Walmart steak,not that I would but has anyone tried? [Moved from General Chowhounding board]

[javaandjazz]

I saw a Walmart commercial for the first time the other day advertising steak that they sell in the store? I'm not a Walmart shopper but has anyone tried steak from Walmart?

[porter99]

My husband is insisting on trying the new choice beef. He should be the guinea pig but he is not discriminatory where food is concerned so relying on others. I will say, select cuts are garbage. I could not eat it so never tried it again.

[Tom34]

Folks are reporting Costco's choice beef, including expensive cuts like strips & ribs are needled. When you get the Walmart choice, try bending / twisting it and see if it has little 1/8 inch wide knife slits running through it.

If you want to do a little experiment, stop at a local butcher and buy a real nicely marbled top choice steak of the same cut & thickness. Season & cook them identically and try them and see if the extra 25% cost for the good stuff is worth it.

[Tripeler]

Tom, this is some very good and simple advice. Thank you!

[Tom34]

Your welcome. My pet peeve is that many meals do not require professional skill or extremely high end appliances to prep & steak is one of then. If one enjoys cooking at home, spending the extra 25% for top quality ingredients produces a night and day difference in the final product. I love going out to eat and do it often, but I also love showing guests that basic cooking skills combined with top quality ingredients produce 5 star dining at 1/5 the cost. They can also spend the night if they spend time at my bar :-)

[Manassas64]

Last weekend, my boyfriend bought a package of 2 porterhouse steaks. They were $35. He was very disappointed in how much they shrunk when he cooked them (he likes his well done, I like them medium rare). They were so incredibly tough to cut and to chew and really had very little flavor. He has also bought NY striips in the recent months and they are also very tasteless (but not as tough).

I could have gotten 2 Outback Specials at Outback Steakhouse for that $35.

[mannnish]

I avoid it as a 'steak' however I occasionally get their sirloin or what have you for beef strip type dishes..etc NEVER buy a eating 'steak' there

[Tom34]

I was just talking to a SYSCO Foods rep today. Certified Angus Beef (CAB) Whole boneless 0x1 striploin about $6.79 Lb. CAB is high choice and the best they carry in the choice line. Figure 15 Lbs @ 6.79 = $102.00. Should yield 13 nice 1 3/8 thick steaks @ about $8.00 p/steak. We are talking much better quality than "Outback". Any small butcher shop can bring one in for a little premium over the $6.79 LB as there is no labor cutting it. Wet age it in cryovac for 3 weeks from the box date, cut it up, double wrap it and freeze it. Best steak house will be your house!!!!

[drdeb]

Ok. I purchased a box of 6oz rib eyes and thawed them in refridge overnight. THESE ARE NOT STEAK. They cut with a fork, taste like a ground up, re shaped meat by product! It says tenderized with ficin and bromeline so maybe that's it but my friends and I thought they were disgusting. Soft yes, but like processed chicken fingers are to chicken. Don't buy the rib eyes.

[Tom34]

Buying beef from a reputable butcher who's livelihood depends on "consistently" offering a good quality product only costs a few dollars more per plate. Good quality beef can be had at some big box chains and supermarkets but you have to know what to look for and in many cases it is hit or miss.

High quality beef, pork, chicken & seafood does not need to be injected with tenderizers, liquid fat and other products. Also look out for multi directional grain, especially with beef fillets & scallops. These are made by gluing scraps/trimmings together.

[Utsusieq]

I have seen several posts that are pro Walmart meats. Some even call those of us who do not purchase the products snobs. I have no idea what quality of meats are sold at everyone else's Walmarts, but after having more than my fair share of bad experiences with the product I have sworn to never purchase it again. I have had the meat go bad within 24 hours of purchase. The few times it made it to the table, the meat was tough and extremely bland. It was wonderful when someone opened a local butcher shop. He grades his beef, and his prices are lower than Walmarts. It may just be the stores around here, but no commercial is going to convince me that all Walmarts have the skills needed to sell safe and edible meats.

