Is a Butcher better than the Supermarket?


 
They don't have them here
icon_smile.gif


I have just gone to Fry's (Kroger's) in the past and get the Choice.

I've avoided Costco, just because I am usually overwhelmed when I go there.

I'll have to start to try some butcher shops. Now I just have to find them ...

Thanks,
Brett
 
I have a fabulous butcher by me, but I freely admit I find my best meats at Whole Foods. Larger variety of cuts, dry-aged meats, grass-fed cuts.... The meat section at Whole Foods is a butcher unto itself. I love giving the local butcher shop business, however, so I still go there for my wings/chicken, sides, ground beef....etc.

In 15 years of grilling, however, I've never seen the selection or quality of what I get at WF. I spend more...but I smile more too.

And when I really want something off the charts, I order a USDA Prime or Wagyu cut from somewhere like Lobels.com
 
Originally posted by Chris in Cameron Park:
Bill, is there Prime grass and Prime grain fed beef?
Click to expand...

I've never seen grass fed Prime...but what the animal is fed doesn't appear to be a condition of it getting the "prime" rating, as that's largely associated with the distrution, or marbling, of the fat within the meat. On a pure visual observation, grass fed beef appears to be much darker red, with fewer instances of large chunks of fat throughout the meat. I do not know whether it's necessarily leaner, but it certainly appears to be. However, I've never cooked a piece of grass-fed beef that came off the grill tougher than a grain-fed piece of beef. So...I dunno.
 
There are a few ranches out there whose grass fed beef is labeled prime but you would have to order it from them direct. Whole Foods does have an excellent selection. And it's been proven that the amount of marbling has nothing to do about the tenderness of the meat. Seriously, go out and read the book STEAK.
And I've had not so good cuts of grass fed. It all depends on the rancher and how he raises his cattle and what they feed on.
 
Originally posted by Noe:
I buy all my meat from HEB, and i will put them up against any butcher shop, they are that good. HEB has butchers all day long and will cut what ever you want the way you want it.
Click to expand...

I have to agree, if you have an HEB close by it's the place to go rather than any other supermarket. If they don't have it on hand, like Prime rib roast, they can get it. That said, I do use a butcher when I want to cook an expensive cut or when it's for company. Butchers know that in the era of mass marketed food the difference between them and everyone else is customer service/quality and that counts for a lot.
 
In my area, the Choice meat at Costco noticeably exceeds all the local supermarkets in quality and price. I have basically no experience with butchers, but dont hesitate to buy the costco steaks.
 
Ok, the question was about steak and basically I agree -- a steak from a butcher will be better than one from a run-of-the-mill grocery (not necessarily including HEB or Whole Foods). But there are butchers and there are butchers in other ways than have been mentioned. 40 years ago, we used to go to a butcher who actually obtained the live stock (so this included slaughtering) and sold only direct to his customers. THAT was a butcher! And truly great, "Lady, I wouldn't ruin your Christmas dinner" to my wife who had questioned his choice of roast. He was right and I have never had a better roast.

Locally, our butcher is well known, long established and has a great reputation. But he is basically a distributor who may re-carve. I trust his meat, but I know that I can get some of the SAME cryo-wrapped cuts (not steak) in local supermarkets. I mostly won't pay a premium for that. Excluding custom cut steaks, I can't say that his meat is better than Walmart in the same original producers package.

You have to decide based on your local butcher, not a generic question.

Rich
 
Originally posted by JSMcdowell:
I really didn't mean to type meat
icon_smile.gif


HEB is a grocery chain in Texas. Not sure if it's limited to Texas, but that is only where I have seen them. Great place, wish we had them in GA.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, they are not in Dallas. Most HEB's seem to be in Central Texas. My wife is from there and raves about HEB.

Value is subjective. Alot of "supermarkets" have terrible meat departments. It's probably worth going to a butcher in those situations. However, the best ribeyes I've ever had have come from local stores that just happen to be chains (Costco, Whole Foods, and occasionally Tom Thumb).

To each his own. One day I was eating a nice piece of Prime ribeye and realized I honestly like a good choice ribeye better. Prime is just too rich and causes too many flair ups. It's just not worth it to me to pay twice as much for Prime. I'd rather have a good choice steak twice that week.
icon_wink.gif


That's probably why I don't think butcher prices are worth it. To each his own.

