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I LOVE prime beef

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TastesLikeChicken said:
Publix, Winn Dixie, SweetBay, Target, Costco, Sam's, and BJ's all list grades on their beef. I've had the Prime cuts from Costco, both the strip and the ribeye, and didn't feel that either was enough of an improvement over their Choice cuts to justify the price premium.
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same. I bought Prime cut of every type of steak sold at Costco and while it's better, it's usually not worth the price difference to me. If you sort through the packages you can usually find Choice that's borderline Prime.

I eat steak just about every weekend so I buy whatever cut of meat looks the best that day. Some days it's Ribeye. Some Strip or even cheap Top Sirloin. I try not to miss bone-in Ribeye when they have them. Different types of cut have different textures and flavors. Eat something too often and even a good thing can become bland. It's nice to mix it up.
 
BUTCH1 said:
Shens, who can afford $16lb steaks every time around and prime is RARELY found in grocery stores, it's very expensive..
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We can afford it. Once a month at $13 a pound is fine by me when grilling prime rib eye steaks. We get them from Costco.
 
Naustica said:
same. I bought Prime cut of every type of steak sold at Costco and while it's better, it's usually not worth the price difference to me. If you sort through the packages you can usually find Choice that's borderline Prime.
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Exactly. I kind of question the Prime that Costco carries as well. Go to a Whole Foods or Fresh Market and check out their Prime cuts in comparison. Costco Prime just doesn't seem to have the same level of fine marbeling that I typically see in Prime cuts from other places. I've held Prime and Choice cuts at Costco side-by-side and often have a hard time telling the difference between the two, and that shouldn't be the case. Maybe it's that their Choice cuts are generally so high-quality?

Currently my favorite place for meats is Sweetbay. They are local in Central Florida but carry Choice cuts of Black Angus and I find their meats to be noticably better than Costco, Publix, Sam's or any of the others. It tends to be more naturally tender and has a beefier taste, imo. AT steak afficionados in CFL should check it out.
 
I'm going to disagree with the people that said the Costco prime beef isn't worth the premium. I think it is, and it's not much more expensive than the same cuts in choice at a regular supermarket.
 
spidey07 said:
For me and my wife it's the biggest difference in marbling, texture, everything. Nothing makes her eyes roll back like a perfectly cooked prime strip steak.
.
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I beg to differ, and I know from experience.

you should ask her about it.

()🙂
 
I'm pretty sure when grocery stores don't list the grade it's sub-select, probably standard or commercial. I decided to just give up on grocery store meat it's not worth it. I just eat less now and buy choice from the local butcher when I want a steak. I think their source is better than the Costco choice too. Funny thing is their prices aren't any worse than the grocery store's non-sale prices.
 
TastesLikeChicken said:
Exactly. I kind of question the Prime that Costco carries as well. Go to a Whole Foods or Fresh Market and check out their Prime cuts in comparison. Costco Prime just doesn't seem to have the same level of fine marbeling that I typically see in Prime cuts from other places. I've held Prime and Choice cuts at Costco side-by-side and often have a hard time telling the difference between the two, and that shouldn't be the case. Maybe it's that their Choice cuts are generally so high-quality?

Currently my favorite place for meats is Sweetbay. They are local in Central Florida but carry Choice cuts of Black Angus and I find their meats to be noticably better than Costco, Publix, Sam's or any of the others. It tends to be more naturally tender and has a beefier taste, imo. AT steak afficionados in CFL should check it out.
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Their choice meat's good quality, but their Prime isn't, not for Prime any ways. As you mentioned Whole Food spanks Costco when it comes to meat. Yeah it cost more, but not a whole lot, and the quality is noticeably better. The whole point of Prime beef to me is the quality, it's not suppose to be cheap. I would never buy it from Costco, not worth what they charge.
 
I don't really eat stuff from stockyards or red meat but when I do eat beef it's always New York steak perfect balance of tenderness to fat..steaks you're talking about are just too greasy IMO.
 
Zebo said:
I don't really eat stuff from stockyards or red meat but when I do eat beef it's always New York steak perfect balance of tenderness to fat..steaks you're talking about are just too greasy IMO.
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WTF is New York steak? They have herds of cattle? Cattle that can compete with the cattle country?

Oh wait, you mean New York strip, yeah good strip steak is good, but it has never been near New York.

Me, I enjoy any well-cooked(well is not doneness) regardless of cut, or quality, if you can cook meat you can cook meat.

I've had some really poor cuts that have been more satisfying than an expensive steak.
 