[Tom34]

Corporations like Walmart & Sam's Club monitor this site as well as others. In several posts I have stated they are both selling BOTTOM choice. Nobody from either has disputed what I have posted. In the case of Sam's Club its National Beef's "Black Canyon Angus Beef" which is Bottom Choice according to the USDA Certified Beef Schedule.

In order for an independent butcher to stand out and keep customers coming back they usually have to offer TOP choice or better with some wet age or in some cases dry age. Most of the time they are a little more expensive but worth every penny.

I can never figure people out when it comes to steak. They drop $45.00 or more plus drinks, tax and tip for a steak at a restaurant without blinking an eye but balk at an extra $3.00 p/lb when they go to the market. Then they say you just can't duplicate that great steakhouse flavor. DUH! Not only can you duplicate it, you can do it better but you have to start off with a good quality piece of meat and bottom choice AIN'T IT !

[John E.]

I am not attempting to change your mind, but Walmarts' meat is not cut at the store. There are no butchers cutting steaks at any Walmart. All of the meat in the refrigerated or freezer cases at Walmart were cut and packaged at some central location, not at each store.

[ennuisans]

Seconded. They didn't want to pay the wages expected by the meatcutters union and this is their way around that. Personally when I buy meat I want it to be from someone who has cut into it and can look me in the eye when they sell it to me. (And personally I've worked both at a grocery store meat counter as well as at Walmart.)

On the other hand, my brother brought some enormous Sam's Club ribeyes over and they came out pretty good. For the lower price you lose one level of quality control in exchange, but that doesn't mean the meat will be bad.

[John E.]

Sam's Club does employ actual meatcutters in their stores.

[Tom34]

Your right. I am a member, Mid Atlantic region. 2 yrs ago they were cutting Excel Beef's Sterling Silver top choice. Now they are cutting National Beef's Black Canyon Angus beef BOTTOM choice. Very, Very sad!!!!!!!!!! Better off skipping the membership fee and going to Walmart and getting the same thing!!!!!

[Bacardi1]

Maybe it DOES have to do with the individual stores. I've been in Walmarts that have given me the skeevies & that I'd never buy food from, but my local one is quite a nice store & I've never had a problem with their meats/poultry. They also carry many food products & brands that other local supermarkets in our area do not.

As far as snobbery, if you've tried your local Walmart's meats/poultry & haven't liked them, that's fine. Where snobbery comes in is when folks pooh-pooh the very idea of Walmart meats possibly being both delicious & good value when they haven't even purchased them. Like I said, I've purchased steaks, lamb (both chops & ground), & pork (both chops & country-style spare ribs), & have yet to be disappointed in any way.

[Tom34]

Sam's Club uses Black Canyon angus beef which is a branded product from National Beef. It has a marbling score of small 00 or better which is BOTTOM CHOICE. While certainly better than select grade, in the restaurant trade bottom choice is NOT high quality meat and very few reputable restaurants would serve it.

Walmart is the parent company of Sam's Club and I don't believe it makes sense to split the purchase bid. My GUESS is that what Sam's is selling is what Walmart is selling.

[Bacardi1]

So what? Again - if you purchase meat from Walmart & find - as I have - that it's delicious & good value - all the more power to you. And vice versa. But if instead you prefer to get all fussy-mussy over grades, brands, yadayadayada without even tasting any of the products, then frankly you're a snob.

[Tom34]

It has nothing to do with snobbery or Walmart. It has to do with misleading advertising. If Walmart had top choice restaurant quality steak at a reasonable price I would buy it, but they DON'T. Neither does Sam's Club!

As for the grading, it is what it is and they don't give the good stuff away at Walmart prices which is why Walmart doesn't sell it. Your paying about 25% less than a good restaurant that buys hundreds or thousands of LBS a week. ....CLUE!!!!

