook KCBS CBJ

07-17-2013, 08:53 PM	#8
caseydog somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 07-08-10 Location: Texas	Costco has a brand of all-natural chicken that I like. It is not the organic brand they sell, just chicken that is not shot up with stuff and enhanced before packing. I just ran out, so I don't have a package to look at for the brand. But, if you are a COSCO member, it is easy to find, and if you are not a member, I guess it doesn't help you to know the brand. BTW, Kroger Simple Truth branded products are pretty good, too. They have both "all-natural" and "organic" chicken. Here in the Dallas burbs, I often find it marked down because people here either buy name-brand, or whatever is cheapest -- mostly name brand. CD

07-17-2013, 08:56 PM	#9
BruceB is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 12-09-04 Location: Utica, MI	Bell & Evans __________________ Good Talkin' With You Bruce 22 1/2" WSM and 18 1/2" WSM Weber 22 1/2" Kettle, Weber Jumbo Joe 18 1/2" Weber Genesis Gasser Treasurer, Great Lakes Barbecue Association

07-17-2013, 09:03 PM	#10
RatRod On the road to being a farker Join Date: 07-06-13 Location: Chesterfield Va.	Costco all natural.... As a bonus it comes freezer packed that are perferated cause I'm lazy and when I do a meat run it saves on food saver bags

07-17-2013, 09:12 PM	#11
marubozo is one Smokin' Farker Join Date: 06-25-11 Location: Mishawaka, IN Name/Nickname : Jeremy	I happen to be lucky where I live and the main supermarket chain here mostly stocks Miller's poultry. They are a small family-run Amish farm only about 50 miles away. Not always the cheapest when compared to Tyson or other big names on the shelves, but you can taste the difference in quality.

07-18-2013, 08:50 AM	#13
dbq Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 06-06-12 Location: Aurora, Mo	I get Tyson All Natural( yeah right) without additional solution from the local market. I find it strange that Walmart has the same Tyson "All Natural" but with 12-14% added for about the same price. __________________ 22.5 OTG(AU), SJG Mini, SJ X 2, Three wheeler SJ, WGA, modded Char Griller , Q100

07-18-2013, 10:01 AM	#14
Hoggy Style Got Wood. Join Date: 10-08-09 Location: Lenexa, KS	SMART CHICKEN is all I ever use. Great flavor and texture

07-18-2013, 10:18 AM	#15
DownHomeQue is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 10-11-12 Location: Jonesboro. AR Name/Nickname : DHQ	Sams here seems to carry sanderson farm.. __________________ [URL]http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=243527[/URL] 150 Gallon Build (2017) [URL]http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148660[/URL] 250 Gallon Offset Build (2012) [URL]http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=211078[/URL] 600 Gallon Offset Build (2016)