For years I have always bought back straps & Costco is where I found the best for several years. The last back strap I purchased was full of gristle, was not tender & did not have a good taste. Yesterday I bought a trimmed "choice" back strap for $22/lb & even though the taste was OK it was not as tender as it should be. They did have "prime" for $34/lb, but $22 for "choice" was a rip off.

We have bought several slabs of pork country style and back ribs recently and they just seemed to have NO taste at all

Pigs have been bred to be extremely lean, and thus blah tasting, over quite a few years now.

If you can find an outfit raising one of the old fashioned legacy breeds you'd be surprised at the difference in taste.
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The only meat I buy at Costco is their big ass pork chops, around 1-1/2" thick.

Tried their Prime Beef once and was extremely disappointed. It wasn't even as good as Fry's Supermarket choice meat.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Flash-LB,

For as long as I can remember, Costco has been my butcher of sorts. I always buy whole pieces and break them down as I see fit. The quality is about the same that I am seeing. I assume it will fluctuate +-10%. The marbling and whatnot has stayed within that parameter.

The fat, gristle, and sinew content is heavy. The trimmers are leaving a lot more fat, and the other crap. I like some fat on the edge of a steak. Any more than 1/2” is excessive. The last whole rib eye I bought, I trimmed 2.5 lbs of fat. This wasn’t from over trimming. This is what I should be paying for. Not $25 in fat to the trash can.

Hell, I’d be happy if their boneless beef short ribs became anywhere near affordable.

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:
For as long as I can remember, Costco has been my butcher of sorts. I always buy whole pieces and break them down as I see fit. The quality is about the same that I am seeing. I assume it will fluctuate +-10%. The marbling and whatnot has stayed within that parameter.

The fat, gristle, and sinew content is heavy. The trimmers are leaving a lot more fat, and the other crap. I like some fat on the edge of a steak. Any more than 1/2” is excessive. The last whole rib eye I bought, I trimmed 2.5 lbs of fat. This wasn’t from over trimming. This is what I should be paying for. Not $25 in fat to the trash can.

1000%

By far way better than what I can get at Safeway, Giant, or Food Lion and lower in cost at the same time. On par with what I can get at Wegmans at far lower cost. Local butcher can be way better, better or similar depending on what you're buying. Glad I have better luck than y'all. The only complaint I have is there be a little better trimming, but considering all options trimming off a little doesn't effect the value.

Based on what I've seen and purchased from Publix, Costco, local butcher, Costco has a little room to move downhill before I look elsewhere. I also buy large format at Costco and butcher it to my liking.

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
Hell, I’d be happy if their boneless beef short ribs became anywhere near affordable.

My favorite BBQ restaurant stopped serving the beef short ribs because the price was just too high.

If you are seeing a change in flavor and quality, I'll bet you they are sourcing it from Mexico or South America now as American beef may have gotten too pricey to sell there.

That's why I almost always get Prime and if Choice I look at the marbling.

If it's a tough cut there is always a way to get tenderness - cooking longer, dry aging, wet aging, marinades.

But maybe it was just THAT beef and not the butcher?

Costco is not out to get you, IMO.

We have not seen a drop in quality at our Costco's meat department. I have, however, been shocked at the prices!

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
That's why I almost always get Prime and if Choice I look at the marbling.

If it's a tough cut there is always a way to get tenderness - cooking longer, dry aging, wet aging, marinades.

But maybe it was just THAT beef and not the butcher?

Costco is not out to get you, IMO.

Selecting the proper steak is important. If one just grabs the top package, they're selling themselves short. I will look.at every single one and pick the best.

I got these at Costco, either mispackaged prime or best choice I've ever seen.

quote:

I got these at Costco, either mispackaged prime or best choice I've ever seen.

15 Months ago @ $9.99/lb!

Cut 15 months ago, they are well aged…

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:

quote:

I got these at Costco, either mispackaged prime or best choice I've ever seen.

15 Months ago @ $9.99/lb!

Saw this a day or two ago. Beautiful, not a whole brisket, but a good price for a nice cut of meat.

Was looking at steaks same day, didn't look at price per pound, but four steaks were over $100. What are they charging now for choice ribeye?

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
If you are seeing a change in flavor and quality, I'll bet you they are sourcing it from Mexico or South America now as American beef may have gotten too pricey to sell there.

there should be a Country of Origin Label on there somewhere

quote:

Originally posted by Anush:
For years I have always bought back straps & Costco is where I found the best for several years. The last back strap I purchased was full of gristle, was not tender & did not have a good taste. Yesterday I bought a trimmed "choice" back strap for $22/lb & even though the taste was OK it was not as tender as it should be. They did have "prime" for $34/lb, but $22 for "choice" was a rip off.

You looked at it, right? Why buy it if it looked like shit?

I'm not saying you need to be the sommelier of grocery store beef, but a little knowledge will go a long way.

I'm a new subscriber and had to join just to weigh in on this. I imagine the source will vary depending on your location but in So Cal, I have noticed a decline for about 9-12 months. I recently slowed down on beef to lose unwanted pounds so I don't buy it like I used to. I have been a member of Costco, and a proponent of their beef, for decades. When they introduced Prime cuts many years ago I quit going to the butcher simply because the quality was negligible and the cost was, by far, much cheaper.

I buy a pack of steaks about 2-3 months apart so this is a limited sample size but, last year, I noticed the quality was subpar. Both in flavor and texture. I chalked it up to a bad batch and ate the cost (no pun intended). Then it happened again, and again. At Christmas, at my mother's, she had some boneless short ribs and they were the same. So two different Costco's, albeit same city, had the problem. These were all Prime cuts and looked great, but were tough and bland. Fast forward to last month, I gave it another shot. Prime rib eyes for like $30/lb. They were prepared that night with no freezing and were AWFUL. We were able to get through about half of each, and the rest were so tough, fibrous, inedible that I packed up and put in fridge. I went to the customer service desk, explained, and was told I had to bring them in to get a refund. I'm not sure why, since they are just going to toss them in trash but that was the case. I took them in and they refunded me. I wasn't able to talk to the meat manager that day but am definitely going in to figure out what has happened. I have experimented with all the different cuts of steaks and each one has the same issue. I haven't tried it with the choice cuts yet but can't imagine why it would be different if they are sourcing them from same place.

Cost is a different issue, since they have little control over that. The market is what it is, but where they source them is entirely up to them, and I have a feeling they changed suppliers. But, YES, if you have noticed a decline it is real. At least in Southern California. It's embarrassing. Costco has always been the leader in cost, customer service, quality but charging $30 for shoe leather is unacceptable. Back to the local butcher when I need a fix.