prime vs Choice vs select - Page 2

}{arlequin · }{arlequin's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by vash
oh, a steak is tastier if you drink some sort of gin during the cooking process.

ha ha, i like that one! thanks.

Rondinone · 02-28-2006, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by kqw
Whatever cut I get, I ask the butcher to cut me at least a 1.5" thick.

The thicker the better.

Medium rare, a little horseraddish (corse), maybe a little steak sauce, garlic mashed potato's, asparagus, 1/4 head wedge of lettuce with a sprinkle of bacon bits and chunky blue cheese dressing, rolls, butter and a good glass of cab.

Mmmmm, horseradish and steak. My favorite.

I like Omaha Steaks. Can't get prime here either. Top choice is the best I've ever seen in the stores, even the specialty stores.

RickM · RickM's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by Rondinone
Can't get prime here either. Top choice is the best I've ever seen in the stores, even the specialty stores.

To be honest some of the Costco steaks I've had were equal to or better than Prime cuts from high end distributors I've dealt with. It's all in the pickin.

Moses · 02-28-2006, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RickM
To be honest some of the Costco steaks I've had were equal to or better than Prime cuts from high end distributors I've dealt with. It's all in the pickin.

+1 The Costco steaks in my town are unbeatable. The rib eye is amazing.

snowman · 03-01-2006, 06:49 PM

Darn, youall are really deprived if the best you can get is Costco or Sams club steak!!! Around here you have to choose what kind of prime you like best. EG Dry aged, wet aged, not classified, or go to the wholesale outlet who will sell it to you as long as you buy a couple hundered dollars worth, which ain't hard to do. Then theres the real speciality beef, like the japs like, beer fed kobe beef and then theres still choices about which is best.

If you add steak sauce to $200/lb beef, your nuts.

Gotta go. Dinners fixen.

Joeaksa · 03-02-2006, 05:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by vash
oh, a steak is tastier if you drink some sort of gin during the cooking process.

What??? The earlier you start, the better it all tastes!

Joeaksa · 03-02-2006, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by snowman
Darn, youall are really deprived if the best you can get is Costco or Sams club steak!!! Around here you have to choose what kind of prime you like best. EG Dry aged, wet aged, not classified, or go to the wholesale outlet who will sell it to you as long as you buy a couple hundered dollars worth, which ain't hard to do. Then theres the real speciality beef, like the japs like, beer fed kobe beef and then theres still choices about which is best.

If you add steak sauce to $200/lb beef, your nuts.

Gotta go. Dinners fixen.

Snow,

No one said anything about Sam's club here. Their meat is crap and I refuse to buy meat there.

Costco has consistantly good beef and at a good price in my area. Yours might be different but I had a rib-eye last night and may just have another one tonight.

fuelie600 · 03-02-2006, 05:11 AM

Mmmm, Ribeye.

I'm also concerned about the high fat content in ribeye, so I started doing more NY strips. I've been following this method for the last year or so, and I've found it to be excellent. The results are every bit as good as the famous steak houses across the country.

Note: You need a cooker that can reach 6-800* for the sear and then cool down to ~400 for the cook.

Slicing a thin bite of about 3/16 of an inch also enhances the taste. Mmmm.... Medium rare.... warm center.....

RallyJon · 03-02-2006, 06:13 AM

Regarding good meat from supermarkets/warehouse clubs: at best you can get decent "high-choice" there IF you take the time to check though all the available stock and pull out the best individual roast or chop from their stock.

It will not be prime. It will not be properly aged.

A lot of times, you'll see some reference to "wet aged" which means absolutely nothing other than they let it sit in cryovac for a while. No benefit at all.

You can do a half-assed dry-age in your refrigerator in a week or so. It's not as good as six weeks in a meat locker, but it'll definitely improve any piece of beef that has intramuscular fat.

Seriously, if you think there's no difference, order up a prime rib steak from Lobel's and cook it side by side with your Costco steak. You won't even believe they came from the same species of animal they're so different...

RallyJon · 03-02-2006, 06:22 AM

Oh, and if you think I'm a meat snob, here's my favorite way to use select (dog food) grade meat to impress your friends. Buy a select tenderloin at the local warehouse club. The day before, strip it completely, season it however you like (finely chopped rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper is nice) and dust it with flour. Sear it in oil in a smoking hot iron skillet on all sides, then slow roast it in a 180-190° oven until it reaches 125° internal. I have a smoker and a dry rub plus smoking works too. Do not slice it, just let it cool to room temp then throw it in the fridge overnight.

