Best cuts to buy in bulk

Buying meat in bulk is one of the easiest ways to eat better and spend less. You pay less per kilo, shop less often, and always have something good in the freezer when the week gets busy.

Not every cut is worth buying in bulk, though. The best ones are versatile, freeze well and turn into lots of different meals. After more than 25 years behind the butcher's block, these are the cuts we'd stock our own freezers with.

The best cuts to buy in bulk

1. Beef mince

Mince is the hardest-working cut in any freezer. Spaghetti bolognese, burgers, tacos, shepherd's pie, meatballs, lasagne: one bulk bag covers weeks of weeknight dinners. Portion it into 500g packs before freezing and it thaws in a few hours in the fridge. Our 5kg grass-fed beef mince is the single best place to start.

2. Diced beef and slow-cooking cuts

Chuck, blade and diced beef get better the longer they cook. They're cheaper per kilo than steak, and they're the backbone of winter cooking: stews, curries, ragu and pies. Cook a big batch, eat half, and freeze the rest in meal-sized containers.

3. Steaks

Buying a share of a whole beast is the most affordable way to keep good steak on hand. A 1/8 or 1/4 beef body gives you sirloin, rump and scotch fillet alongside your mince and roasts, all at a lower price per kilo than buying steaks one by one. Grass-fed, grass-finished beef freezes beautifully when vacuum-sealed.

4. Lamb shoulder and leg

Lamb shoulder is made for low and slow: four hours in the oven and it pulls apart with a fork. A leg is the classic Sunday roast. Buying a half or whole lamb gets you both, plus chops, cutlets and lamb mince, for far less than buying each cut separately.

5. Chicken thigh fillets

If you buy one chicken cut in bulk, make it thighs. They stay juicy, forgive overcooking and work in almost anything: stir-fries, curries, skewers, tray bakes. Breast fillets are worth adding for lean, quick meals. Our 5kg and 10kg free-range chicken packs cover both.

6. Sausages

Sausages are the easiest win for families. They cook from frozen in a pinch, kids love them, and they're always ready for a last-minute barbecue. Thick sausages freeze well in packs of six to eight.

7. Pork shoulder

Free-range pork shoulder is affordable and endlessly useful. Roast it for crackling, slow-cook it for pulled pork, or dice it for curries. One shoulder can feed a family twice.

Cuts to buy fresh instead

Premium cuts you only cook on special occasions, like eye fillet, don't need to be bought in bulk. Buy them when you need them.

Which bulk pack suits your household?

The right size depends on how many people you feed and how much freezer space you have. As a rough guide, 25kg of meat needs about 70 litres of freezer space.

Pack	Weight	Price	Best for
Beef mince	5kg	$89	Any household starting out with bulk buying
Free-range chicken pack	5kg	$85	Couples and small families
Free-range chicken pack	10kg	$179	Families who eat chicken several times a week
Half lamb	~11kg	$275	Roast lovers with a standard freezer
Family beef pack	15kg	$325	Families of four wanting variety
Whole lamb	~22kg	$499	Big families or sharing with friends
1/8 beef body	~25kg	$499	Families with a chest freezer
1/4 beef body	~50kg	$990	Large households, or split between two families

Tip: splitting a 1/4 beef body with another family is one of the cheapest ways to get grass-fed steaks into your freezer.

Prices as listed on farmsteadmeats.com.au on 11 November 2026.

How to store and freeze bulk meat

Every Farmstead order arrives fresh, never frozen, and vacuum-sealed in family-sized portions. That does most of the work for you. A few habits make sure nothing goes to waste:

• Freeze what you won't use in 2–3 days. Put it in the freezer as soon as it arrives.
• Keep the vacuum seal intact. Cryovac packaging keeps air out and prevents freezer burn, so there's no need to repackage.
• Label and date everything. Use the oldest packs first.
• Lay packs flat to freeze. They freeze faster, stack neatly and thaw more evenly.
• Thaw in the fridge, not on the bench. Mince and chicken take about 24 hours; larger roasts take up to 48.
• Use within a few months for best quality. Frozen meat stays safe at -18°C, but flavour and texture are best within three to six months for most cuts.

Stock the freezer, feed the family

Buying in bulk isn't about buying more than you need. It's about buying well, once, and eating well for weeks. Our grass-fed beef and lamb come from Australian farms we've personally vetted, and every cut is aged up to 14 days for flavour.

Shop our Bulk & Save range and get free delivery on orders over $500.