You get what you pay for. Ever go to a cheap chain restaurant and get a tender sirloin for a really cheap price and then you were unusually thirsty for several hours after you ate it? .....Thats another CLUE.

If I gave you a Top Choice 28 day aged NY strip and you ate it side by side with an identically cooked Walmart bottom choice steak you would notice a huge difference.....whether that difference is worth a couple dollars more a LBp

[John E.]

When did Walmart indicate in their advertising that they were selling Top Choice 28 day aged NY strip?

[Tom34]

Well, probably the most common practice in the restaurant industry is to buy top choice whole primals by the case and let them sit for 3 to 4 weeks from the date on the case. Inferences are a big part of advertising. In Walmart's adds they claim their steak is restaurant quality and even go so far as to claim it was served in fine restaurants so the inference is there.

[John E.]

I guess I have not noticed their ads yet. I suppose they could legally make such a claim because not all restaurants serve top choice, 28 day aged steaks.

[Tom34]

Your right, not all restaurants do but most good ones that have been around a while plate top choice or better. In many cases a lot of the branded products Sysco & US Foods sell to restaurants all ready have 20 or more days of age on them before they leave the pack house.

You can google Walmart steak and their you tube add comes up with the VP of their beef division discussing the virtues of their steak clearly claiming it is restaurant quality and going as far as showing it being served in fine restaurants and then telling the patrons after their meal.

IMHO, paying an extra 25% or so for top choice at Costco or a butcher is worth it if you are a steak lover and can afford it.

[Tom34]

CORRECTION: Last sentence.........is a matter of personal choice.

[Sigmonde]

Walmart's steak is premium choice grade. We buy it at Sams Club (same beef). The beef is corn fed and not frozen.. The NY Strip sirloin and Ribeyes are as good as any found in any steakhouse. I was surprised. Also the price per pound is 30% less than Publix price where we live. Try it and judge for yourself.

[Tom34]

Ask to see the whole primal cut and get back with the brand on the cryovac. Sams in South Jersey sells Black Canyon Angus Beef, a product of National Beef. Its USDA Certified Beef Schedule number is G-63 and its marbling score starts at (small 00) which is the lowest marbling score in the choice grade (Bottom Choice).

I asked the Sam's Club MGR how their beef is ordered and she said thats its based on a long term contract which corporate negotiates nationwide. (An answer I already knew but wanted confirmed).

Bottom line is if Walmart was selling TOP choice (Modest 00 marbling or higher) they would be including this "USDA Terminology " in their adds which they are NOT. Walmart's terminology "Premium Beef "....."Premium Choice"...."Perfect marbling" ......"Perfect Choice Cuts".....are not USDA terms and have nothing what so ever to do with the grade the USDA inspectors assign to a beef carcass.

I would also point out that 2 of the largest restaurant purveyors in the country (US FOODS) & (SYSCO) are 2 of the largest purchasers of restaurant grade beef in North America. Walmart can't sell the same product for less that US Foods & Sysco pay for it.

Walmart choice beef is probably much better than Select beef, but I seriously doubt it is restaurant quality TOP CHOICE. When Walmart Meat V/P Scott Neal steps forward using USDA terminology identifying his beef as TOP Choice, then I will take everything I have written on this thread back.

[mrbigshotno.1]

So, please define "restaurant grade" & "restaurant quality"

[Tom34]

Most good restaurants purchase the top end of the Choice Grade.

The break down of USDA beef grades and the tiers within the grades are readily available on the net. Google "Beef Quality & Yield Grade" and a Texas A& M article will come up which provides a comprehensive breakdown. After reading that, Google USDA Certified Beef Programs and read that. On the list of beef programs you will see Certified Angus Beef (G-1) & Excel Sterling Silver (G-2). Go to their web sites and read them. The reason I chose them is because they are 2 commonly purchased brands by high end restaurants.

US Foods & Sysco are two of the largest restaurant purveyors in North America and you can also go to their sites.

