best quality ribeye under $12/lb?

[tastycakes]

looking for decent quality and thick cut. Hollywood/wehoqglendale all ok.

[foodiemahoodie]

I get the boneless full roast at Costco for under 6 bucks a pound. And I salt it and dry age it five or six days in fridge - wrapping it loosely in clean bar towels, changed daily. You can cut it up and freeze it after that.

[Mr. Roboto]

I just bought some CHOICE rib-eye steaks a couple of days ago at Hows Market in San Marino at $5.99/lb, I believe today (3/22, Tues) is the last day at this price.

[DWB]

I remember just a couple years ago, How's would offer PRIME ribeyes at this same price! There would be chatter on Chowhound of pilgrimages from everywhere with coolers to stock up.

[Norm Man]

LOL! The good old days.

During How' Markets' Prime Rib-Eye Sales, I would drive from Marina Del Rey to the Hows Redondo Beach store with a ice chest. A couple of times, Hows would have a limit of six steaks. No problem. I would buy six steaks and put them them in the ice chest in my car, Then I would go back in the store and buy six more. And repeat again. To make the 30 mile round trip worth it, I always purchased between 18-24 steaks. In these instances, no one from Hows ever said anything to me.

[JudiAU]

Costco has the best qualtiy meat at that price point. Miles above Ralphs. MILES

[DWB]

I regularly shop at Costco, but am not impressed with the beef at their price point. Though I do sometimes buy whole cryovaced tenderloins($$) and go through the tedious process of filleting them out into steak portions, I really don't like fillet mignon that much.

Now those sirlion lamb chops @ $6.99/lb. really command my attention when I feel like splurging.

[Clinton]

Costco had both prime and choice today. Prime was $13.99 and choice was $6.99 a pound.

[heckonwheels]

On sale right now at Marconda's at the Farmer's Market for $7.98 per pound but I don't know how long it will be that way.

[Norm Man]

Heckonwheels, were the steaks in sale at Marconda's Choice or Prime? And what cut -- Rib-Eyes or NY Strips? Boneless or Bone-in?

[heckonwheels]

Boneless rib-eye, "choice or better" according to their message, but I'd bet the sale is over by now. Give them a call before going to see if they still have it. They have a habit of having sale prices during the week, and expiring by the weekend.

[TravelPath]

I purchased some rib-eyes yesterday...$7.98...I also got some flatirons for the same price!
...but I agree, call before you go!

[samtron608]

the problem with Costco is that you have to buy in bulk....would freezing these Costco Ribeyes for a few weeks be a bad idea?

[Servorg]

Or a Flintstone's themed dinner party! http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product....

[Phurstluv]

I freeze them all the time, doesn't seem to affect the flavor to us. They are like three to a pack.

[ocshooter]

I have frozen Costco Steaks with no problems, but I always use a Foodsaver when I do.

[groover808]

You can buy packs of less than 2 lbs of prime NY strips at Costco (Irvine)! They had mostly 3 steaks to a pack, some with 4, and a couple with 2 steaks/pack. I got a package with 2 steaks (1.75 lbs total) for $13/lb.

[Ashibi]

Costco.

[spoggly]

Handy Market in Burbank. 30 day dry aged and about 2 inches thick. 11.99/lb. I think.

[ipsedixit]

Costco.

[Clinton]

Sams Club and Costco are the best @around $6.99 a pound. The quality is prime!

[ipsedixit]

Sometimes Prime, sometimes Choice. Regardless, great value and quality.

[Clinton]

Both are great but if I had to make a choice, Sams would be my first pick. Never ever had a bad piece of meat and it's always fork tender, even when it's well done...but who in their right mind would want to ruin it that way?

[Norm Man]

On a recent trip to Costco, Choice Boneless Rib-Eyes and Choice Boneless NY Steaks were $6.99-$7.99 a pound. The Prime Boneless Rib-Eyes and Prime Bonesless NY Steaks were around $12.99 a pound.

To "tastycakes." Ralphs Fresh Fare has Choice Bonesless Rib-Eyes on sale for $4.99 a pound until Tuesday, March 22. Then you can improve these steaks by dry aging fthem or 3 days in your refrigerator (per Alton Brown's technique).

[Phurstluv]

I always dry age my steaks. I do not find Ralph's steaks to be of great quality, mainly gristly and not well cut.