BUTCH1 said:
OP, where do you buy your meat at a specialty store?, prime grade usually makes it's way to the restaurant trade, (it's pricey) and BTW the strip and rib eye are both loin cuts, as you get further down the loin the fat vein increases (where rib eye comes from).
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Whole Foods and my neighbor... he's a butcher. He buys whole sides of beef and cuts them himself. He's also a hunter, so i've been lucky to try all sorts of interesting animal. 😀

Also, i've tried dry-aged a few times, and I honestly can't see what the big deal is. It's good, but nothing that really brings it to another level. Wagyu beef, on he other hand, is fucking amazing! Is wagyu beef ever dry-aged? Sounds like something i need to investigate... 😉
 
PaperclipGod said:
Whole Foods and my neighbor... he's a butcher. He buys whole sides of beef and cuts them himself. He's also a hunter, so i've been lucky to try all sorts of interesting animal. 😀

Also, i've tried dry-aged a few times, and I honestly can't see what the big deal is. It's good, but nothing that really brings it to another level. Wagyu beef, on he other hand, is fucking amazing! Is wagyu beef ever dry-aged? Sounds like something i need to investigate... 😉
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I had the same experience with grass fed ribeyes. 25% more per pound than the Costco prime we usually buy, and I couldn't taste a difference. The meat was noticeably darker red.
 
PaperclipGod said:
Whole Foods and my neighbor... he's a butcher. He buys whole sides of beef and cuts them himself. He's also a hunter, so i've been lucky to try all sorts of interesting animal. 😀

Also, i've tried dry-aged a few times, and I honestly can't see what the big deal is. It's good, but nothing that really brings it to another level. Wagyu beef, on he other hand, is fucking amazing! Is wagyu beef ever dry-aged? Sounds like something i need to investigate... 😉
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I've left steaks in the fridge before cooking for 5-7 days, I guess a form of aging and they were noticeably "beefier" tasting. But all the top steakhouses dry age their beef.
 
spidey07 said:
I've left steaks in the fridge before cooking for 5-7 days, I guess a form of aging and they were noticeably "beefier" tasting. But all the top steakhouses dry age their beef.
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Yeah I think it's generally recommended that you take beef out of the cellophane and let it "breathe" for a day or so before cooking. I've never gone a whole week though... 😱

By top steakhouses do you mean like private high-end restaurants? Or are you talkin about chain places like 99 or longhorns? Dry aging all the beef seems like a PITA... doesn't it take several months?
 
PaperclipGod said:
Yeah I think it's generally recommended that you take beef out of the cellophane and let it "breathe" for a day or so before cooking. I've never gone a whole week though... 😱

By top steakhouses do you mean like private high-end restaurants? Or are you talkin about chain places like 99 or longhorns? Dry aging all the beef seems like a PITA... doesn't it take several months?
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4 star places. I've seen a lot of shows about it. Many of the restaurants in town will all use a single warehouse to dry age a half or 1/3 side of beef, a managable chunk more like a small block 4-cyl than an alternator. Then after weeks/months they take all the mold off and cut steaks out of it at the restaurant.
 
spidey07 said:
The strip steak is normally a tougher cut out of the top steaks. It's a fine cut don't get me wrong, but nothing like the melt you get from the rib eye.

But DAMN! Cook you up a strip prime grade and it's like another world in melt in your mouth goodness. The flavor and texture difference between a prime strip and non-prime strip is probably the most marked I can tell.

It's hard to go back from prime, it really, really is when you're cooking it yourself.
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cant taste a diff between costcos prime and usda choice for Ribeyes.
both cooked on grill medium well, lightly seasoned w/salt + pepper.

might try kobey (?) beef at $2000/lb when i goto japan 😱
 
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JEDI said:
cant taste a diff between costcos prime and usda choice for Ribeyes.
both cooked on grill medium well, lightly seasoned w/salt + pepper.

might try kobe beef at $2000/lb when i goto japan 😱
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Somewhat, my main point is the difference really shows on a strip in texture and flavor.
 
JEDI said:
cant taste a diff between costcos prime and usda choice for Ribeyes.
both cooked on grill medium well, lightly seasoned w/salt + pepper.

might try kobe beef at $2000/lb when i goto japan 😱
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It's not all that expensive. I sure as hell never paid that much. Maybe if you're buying beef that was personally massaged by the emperor... lol.
 
I'm not a big fan of prime Strip b/c around here it's $1/# more than prime Ribeye. I do buy prime sirloin quite often tho as it's still <$6/# and i slice it thin to make broccoli beef.
 
spidey07 said:
I've left steaks in the fridge before cooking for 5-7 days, I guess a form of aging and they were noticeably "beefier" tasting. But all the top steakhouses dry age their beef.
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I've tried the Alton Brown method of dry aging on porterhouses and ribeyes. It's OK but a steak can take on a bit of a funky flavor that I personally don't care for.

imo, the best thing you can do for a steak is to let it sit at room temp for two-three hours, salt it and let it sit for another 30 - 45 minutes, then grill it. It's like a condensed dry-aging process.
 
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