For the last couple years the Sam's Club in my area has been selling National Beef's "Black Canyon Angus Beef" (g-63) which has a marbling score of SM 00
or better which is bottom choice. The MGR told me this is a corporate decision. Walmart is Sam's Parent Company. I see no reason to believe Walmart is selling beef of a higher quality that Sam's and their advertising campaign is devoid of USDA terminology claiming their products are top choice.

[EarlyBird]

The fact that Wal-Mart is attempting to get into the higher quality meat world is excellent. The consumer will then start asking for even higher quality, and that which is humanely and naturally raised. The mere fact that Wal-Mart feels it has had to feature higher quality meat is a sign of a trend.

Though Whole Foods and other big chains are way ahead in this regard, they still aren't big enough to have made a sizeable change in the meat farming industry, and the humanely raised meat is much more expensive because of it. But imagine Wal-Mart starting to feature humanely and naturally raised meats? That reverberates through the entire meat industry.

[Bacardi1]

Again - I hate to chime in again tooting Walmart's horn, but I bought a package of 2 nice-size loin lamb chops the other day that I grilled up, & they were melt-in-your-mouth tender with wonderful lamb flavor. For $6, I got more than my money's worth.

[Tom34]

I believe Sam's Club is owned by Walmart and the Sam's Club in my area sells a branded product from National Beef called "Black Canyon" Angus beef. It is a bottom choice product with a marbling score of Small 00 or higher which is typical of supermarket bottom choice. My guess is that Walmart is selling similar quality. You can find a nice steak from time to time in the bottom choice grade but generally speaking the consistency is not there which is why most GOOD restaurants serve "top choice" which is very close to low prime and is considerably more expensive.

Usually producers & retailers of a TOP choice beef product like Certified Angus Beef or Excel Sterling Silver go out of their way to advertise 1. Animal age 2. Marbling score 3. Minimum days aged ..........HAS WALMART DONE SO?

[Samalicious]

Their steaks are labeled either USDA Choice or Select. They don't seem to be making any other claims.

[Tom34]

I just pulled up their written beef ad and their internet video commercial. They use a lot of NON USDA terms to describe quality such as " Premium Beef " , " Perfect Marbling " and "Highest Quality Choice Cuts" (cuts has nothing to do with grade).

Google " Certified Angus Beef or Sterling Silver Beef ". Their sites will go into great detail about all the quality attributes of their products using USDA terminology. These Attributes can then be confirmed by going to "USDA Certified Beef Programs".

[fogeylv]

Walmart has convinced me that I need to stop buying meat at my local supermarkets and give some of the specialty shops a try.

I bought some steaks at Walmart from their "USDA Choice" counter (about 4 feet of space in the meat counter, at the opposite end from the regular beef, past the pork and chicken)--a package of thin cut ribeye and a package of NY strip.

I had the ribeye last night. The meat was fine, but I had an interesting experience while cooking it. While searing the meat, I suddenly thought, "Hey, that smells GOOD!"

If choice grade beef at Walmart can stand that far above what passes for steak at the places I usually shop, obviously I need to find better places to buy meat. ;)

[Tom34]

The 3 grades of beef generally available to the public are: Prime, Choice & Select. Within each grade there are 3 distinct quality levels often referred to as: Top, Middle & Bottom and there is a huge quality difference between the top of the grade and the bottom of the grade.

Walmart has spent a fortune advertising their beef program but has not identified their beef as "top choice" using USDA terminology which leads me to believe it is bottom choice.

Any good butcher shop will have top choice which is often just as good as bottom prime and it will probably be wet aged for at least 3 weeks. They may also have dry aged top choice but that will be MUCH more expensive.

I buy top choice whole primals and age them myself and prefer the steaks I grill over the average steakhouse.

I think you would really love top choice beef and its not really that expensive. Costco sells top choice and most people on this site rave about it.

What were you buying at the grocery store that made the Walmart steak taste great?

