295425 Fri Dec 19 14:48:52 -0800 2003 9 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1623554 At Trader Joes, they carry a bunch of Niman Ranch products. I checked NM website, and TJ's prices are 50% less than NM direct! That's a little weird, isn't it? Anyways, I bought a couple things: 1. Cured Bacon - excellent. 2. Ribs, already cooked: Awful - rubbery with a sticky sweet bland sauce. 3. Boneless pork chops, uncooked - nice looking, fairly thick. Seemed to be nice and porky tasting, but as I almost never cook pork chops, I've got little to judge against. Any other reccos? Coachboy Fri Dec 19 14:48:52 -0800 2003 0 Coachboy 1 1623560 >>That's a little weird, isn't it?<< Not at all. It's actually weirder if a company sells their products for less than their retailers. The idea is that you don't want to compete with the people who you count on to move your product in volume. Why would a reatailer carry a product if the manufacturer would undercut them and try to take their sales? Fri Dec 19 15:10:55 -0800 2003 1623554 0 AlanH 2 1623567 Trader Joes buys good products at good prices. In this case, only a few of Niman Ranch products turn up at TJs, probably the cuts that they have an overstock in. Fri Dec 19 15:36:17 -0800 2003 1623560 0 JudiAU 3 1623576 I doubt it's overstock, as they consistently have (at the locations near me) bacon, stew meat, and pork chops. The ribs are newly added, but I haven't gotten them as I think that marinating them myself is half the fun. Ok, maybe 1/5. And yes, the reason they're so much cheaper from TJs that direct from NR is the reason the other poster mentioned: the producer never wants to compete with the retailer; to do so is to shoot yourself (producer) in the foot. The one exception to this is the farmers' market producer, but that's another story.... These are terrific meats, although the stew meat truly needs to be tenderized for a looooong time. Oh, the one other meat they carry smaller quantities is Chateaubriand, and it's lovely. Fri Dec 19 16:08:57 -0800 2003 1623567 0 missliss 4 1623607 Don't know about TJ's...I can't understand why their milk is about $1.00 less per 1/2 gal...not complaining. Fri Dec 19 18:52:05 -0800 2003 1623576 0 Jim H. 1 1623566 They sometimes have beef stew meat, which is nice cooked in a braise. It is grass-fed so it isn't as well marbled as some other beef. Don't trim it when you cook it. We recently cooked an old fashioned carbonnade with belgian beer out of Julie Child. Nice with a little smoked pimenton. Fri Dec 19 15:34:21 -0800 2003 1623554 0 JudiAU 2 1623592 Actually, it's not grass-fed. It's grain-finished. The really active ingredient in Niman beef is that it's "harvested" a lot later than feedlot beef. The flavor is much deeper than commercial beef. But it doesn't have the wildness of the truly grass-fed. And it is marbled enough that it won't instantly dry out. Fri Dec 19 17:43:09 -0800 2003 1623566 0 FED 3 1623594 I stand corrected. That must be why it tastes better than regular, non-grain finished grass fed beef. Fri Dec 19 17:54:37 -0800 2003 1623592 0 JudiAU 4 1623681 although it sounds dodgy, they make a fantastic hotdog. There's a great place in the west village called westvillage that cooks up a mean Niman Ranch dog with grilled onions and the whole nasty works... Sat Dec 20 19:36:24 -0800 2003 1623594 0 sabine 1 1623587 Someone sent us the rib-eyes and lamb loin chops for Christmas. Haven't had the lamb yet, but the rib-eyes were excellent. Not the bext beef I've ever had (thank you, Au'jourd'hui), but better than what you can usually get at the supermarket, and better than Costco. Fri Dec 19 17:19:51 -0800 2003 1623554 0 EMDB