I prefer costco, prime was at 13.99/lb last week at mine. Since it rained all weekend, we didn't buy any, best on a hot grill.

[whatsfordinner]

How do you dry age your steak??

[Phurstluv]

I dry rub it and leave it in a cold fridge over a rack to air chill it. It doesn't really age unless I've left it there for over three days.

[whatsfordinner]

I'll try it, thanks!

[Norm Man]

Whatsfordinner (Cool Handle!), links to Food Network star Alton Brown's method for dry aging steaks in your refrigerator:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7680...

While dry aging when beef/steaks are uncut is better, dry agging individual steaks will intensify the beef flavor by allowing moisture to evaporate and tenderize the steak by allowing enzymes to breal down the beef.

[dgr123]

Alton Brown has a couple of shows on the Food Network. You can find the method there. Good Luck!

[Norm Man]

Dgr123, there is a link to Alton Brown's Home Dry Aging Method in my earlier post (directly above your post).

[Ashibi]

His method definitely works. I've done it and I was impressed.

[bulavinaka]

I third that. We do this with NY strips and ribeyes. Folks on other threads say it can't be done - that's okay if they don't want to try. We've had guests asking for the "steak recipe." Mum's the word...

[Norm Man]

Phurstluv, did you buy at regular Ralphs or Ralphs Fresh Fare? Ralphs Fresh Fare stores carry Choice, Angus and sometimes Prime beef. Regular Ralphs stores carry Select beef.

I've had pretty good luck with the Choice Steaks (Boneless NY Strips and Boneless Rib-Eyes) at Ralphs Fresh Fare in Marina Del Rey. I only buy during a sale and I carefully pick out the packages with steaks that are cut well. Sometimes, I will have them special cut extra thick steaks for me. At $4.99 a pound (sometimes on sale for as low as $3.99 a pound), Ralphs Choice steaks are a great value for everyday eating. I never ever buy the Select Steaks at regular Ralphs.

For more special occasions, I'll spring for the Prime stuff at Costco or Harvey Guss.

[Phurstluv]

I have a Fresh Fare in my part of town (Pac Pal). We've gotten gristly ribeyes and filets that were just not well trimmed at all, but in fairness, the quality of the meat is fine, otherwise I'd be saying something to the manager. When I want better or custom cuts (which = bigger prices), I go to Gelsons or Vicente's in Brentwood.

[DWB]

Norm Man, you completely are reading my playbook for getting good steak reasonably priced. While there are no Fresh Fare locations around me, I frequent Palm Desert where there is one. So I know that when local Ralphs is having a sale on select beef, FF has choice at same cost.

I'm not sure I would have posted this practice as I don't want to "screw the pooch" for myself. I am partial to the $1.99/lb. Tri Tips, best steaks for the money at the present time, as far as I know of.

[Norm Man]

DWB, I have 3 Choice Tri-Tip (Untrimmed) Roasts from Ralphs Fresh Fare at $1.99/lb. in my freezer right now. I've haven't seen Tri-Tips (trommed) Steaks on sale for as low as $1.99/lb. Do you cut steaks from the roasts?

At Ralphs, I also like Flap Meat and Flat Iron Steaks for reasonably priced alternatives to NY Strips and Rib-Eyes. The Choice Flat Iron Steaks are sold in in cyro-vac packages and are availalbe at BOTH regular Ralphs and Ralphs Fresh Fares. I have often picked up these Choice Flat Iron Steaks in the "Reduced for Quick Sale" area (when the steaks are near their Best Buy Dates -- "Aged" steaks LOL!).

[DWB]

Norm Man, I also have a few frozenTT's as well, though it has been a while since I have seen them on sale(wrong season). They have been untrimmed when on sale, but as you mentioned, careful choosing results in good product. It seems that "untrimmed" TT's are trimmed leaner than at regular ralphs, those rich folks get all the breaks!

I grill TT's both whole, usually for sandwiches, and steaked. When steaking a TT, I leave the fat cap on and cut the TT against grain to about 2" thick, then trim fat appropriately(!!!), then pound/press the steak lightly, leaving it a little over 1" thick. I then season and leave the steaks out at room temp for an hour or so before grilling.

I don't get to peruse the meat section at FF because it is both far from home and everything else they sell is priced out of my threshold of value.

[wilafur]

agreed. the prime rib eye should be around the $12/lb mark.