Kroger's $2.99 Brisket and Memorial Day Grilling Deals

Memorial Day weekend is almost here, and the stores know it. Just about every flyer this week is loaded with grilling meat, and a few of the prices are genuinely worth getting excited about. The one that caught my eye first was Kroger's whole beef brisket at $2.99 a pound. That is a serious price for brisket, and if you have the time to smoke or slow-roast one this weekend, now is the moment.

This Week's Best Deals

• Kroger Whole Beef Brisket, $2.99/lb. I cannot remember the last time I saw brisket this low. Buy a big one. Even if you only cook for two or three people, leftover brisket makes sandwiches, tacos, and hash all week long. It is worth every bit of the time it takes.

• ALDI Fresh Baby Back Pork Ribs, $3.79/lb. Baby backs at under four dollars a pound is a fair deal any week, and right now it is a great one. ALDI also has spare ribs and drumsticks if you want to stock the freezer while the prices are good.

• Kroger Pork Back Ribs or Boston Butt, Buy One Get One Free. A BOGO on pork shoulder is hard to pass up. Boston butt is forgiving to cook and feeds a crowd without much fuss. Pull one now and freeze the other for later in the summer.

• Publix Smithfield Bacon, BOGO. Bacon is one of those things most households go through steadily, and buying two at the price of one is just sensible. Stock up and freeze the second package.

• Food Lion Eastern Peaches, $1.29/lb. The first peaches of the season showing up in the flyer is always a good sign. At this price, buy enough to eat fresh and maybe make a simple cobbler. They will not be this cheap for long.

Quick Breakfast and Lunch Ideas

Peaches and cottage cheese. Slice a couple of those Food Lion peaches over a bowl of cottage cheese for a breakfast that takes two minutes and tastes like summer. Add a little honey if you like things a bit sweeter.

Hot dogs for lunch. I know that sounds simple, but Food Lion has hot dogs on sale at $4.49 and Nathan's franks are BOGO at Publix this week. A couple of good hot dogs on a toasted bun with mustard and a side of watermelon (also on sale at Food Lion for $3.99) is a perfectly respectable midday meal, especially on a warm May afternoon.

Bacon and egg sandwiches. With Smithfield bacon on BOGO at Publix, this is a good week to make a batch of egg sandwiches for the week. Cook a few strips of bacon, fry or scramble an egg, add a slice of cheese if you have it, and put it on whatever bread you have around. Wrap them in foil and they hold in the fridge for a few days.

This week's full meal plans on MyMenuPlans are built around all of these sales, so you do not have to do the menu math yourself. Head over and take a look at the plans for your store. There is a good Memorial Day spread in there, and plenty of ideas to carry you through the rest of the week without spending more than you need to.