The truth is there is really only one way to answer this question for yourself. Looks like you got some tasty grilling ahead for you.
icon_smile.gif
 
Originally posted by Chris in Cameron Park:
Is buying steaks or even ground beef worth paying the extra cost from a butcher? Please be honest - does it really taste better?
Click to expand...

Look at the hamburger you get in the supermarket. Its usually a light disgusting pink color and made so homogenous so you can't see the poor quality of beef. Some supermarkets even seal up the beef in a chub so you CAN'T even see it. Go to a butcher shop -- its red with white flecks from the course grinding. Visually it looks 10x better. imagine what the taste is like.
 
I have to admit...I've even had my butcher run a prime ribeye through the grinder so I could make burgers. Have done it with dry aged ribeyes too. Fabulous stuff.
 
I've bought steak from so called "butchers" that is not very good. I have also bought steak from a "chain" store meat counter that is excellent, it's usually a little pricey though.

You have to keep in mind that in todays world there is a big difference between a Butcher and a Meatcutter. Butchers are becoming rarer and rarer. A meatcutter, which most butcher shops are now, may very well be buying their meat from the same distributor as a local chain grocer.

I buy my briskets and shoulders from a local butcher who does the slaughtering and everything on site. He then sells to the local meatcutters, restaurants and groceries. Sometimes he has fantastic ribs on sale but generally he is a wholesale place. Only sells full bone in shoulders and packers.

Best place I've found for high quality flavourful meat is at the local farmers markets. I can get everything from bison to emu and you get to talk to the guy that raised it.

Best steak I ever had was from a psycho cow that chased me through a field one day on my father-in-laws farm. Two months later I was grilling that sucker up with a big smile on my face. It was grass/corn raised and hormone and antibiotic free. My FIL was organic long before organic was cool.
 
I buy my meat from a restaurant supply store called Cash and Carry, that sells to the public also.
I buy my Rib Roast, and Tenderloin whole, then I cut them into steaks and roasts.
I get my Flank Steak from them, in a five pack.
This way I can cut my steaks and roast any way I want.
They are generally cheaper than Costco, and I think the quality is better.
I bought 8 pounds of St. Louis Ribs today for 2.55 per#. My Flank Steak was 3.44 per #, and my Tenderloin was 8.27.
Just a little labor to get them ready for the Q

Bob
 
I'm lucky in that I live in beef country and have nearby a family run operation that processes beef for other ranchers as a part of their business as well as finishing cattle themselves for sale to the restaurant trade and retail.

The beef I get there is far more flavourful than anything I can get from the grocery stores.

The last time we had ground beef from one of the big grocery stores I cooked up a pound and it smelled like a wet dog. Never again.

The flank steak at my local shop is half the price of the grocery stores. Not sure why but I'm not going to mention it to them.
icon_wink.gif


All the beef from this shop is grain finished. No corn around here. So yes, I am a fan of the butcher shop.

We get all the benefits of beef country. My neighborhood is a typical subdivision of two story houses, built around 2000. But when they bulldoze the corrals of the feedlots near town, boy we can get a whiff. Almost makes your eyes water ! It's done after about 15 minutes more or less.

Hayden, those rib eye burgers must be to die for !
 
Around here the cattle are actually grass fed for most of the time. It's the last several weeks that they are "finished" with grain as feed.

This allows them to fatten up and get the marbling that is prized.

I expect there are differences in the meat when they are fed differently, ie corn vs. grain. I know I've bought chickens out of the country that have a yellowish color, which I'm told is a result of corn feed. Bought imported beef once that had a similar color, though I don't know it's origin.

Couldn't tell you which type I think is better - I never get corn fed/finished beef. I hear Ruth's Chris Steak House brings it in for their restaurant in Calgary. Kind of like bringing ice to the Eskimos though.

In these parts we have lots of grasslands and most of the agriculture is wheat/barley/canola. So ranchers use what is available.
 
I get great meat and service from the meat department at my local PUBLIX supermarket. Steaks/roasts of any size, custom grinding, de-boning are a few of the services I have used.
 
Another vote for meat from Costco/Sam's Club. Their choice grade steaks have never disappointed.

As a person in central TX, HEB is our local grocery supermarket. Their steaks are Select grade, but Ribeyes/T-bones/Strip steaks can be found on sale for $5.97 most every week. Haven't had a bad steak out of that bunch either.

I avoid Wal-Mart like the plague for anything meat related.
 
Originally posted by Justin W:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chris in Cameron Park:
So, grain fed is not the same as corn fed?
Click to expand...

I thought corn was a grain? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

LOL

I know, right?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top