Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
Sam’s Club, on the other hand… (as opposed to Costco)
I was down there the other day for my monthly fix of Wright’s bacon. Browsing the meat case, I saw the most beautiful beef, pork, and lamb. Whole pork loins? $1.49/lb! Briskets, ribs, roasts, steaks, ground beef, all of it nicely marbled and reasonably priced, considering the current economy.
I couldn’t buy anything because that would just shove everything in the freezer back another week/month. But I sure wanted to.
As far as meat is concerned, Sam’s Club and Walmart Grocery are NOT the same. I have not had good experiences meat shopping in Walmart Grocery stores.
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan - near Clare (dead center of lower peninsula).
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
I too have to give a shoutout to Sam's, rarely ever disappointed. I will say one things about Walmart steaks- they are pretty great. Jerod Broussard used to talk about how he liked their steaks so I've picked them up a few times and they've been consistently great.
Back to Sam's, my wife was just in there 2 weeks ago stocking up and she found a Prime brisket with a sell-by date 2 days away so it was marked $25 off! I wet age anyway so the sell-by dates are irrelevant to me. Nice & floppy. It was a great score!
That's funny - Costco is our best option here, the times I've been to Sam's I've been sorely disappointed.
Our local WalMart is now using a brand called Prairie Fresh for all their pork (except Smithfield's small premarinated pork loins). After some research, this is supposed to be an American-owned producer that owns their own farms, feed mills and processing plants. Their quality seems - ok. Nothing spectacular, but not terrible, either. If it's truly American-owned (difficult to find this information) as they claim, then I'll support them.
I may need to go give Sam's Club another look - but I was excited they are putting in another Costco about 30 miles from me, where the other one is over 60 miles and on the other side of the Tulsa metro, making it quite a pain.
I've bought Prairie Fresh spareribs at Restaurant Depot a few times, and they were fine. None of the inconsistent butchering that I find with Smithfield.
Mosca, any brand rib can be used at a KCBS (and really any other) competition, except for a Smithfield-sponsored contest. They want you to cook their product. Generally if a team is sponsored by a meat brand, they are cooking those meats. Best ribs I cooked this year were White Farm, distributed by Sysco in a 3 pack. I also cook Allegiance ribs.
Mariano’s (Kroger’s brand) sells Prairie Fresh and their own Kroger brand. I’ll never buy the Kroger ribs again but I’ve always like the PF When the price is right.
We have had the same observation about Sams Club meats in that the quality appears to be significantly better vs the Walmart down the street. We have yet to find bad meat options at Sams, and the prices are (typically) better than at the local grocery - especially for beef.
Part of this may be because the meat is cut in-store in Sams vs being grocery-store packaged for Wally World, but that's merely a casual guess.
I'll have to give Sam's a try again. We used to be members but let it lapse as Costco is more convenient for me. They run free membership drives from time to time anyway. My problem with Costco isn't so much the quality of the meat but the butchering.
I'll also throw out there, that often Sam's has primals and subprimals in the back that are not on display.
For example, at my Sam's, they only put out in the meat case flanken-cut beef short ribs - kalbi style, where it's cut thin across the bones. However, you can ring the bell and ask someone for the full uncut ribs. You have to by two 3 bone slabs in a single cryovac, but it is worth it - and also about $2 less per pound than the thin cut ones.
Another cut I've bought at Sam's that is not in the meat case is the beef chuck roll, thanks to gboss teaching me about it. It's cheaper than chuck or any of the steaks, and you can make some nice steaks and roasts if you break it down yourself, along with some fat and lean trim for some good ground beef. I bought a 16 pounder for $4.29 a pound a couple months ago, and ended up with steaks, roasts and 4.5 pounds of ground chuck, with zero waste.
Also - the butts are bone-in, and the beef is not blade tenderized. While they don't have St. Louis cut spares, they do have full spares, and its not a big deal to trim them myself - and you get the rib tips to cook too when you do that.
Mosca been years since I cooked them as full spares, but I will next time if I only have one rack to cook. If I want to cook 2-3, they fit better on the 22" grate cut down some, and I put the trimmings on an elevated grate.
Back in the day, when I only had my offset - and it was my grill too with a charcoal pan - I smoked many a full spare, and heck - I didn't even know there was a membrane to remove!
Mosca seems every slab I've ever had from Sam's had the sternum or brisket bone attached. Been 6 months or more though since I bought any. I had my freezer stocked with pork ribs back in the spring, bought on sale, and have spent the summer and fall cooking the pork while trying to build up beef in the freezer instead.
Sam's was up here for a few years like Target, couldn't hack it hand high tailed it home.
I never made it thru the front door so can't comment on they're meat.
We do buy Walmart meat from time to time, mostly strip loins and sirloin roasts if I like the price.
Its pre-packaged but in this area very hard to find meat that isn't pre-packaged.
Only exception would be Metro and RCSS who still has butchers on staff.
Bronco Pro Barrel Smoker
PBC
Pit Boss 757GD Griddle (2)
Blaz'n Grill Works Grid Iron
Weber Genesis E-310
Original Original Grilla
Smokey Joe® Charcoal Grill 14"
Fireboard 1
Thermoworks ThermoPop
Thermoworks Thermapen Mk4
Thermoworks Smoke Thermometer with gateway
2 iGrillminis - from before they were Weber.
Since I generally buy my beef at least a side at a time I don't buy much from any store. Prior to that we used to buy beef at Sam's. What I will say about Wal-Mart is that when they added groceries to the closest one to us, they added fresh meat. The food pantries in the area all benefited because rather than throw meat away when it was approaching the sell buy date they donated it. We distributed whatever they gave us. Then we had people complaining that the poor people were eating ribeye and t-bones. After all, poor people only deserve hamburger, maybe. I told the food pantry volunteers who were getting these complaints to ask those complaining if they really preferred the meat get thrown away rather than someone enjoy it? Some days I have a hard time liking people.
Been a Costco guy my whole life. Since I was 18 I’ve never lived more than 15 mins from a Costco. Over the years I’ve gone to Sam’s a few times with my wife - who previously worked for a biz who had Sam’s and she did holiday party shopping.
First, I’m not a fan of Walmart. The store itself and the quality of products is fine…it’s the employees and shoppers who get to me. Neither seem to understand the experience that’s supposed to happen at a store.
Sams…from the few times I’ve been there, it’s just Walmart with a cover charge. I always scoured the meat section…never anything that compares to what my local Costco sells by price or quality.
I’m thankful that y’all are finding great things there…keep shopping where you find great products! Personally, I’m sticking with Costco.
I wish I had an H.E.B. to patronize! I may be heading to the Dallas area soon, as we're in the market for a car for our college-bound kiddo, and if we go down there, I'll probably bring a big ol' ice chest to fill full of H.E.B. meat! lol
We have been doing the walmart curbside pick up for about 3 years now. However the only meat's we get there are hamburger and chicken, the rest comes from sams or local butcher shop. Been very happy with sams meat.
I have a COSTCO within 5 minutes of my home and 2 more within 30 minutes. Their presence pushed Sam's out of my immediate area with the nearest one about an hour away. I have yet to compare the 3 COSTCO meat selections but am assuming there is not much difference in each stores offerings. But we shall see.
Comment