[fogeylv]

None of the local supermarkets identify the grade of their beef any more (other than the store's own label), so I assume standard.

[Tom34]

I think your right for their run of the mill steak but some stores offer top choice steaks at a premium price. In addition to the cheap store label bottom choice, our local Shoprite offers Certified Angus Beef & ACME offers Chairman's Reserve which I believe is from Tyson. In both cases they have extensive advertising using USDA terminology to describe the superior qualities that make them top choice.

GOOGLE: USDA Certified Beef Programs. Pretty interesting read.

[MisterBill2]

On MasterChef tonight, they had a t-bone steak in the first challenge, with a big Walmart sign next to it :-(.

[beteez]

Just about every food program has product placement, to cook in the GE kitchen & haul in a Toyota. Why are you upset with this one?

[Bobfrmia]

It was a little funny. Turned into about a half hour Walmart meat commercial.
I would guess that none of the judges have ever bought meat at Walmart. Probably why even though it was the main ingredient in the challenge, they chose a dish that didn't use any of it.

[MisterBill2]

I don't think they make it as obvious as in this case, with a big Walmart sign next to the steak. However WM did buy a lot of commercials during the rest of the show so I guess they paid their way in. Also, as Bobfrmia said, one of the top 3 didn't even use the steak in their dish, and none of the judges really said anything about the steak itself during their comments, it was more the presentation and taste of the overall dish.

[iL Divo]

Walmart is their food sponsor for the show < at least they said so last night, so not surprised the judges spoke of the wonderment's regarding the food products at the WalMarchay.

[Bsmom1]

Walmart steaks, Rip off!!! They are terrible after you cut off all the fat they hide on bottom you have almost nothing left for you 10.00 filet. And am I going to take that back and ask for my money please, just don't do it go to fare way watch them cut it show it to you and enjoy!

[iL Divo]

well I'm gonna agree about about this seeming like a lesser steak.
and the price at WalMarchay, well let's just say it ain't cheap.

[INDIANRIVERFL]

Wally world has a place in my shopping regimen, just not for beef steak based on experience. Tried a new to me butcher this week that had grain fed midwestern porterhouse for $5.99 a pound. Also had $8.99 Wally select, as a test. The edge went to the private butcher, but not by much. Both were well marbled and had a good flavor. Both were much better than a local butcher that uses local steers and are grass fed.

IMHO

[iL Divo]

haven't tried it yet but attempted to Fathers Day early in the morning when WalMarchay was not very crowded. problem I ran into was a WM associate working meat dept. when I asked which one was the one spoken about in commercials, 'he pointed'. I followed his point which lead me to [???] so I walked to other food section in WM and never did return to the steak dept.

[crewsweeper]

We've had WalMart meats in the past and they've been pretty good. London Broil and flatiron steaks have been very good in th epast. As with all meats in all stores, you need to make sure it looks fresh and not starting to dry out or turn color. I know locavores and anti-all-things-corporate types pooh-pooh WM for everything and there are some Walmart stores in smaller cities or larger urbqan environments that have run down and are fair game to deride. But for the most part, the larger WMs and newer Super WMs do carry a good line of fresh foodstuffs and meats at reasonable prices to shopping at local stores and certainly more affordable for the 98%ers (1% wealthy/1%previously mentioned Locos) than Whole Foods/Earth Fare, et.al.

[mrbigshotno.1]

Well said!

[johnb]

This is a bit OT, but FWIW I recently had to visit my hometown and stay in my mother's empty house -- It's pretty much WM or nothing there, and we picked up a roasted WM chicken (lemon pepper I believe it was) on the way in to have something to eat that evening. We ate about half of it, so the next day I threw the rest into a pot with water and made a stock. After cleaning the meat off the bones and chopping I added some veggies and herbs, and it turned out to be a pretty good home-made tasting soup. Easy to make and it kept us going for a few days.

[Nanzi]

I bought 3 rib steaks that looked wonderful, and big....... but it didn't taste like Rib steaks, and wasn't as tender as rib steaks.

