Meat for Your Grill Starts At $1.99/LB

Hamburgers are a staple of outdoor barbecues. To make sure that base is covered, Piedmonters can generally expect to pay $3.49 to $5.99 a pound for ground beef, depending largely on the fat content. For those who don’t like ground beef, there are other (usually more expensive) options, including ground turkey, lamb and even bison.

At Trader Joe’s on Lakeshore Avenue, ground beef with 10 percent fat content goes for $5.49 a pound, while the ground beef with 15 percent fat content goes for $2.49 a pound. Organic ground beef with 15 percent fat costs $6.49 a pound and it’s 50 cents more for the same product shaped into patties. Ground turkey costs $2.99 a pound, though it’s $4.99 a pound when the fat content is 1 percent. Ground turkey from the brand Teva Kosher Foods costs $6.49 a pound and it’s $3.99 for ground turkey from Empire Kosher.

At on Piedmont Avenue, fresh ground chuck costs $4.99 a pound and it’s $5.99 a pound for extra-lean ground beef. Grass-fed beef from Uruguay or fresh ground beef from Niman Ranch both cost $6.99 a pound. The store also sells fresh ground veal for $6.99 a pound, ground pork for $4.99, and ground pork sausage for $3.99.

on Broadway Terrace sells the Estancia free-range and grass-fed extra-lean ground beef for $5.29 a pound. There’s also Niman Ranch “super lean” ground beef for $5.39 a pound and the Harris Ranch lean ground beef for $3.49 a pound. Village Market also offers ground turkey from Heidi’s Hens. The organic, extra-lean turkey goes for $5.99 a pound while the super-lean turkey costs $6.99 a pound.

Safeway at the Rockridge Shopping Center sells ground beef with 7 percent fat for $4.49 a pound. Ground beef with 20 percent fat costs $2.49 a pound. The store also offers “Extreme Value Paks” containing about 5 pounds worth of ground beef with 7 percent fat for $3.99 a pound. The same amount of ground beef with 20 percent fat can be had for $1.99 a pound. Meyer Natural ground beef costs $5.49 for one pound. The store has plenty of other options, including about a pound of Farmer John extra-lean ground pork at $5.49; a pound of Diamond Valley fresh ground lamb or Great Range ground bison for $8.99; and Jennie-O ground turkey for $4.80 a pound.

in Montclair Village offers the Moran’s brand of ground beef, which includes the all-natural ground beef with 4 percent fat for $5.99 a pound, four ground beef patties for $5.69, and a pound of fresh ground sirloin with 10 percent fat for $4.99. A Lucky “Max Pak” of about three pounds of ground round can be had for $3.49 a pound. Other options include one pound of the Organic Prairie 100-percent grass-fed ground beef with 15 percent fat for $6.99 and Laura’s Lean Beef with 8 percent fat for $5.99 a pound. Jennie-O ground turkey with 7 percent fat is $3.99 a pound; ground lamb is $7.99 a pound; and a pound of Tender Bison ground bison is $6.99.

sells a pound of frozen ground beef from Organic Prairie for $4.29. The beef is certified organic and humanely raised without antibiotics or synthetics, according to the packaging.