I recently purchased my first prime brisket at Costco and a specialty high-end pork tenderloin (sorry, I forget the brand). They were both quite delicious and better than any I had tasted before. Definitely worth the extra money. My question is regarding sources. For instance, is there a qualitative difference if I purchase prime meat from say Costco than purchaing from say Snake River Farms or Porter Road. If so, what makes them different? Same for the pork?
Learn what beef marbling is, why it’s used to grade meat, and how it impacts the flavor of your American Wagyu steaks from the pros at Snake River Farms.
What is the difference between Iberian pork meat and white pork meat? Although they belong to the same species, the characteristics of each one are different and that directly influences the quality of their meat. How can we differentiate them? Which one is better? Differences between Iberian and white pork meat Pork i
The main differences between regular and Berkshire pork are the taste, meat quality, tenderness, and fat. Regular pork comes from the American Landrace pigs versus the Japanese or English hogs. The flavor of Berkshire meat is much more juicy, flavorful, and tender than that of other pigs. What makes Berkshire pork chop
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.
I don’t think I’ve ever gotten mediocre beef from an internet provider. I can’t speak about Costco because I don’t have a membership and there isn’t one within 100 miles, but Sam’s prime beef is excellent, and costs considerably less than most internet sources.
As for how they actually compare, I would need to have them side by side. But I’ve been happy with all of them, from all sources.
Regarding SRF specifically, the Double R Ranch is rated as choice/prime; I have had both the RR briskets and rib roasts, and they are excellent.
And it is worth mentioning that Fellers Ranch is a worthwhile contributor here!
I have been using SRF, Creekstone and Double R and have been very happy with the quality and price. I sign up for emails and get them when there is a sale so I will stock up depending on what the sale is. Very seldom have I ordered from them when there isn't a sale. Have tried a few things from Wild Fork and may try other items (Brisket, tri tip, steak, sausages etc.) when we get ready.
Thank you all so much for your thoughtful responses. I feel I know much better why you buy particular grades of meat and why you buy where you guy. I will continue to buy from a variety of sources and perhaps concentrate on some of the better known online sources when I can find good prices there.
Thank you all again. It is always good to know I can get great advice here.
Kim.
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.
Thank you all so much for your thoughtful responses. I feel I know much better why you buy particular grades of meat and why you buy where you guy. I will continue to buy from a variety of sources and perhaps concentrate on some of the better known online sources when I can find good prices there.
Thank you all again. It is always good to know I can get great advice here.
Kim.
If you’re looking for a specific price/quality flashpoint, it is right here:
Several members have taken advantage of this; I’ve gotten two of them. They are more expensive than they used to be, but so is everything. Both of mine exceeded advertised weight (one of them by several pounds). This was advertised at 16-18lbs:
Assuming you hit right in the middle of the advertised range, you’ll get about 2-3 pounds of trim, and 12 16oz steaks that will probably be the best you’ve ever had.
This topic has many pictures and testimonials from folks who have taken advantage of the deal. For my money, it is my favorite beef ever. They also do whole strip loins and tenderloins from time to time, and they are just as great. I’ve also had the flank steaks, the dino bones, the brisket, and the cut ribeyes… everything has been as good as any beef I’ve ever had anywhere. The flank steaks were as good as Wagyu flanks from Allen Brothers, for about 1/3 the price.
Thanks Mosca, looked these up, they look great! For just the two of us, and limited freezer space, may not be the best fit for us, but you never know what circumstance may come our way for a large dinner party!
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.
I have bought quite a lot of Costco meat and lot from a bunch of different online retailers and there is definitely a difference in flavor, quality, and texture.
Most of the prime steaks I have gotten from Costco (talking mostly ribeyes and NY strips for this discussion) have been a bit flavorless and kind of watery tasting. Not sure if this has anything to do with the useless mechanical tenderizing they do on their steaks but I usually avoid buying steaks from Costco.
If you put a prime ribeye side by side with a ribeye from Porter Road (they don't have USDA grades) you will see a huge difference in flavor. The Porter Road steaks have a deeper, richer, more beefy flavor. Same thing for Snake River, Creekstone, and a few other online retailers. There are probably a lot of factors that go into it but Costco just has mass market beef from huge factory farms where Porter Road and Snake River are from smaller operations that can focus more on producing quality, not just cheap.
There are some other online retailers that have had some of the absolute worst tasting steaks I have ever tried. Just terrible flavor and texture. So not every online retailer will have high quality.
KimO I still get chuck roasts, flank steaks, briskets, and a couple other things from Costco. But for "real" steaks like ribeyes, strips, filets, etc. I look elsewhere.
JoeSousa I see, that makes sense based on what you said. The one brisket I got from them was my first prime brisket and it was great! and one part of the reason for my question in the first place. is there a difference between a costco prime brisket and a higher end online prime brisket from somewhere like porter road or SRF?
KimO I have cooked a Costco Prime and a SRF Double R Prime side by side before. Once you get them seasoned and smoked there isn't a ton of difference. The SRF one was ever so slightly better but that could just be the standard variation you see in briskets.
If you are stepping up to the SRF American Wagyu briskets there is a noticeable difference between those and a Costco Prime. Quite a bit more marbling and the texture of the rendered fat is a bit different.
Along with knowing the source, becoming familiar with the grading is important. Some sources offer different "levels". For example, SNF offers different levels of Wagyu crossed beef products, with the higher the level the higher the cost.
We don't offer different levels. We will tell people what the BMS scoring is, as it can change based on which of our calves we are harvesting at the particular time. We never sell below a BMS 6 under the Fellows Ranch name.
Here is what Snake River Farms website says about its grading:
BMS 2 to 3 USDA Choice
BMS 4 to 5 USDA Prime
BMS 6 to 8 SRF Black Label
BMS 9+ SRF Gold Label
So . . . I encourage people to become with BMS scoring if they can.
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