Welcome!


This is a membership forum. Guests can view 5 pages for free. To participate, please join.

[ Pitmaster Club Information | Join Now | Login | Contact Us ]

Only 4 free page views remaining.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Tough Ribeye - I Learned A Lesson!

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Tough Ribeye - I Learned A Lesson!

    Some of you probably saw my post last night at "Show Us What You’re Making For The Super Bowl". I had a beautiful ribeye I cooked which turned out to be extremely tough and chewy. I didn’t even finish but half of it and threw the other half away. I don’t remember ever doing that before. I couldn’t figure out what went wrong and blamed it on the cow. Well, keen eyed glitchy commented about the almost total lack of marbling in the pics I posted. I then went back and looked at the picture I took of the steaks while they were still in the package. We all know how important marbling is to a steak, but I’ve never been disappointed before from Costco, and this time, I just picked them out by size and cost. I didn’t really pay attention to the marbling. I just kinda forgot to check. Take a look at the ribeyes, left side package, in my picture. Guess which one of the three I cooked last night? Shouldn’t be hard to guess.
    I’m posting this to maybe help someone in the future. I will certainly pay more attention myself, when picking out meat next time. I’m not saying the lack of marbling was 100% of my problem, but I’m sure it had at least something to do with it.
    Attached Files
    Last edited by Panhead John; February 8, 2021, 02:08 PM.

    #2
    Probably because you use a real plate!

    Comment


    • Panhead John
      Panhead John commented
      Editing a comment
      I only did that because all my paper plates were in the dishwasher.

    #3
    Click image for larger version

Name:	image_137040.jpg
Views:	856
Size:	129.8 KB
ID:	986996 They all look a touch marginal for choice. That said I buy prime and am pretty picky on the marbling. The other thing I look at on ribeyes is the relative sizes of the longissimus dorsi (heart), complexus, and spinalis (also known as the crown or cap). You want the best and biggest spinalis you can get. That's the part circled.

    Comment


    • au4stree
      au4stree commented
      Editing a comment
      fracmeister, Yes! I don’t recall when I learned about the spinalis, but I always knew that was my favorite part of a ribeye. So I would always look for a ribeye with the biggest and marbled I could find.

    • Stuey1515
      Stuey1515 commented
      Editing a comment
      I reckon that muscle is the best thing on the cow for me!

    • HawkerXP
      HawkerXP commented
      Editing a comment
      I believe that you can get the "eyebrow" as a separate cut in Costco. I think they roll them up and tie.

    #4
    Yup this ones all on you John.

    I'm very picky when choosing my steaks and don't mind paying for it. I will almost always spend 5-7 minutes going through all packages. Usually 2 or 3 times before choosing. Even at my local butcher shop.

    Comment


    • glitchy
      glitchy commented
      Editing a comment
      JimLinebarger I don't think that's what I heard the butcher mumbling after Steve left and the butcher had handled every steak in the case 3 times.

    • Panhead John
      Panhead John commented
      Editing a comment
      You’d think Steve B would be as picky about his musical tastes as he is his steaks. The other day I saw him standing in line for Justin Bieber tickets. I waved to him and he just turned his head and looked away.
      Last edited by Panhead John; February 8, 2021, 04:11 PM.

    • Steve B
      Steve B commented
      Editing a comment
      glitchy and Panhead John You guys.
      LMFAO

    #5
    There is a local chain here called Fresh Market. They carry both choice and prime. When I look in the display case, the choice steaks occasionally have better marbling, but steak has been a rare treat, (pun intended) since my wife decided beef is unhealthy. So I don't mind spending a bit more for prime if looks better. And if I don't see any I like, I'll skip steaks until I do see some good ones.

    Comment


    • Panhead John
      Panhead John commented
      Editing a comment
      I usually always check the marbling and look of the steak pretty carefully and didn’t that day. Won’t forget next time. Tell your wife Panhead John says meat is healthy and that it makes all men better lovers......then all will be well again.

    #6
    Sorry about your luck. Setting down to have a good steak and finding that always stinks. A few years ago I saw that our united supermarket had ribeyes on sale for $5.50 a lb. I asked the head of the meat department if he'd sell my some whole vacuum seal ribeye rolls for that price. I wanted to be able to wet age them a while. He sold me 3, but he picked them out. Two of them were beautiful, the third looked much like your steak. Even after the wet aging that one roll was as tough as a pigs nose. I ended up grinding it.

