Ingredients for a cookout aren't cheap anymore. A pack of burgers, some hot dogs, buns, cheese, a couple of sides, and you've spent fifty bucks before anyone's lit the grill.
Instead of deciding on a menu and then paying whatever the store charges, I start with what's already on sale and build the cookout around that. That's the whole idea behind Dishcount, and Memorial Day is perfect for it, because every big chain runs a BBQ favorites sales right now.
I pulled this week's deals from three chains worth checking before you shop: Walmart, Kroger, and ALDI. Walmart and Kroger are the two biggest grocers in the country. ALDI isn't the biggest, but it's the one people drive to specifically because it's inexpensive, and this week it backs that up. The prices below are from this week's ads for the stores.
Walmart
Walmart is the cheap-protein anchor. This week a 5-pound bag of chicken drumsticks is $4.92, which is under a dollar a pound and enough to feed a yard full of people. Boneless country-style pork ribs are $7.02 a tray, and if you want to go low and slow, a bone-in pork butt for country-style ribs is $10.16.
For burgers, the 93% lean ground beef is $7.97 a pound. Round it out with Great Value American singles, 24 slices for $2.48, and a mini seedless watermelon for $3.88. Chips are on sale all over the place, so grab whatever variety pack is cheapest the day you go.
Kroger
Kroger is where the cookout staples line up. Ball Park beef hot dogs are $4.69, down from $6.49. If Ball Park isn't your preferred hot dog, Oscar Mayer hot dogs are $2.99 for eight.
Buns: ACE Bakery sesame burger buns, $3.99. Cheese: Kroger American singles, 16 slices for $2.33. Condiments: a squeeze bottle of Duke's mayo for $4.99. If wings are your thing, a 2.5-pound bag of bone-in chicken wings is $8.99, and Kinder's buffalo wing sauce is $4.99 to go with them.
Two items I couldn't pass up. Chips Ahoy put out a Red, White and Blue Candy Blasts cookie for $4.99. And for anyone here in the Dayton and Cincinnati area, Skyline Chili shredded cheddar is $5.49.
These deals came from Dayton, Ohio Kroger stores. Kroger prices move by location, so check yours, but the sale items usually run the same across a region.
ALDI
ALDI is where you can do the whole cookout for less than you'd spend on the meat alone somewhere else. 3lbs of burger patties at $15.19, hamburger buns are $1.39, and Happy Farms Cheddar singles are $1.49. That's burgers, buns and cheese for around $18. Chicken drumsticks are 99 cents a pound, baby back pork ribs are $3.79, and St. Louis-style spareribs are $2.49 a pound.
The sides are cheap too. Kettle chips and tortilla chips are $1.95, a jar of BBQ sauce is $1.69, relish is $2.19, and lemonade is $1.99. A whole seedless watermelon is $4.89, and the zucchini is $1.19 a pound, which makes an easy side once it hits the grill.
Put it on a plate
Here's a cookout for about a dozen people, and you could honestly run the whole thing through ALDI:
- Burgers: 3lbs of burger patties are about $15, Cheddar singles are $1.49, and buns are $1.39
- Chicken drumsticks at 99 cents a pound & $1.69 BBQ sauce
- Sides: a whole watermelon ($4.89), grilled zucchini ($1.19 a pound), kettle chips ($1.95), lemonade ($1.99)
- Dessert: Chewy chocolate chip cookies ($2.59)
That's a full spread for around thirty-five to forty dollars. Not because I clipped coupons for an hour. Because I let the deals decide the menu instead of the other way around.
See what's on sale near you right now
Enter your zip and Dishcount pulls the actual deals from the stores around you. Free, no signup.
Try Dishcount →One honest note
Deals move by store and by region, and the only way to know what's near you is to check your own stores. That's what Dishcount does. Put in your zip, it pulls the current deals from the chains around you, and it builds meals out of whatever's actually on sale. It's free and there's no signup. If you shop Kroger, you can even send the deal items straight to your Kroger cart.
One last thing, and it matters more than anything else I've said in this post. Since I'm a veteran, Memorial Day means so much more than the cookouts or the day off work. It's for remembering and being grateful for the men and women that fought for our country and didn't come home. So please enjoy the food and the people you're with, and somewhere in there take a quiet minute for the ones this day is actually for.