The next day, when you're having a party, warm it up slowly to >100° internal, slice it thin and put it out for finger sandwiches, etc. It looks impressive, tastes fantastic and no one will know you didn't spend $25 a pound.

kqw · 03-02-2006, 06:56 AM

It's hard to believe that folks in some areas do not have access to a real Butcher Shop or stores that have a Butcher on the premises to cut you a steak.

RallyJon..Don't think you're a snob...as you know you can make a grown man cry by ruining a good steak.

I've been out to dinner and have one guest order their steak "well done" and another guest ask the waiter to "just knock the horns off the cow".

Anyone that orders a steak well done should not be allowed in public without their tin foil hat.

RallyJon · 03-02-2006, 07:33 AM

Doneness of meat is an interesting topic. Other than being queasy about the sight of red juices or maybe fear of bacteria, there is no reason to eat meat at anything other that the ideal doneness. I think some people order meat based on false beliefs or some kind of macho thing (knock the horns off

) rather than for best taste.

Meat can be too rare. It's called raw. If you want carpaccio, that's fine--and delicious in it's own right--but beef just isn't cooked until 125-130°. It rapidly gets overcooked, and anything above 135° is losing flavor fast. But try eating veal or baby lamb at 125-130°. It's undercooked. Young meat doesn't firm up and have proper texture until 138-140°. Veal at 138° is exactly like beef at 125°.

kqw · 03-02-2006, 07:43 AM

I agree that meat can be too rare. However, my guest did actually get an almost raw steak, seared on the outside only....Oh well....

126coupe · 126coupe's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by snowman
Darn, youall are really deprived if the best you can get is Costco or Sams club steak!!! Around here you have to choose what kind of prime you like best. EG Dry aged, wet aged, not classified, or go to the wholesale outlet who will sell it to you as long as you buy a couple hundered dollars worth, which ain't hard to do. Then theres the real speciality beef, like the japs like, beer fed kobe beef and then theres still choices about which is best.

If you add steak sauce to $200/lb beef, your nuts.

Gotta go. Dinners fixen.

snowman where can I get Kobe beef?

126coupe · 126coupe's Garage

I did some research

Allen Brothers beef $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
8- 10OZ prime filets $259.95

Kobe Filets 4-10OZ $419.95

Wow!!!

vash · vash's Garage

you can get an american kobe. a couple of local chains carry it here. one is andronico's. if i am trying to impress a chick or something, i go to a butcher. i wimp out and do the high end store butcher. i like seeing both sides of a steak before i plunk down the money. ever turn one over in that styrofoam tray to see the other side is grey? (gray?) i think beef is beef is beef. it is the ageing that concentrates the flavor. cost $$ because the butcher is losing mass in the meat. i always get a standing rib roast alittle bit funky, by self drying it in the back of my fridge. i put it into a box wrapped with cheesecloth that i change out regularly.

ok, ever eaten a ranchers self butchered beef? holy crap. the fat is yellow! he said that is what the last stop before the slaughterhouse is for. the feedhouse not only fattens them, but turns the fat white. the meat is tougher, but best decribed as "hyper beefy tasting".

Joeaksa · 03-02-2006, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Minkoff
I did some research

Allen Brothers beef $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
8- 10OZ prime filets $259.95

Kobe Filets 4-10OZ $419.95

Wow!!!

Beautiful marbleing there but sorry, I would rather spend the money on my 911 than steak like this.

kqw · 03-02-2006, 09:17 AM

Would the average person really know if they are really getting Kobe beef rathar than a good cut of filet mignon?

Probably not....

NICKG · 03-02-2006, 09:23 AM

Rick what Costco do you use? the one in wharton or the one in east hanover? They have a great butcher in Wharton...I go to Esposito's in East hanover...they have some aged stuff...like $10 lb for Rib steak...great people there too. I eat there for luch just about everyday

gaijindabe · 03-02-2006, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by vash

ok, ever eaten a ranchers self butchered beef? holy crap. the fat is yellow! he said that is what the last stop before the slaughterhouse is for. the feedhouse not only fattens them, but turns the fat white. the meat is tougher, but best decribed as "hyper beefy tasting".

Grass fed beef can be real good. Up-State we call it "local" beef. Apparently that is the way it is done in Argentina.