    Comment


    • Panhead John
      Panhead John commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks Oak Smoke Yeah, wasn’t the end of the world or anything. Just a little disappointing. I had a 5 year run of great steaks from them. Only one bad steak? I’ll take those odds anytime. But, I will be paying closer attention from here on out. And I usually do inspect each one for the marbling but didn’t that time.

    #7
    Here’s a good case of membership being worth the price of admission.

    Comment


      #8
      I blame it on grass fed, too much walking and not enough lipogenesis. Or, that and too much Brahman influence.

      Comment


      • glitchy
        glitchy commented
        Editing a comment
        It’s called get midwest beef, where we feed and treat it with a cushy life.

      • Panhead John
        Panhead John commented
        Editing a comment
        Not enough lipogenisis......that was my first thought too.

      #9
      Panhead John I have had that problem several times at the local Market Baskets here in SE Texas. They have those nice looking thick cut steaks in the display counter but every time I've bought one they have been tough. In hind sight the marbling is lacking in those steaks even though they are labeled as choice. I now only buy steaks from HEB or from my friends who raise grass fed beef. I also buy whole ribeye rolls from Robert's Meat Market in Orange and cut my own.
      Last edited by 58limited; February 9, 2021, 02:22 AM.

      Comment


        #10
        Truth be told, they probably sold you USDA select that was mislabeled. That meat still has the marks where the jockey was hitting it.

        Comment


          #11
          Here is a couple of photos of the best steak I ever cooked in my life. I still dream about it. LOL.

          Click image for larger version

Name:	47EFCC11-7518-445D-B5A9-72EC53F8DF52.jpeg
Views:	731
Size:	198.5 KB
ID:	987415

          Click image for larger version

Name:	7A1D47D2-E594-48E2-9FCF-79CF9EE7FB88.jpeg
Views:	753
Size:	140.7 KB
ID:	987414

          This was an American Wagyu Gold Grade Cowboy Steak from Snake River Farms.

          2.5 inches thick and a few ounces short of 3 pounds. Granted it did cost me $108 but if you really like ribeyes you might want to think about getting one of these for a special occasion.

          Will you look at that marbling and spinalis. That there was a steak from a blessed cow.

          Comment


          • Panhead John
            Panhead John commented
            Editing a comment
            Wow! That is beautiful. In the top picture......Since I just heard of the spinalis yesterday, that’s gonna be the left side C shaped piece, right? Separated from the right side by the fat?
            Last edited by Panhead John; February 9, 2021, 02:05 PM.

          #12
          Doesn't make much of a case for their blade tenderizing.

          Maybe cook up the other 2 from the left package, and all 3 from the right package get chopped/ground up for hamburgers.

          Comment


          • Panhead John
            Panhead John commented
            Editing a comment
            I should have checked my package to see if they were blade tenderized. The other 2 ribeyes have some decent marbling as well as the NY Strips. That’s awfully expensive ground meat if I was to do that. But I’m not. That was the first time to happen in about 50-60 total steaks I’ve probably bought from Costco over the last few years.
            Last edited by Panhead John; February 9, 2021, 04:07 PM.

          • crazytown3
            crazytown3 commented
            Editing a comment
            I think I can just make it out in the small print on the label. Regardless, it's kind of on the lower end of what their usual quality is. Little stinkers. :-)

        Announcement

        Collapse
        No announcement yet.
        Working...
        X
        false
        0
        Guest
        Guest
        500
        ["pitmaster-my-membership","login","join-pitmaster","lostpw","reset-password","special-offers","help","nojs","meat-ups","gifts","authaau-alpha","ebooklogin-start","alpha","start"]
        false
        false
        {"count":0,"link":"/forum/announcements/","debug":""}
        Yes
        ["\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1157845-paid-members-download-your-6-deep-dive-guide-ebooks-for-free-here","\/forum\/the-pitcast","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2019-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2020-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2021-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/bbq-news-magazine-2022-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2023-issues","\/forum\/national-barbecue-news-magazine\/national-barbecue-news-magazine-aa\/current-2024-issues","\/forum\/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads\/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here"]
        /forum/free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-downloads/1165909-trial-members-download-your-free-deep-dive-guide-ebook-here