[mrbigshotno.1]

I know enough about meat that when I see it, no matter what the cut, I can tell if it's good. I was at WM the other day and bought a 2 pack of boneless ribeyes, they were about 12oz each, well marbled and marked down from $12 to $9, took them home threw them on the grill, they were great. You WM snobs are something else.

[Rilke]

I don't buy meat at WM because I don't know where it's from or how the cows were treated.

[Bacardi1]

But you run that risk at every supermarket, not just at a Walmart. Not all supermarkets carry humanely-raised certifed meat.

In fact, Walmart does carry humane-certified & organically-fed poultry products, but I've never checked re: other meats.

[Rilke]

And I don't buy meat at supermarkets.

WM's business practices, however, are reprehensible; I buy *nothing* there if I can help it. I have only purchased two items from WM, ever, because I literally could not find them anywhere else, for any price. I simply cannot support the company with a clean conscience.

[Samalicious]

"because I could not find them anywhere else, for any price."
Inquiring minds want to know.

[Rilke]

One was a very specific mini fridge. Danby, I think the brand was. It had to fit in a small space and I didn't want a freezer (defrost is annoying). Had to order it from WM's website and pick it up.

The other was a particular dog toy that I used to buy at a local farmer's market. They stopped carrying the toy and it was nowhere else to be found. My dog chewed through his last one and was heartbroken. His desires > my purchasing politics.

[theboltz47]

I bought 2 premium choice rib eyes last night and cooked them on the Q and they were better then most steak houses! I think anyone who doesn't like them may need to learn how to grill a steak!

[theboltz47]

I'm a disabled vet and living on a fixed income and when I can save a couple of bucks on an item I'm going to do it.....

[hawkeyeui93]

I raised young "Lorelei" on kisses and organic clover. I drove her over in my pickup truck to the Tyson Plant in Joslin, Illinois, wished her good luck, and she was later re-purposed into the choice steaks, hamburger, roasts, etc. for sale at your local WM ....

[iL Divo]

I don't buy that type of good from the WalMarchy.
But the commercial caught my attention.

[smartie]

bought some great lamb from there last week. They are also now doing a hormone free kinder to chickens chicken whole and cut. have not tried their steaks.

[Rilke]

All chicken raised in the US is hormone free. That crap is pure marketing.

[John E.]

I understand that "WalMarchy" is a pejorative term, but I don't know why. I'm not attempting to be a smart-alec like I usually am, I just don't get it. Is the some pop culture reference that I'm mssing?

[Samalicious]

A variation of "Wal-marche," a name designed to make the WalMart shopping experience sound more upscale than it really is. See "Tar-jay" for Target.

[pdxgastro]

I just think it's really cheesy that they opted to go for the old Folgers trick: "We replaced the coffee in a top restaurant with...".

[Bacardi1]

Have never seen the commercial. But as I said, have been buying their meat for many years now & have never been disappointed. If you don't shop at Walmart for your own ethical reasons, that's fine, but it doesn't have any bearing whatsoever as to the quality of their meat.

[pdxgastro]

Here you go, Bacardi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_Gtb1...

[Bacardi1]

Thanks! I did just catch part of it last night on tv. Granted, they're taking license along with everyone else who does those "switcharoo" commercials. But really, they're one of dozens of companies that have done that. And frankly, Walmart is one company I don't take issue with for doing it, since so many folks automatically equate "Walmart" with "low quality". As far as their meat offerings go - that just ain't true.

In fact, last night I made a lovely meal of homemade turkey meatballs using a package of Walmart's own brand of ground turkey - clearly marked "organic, fed a 100% vegetarian diet, no hormones or antibiotics, & certifed humanely raised. And it only cost $3.50. What more would someone really want? (Oh, & it was delicious - no extraneous fat, no sinew, etc., etc.)

And like I said before - their other meat products are equally excellent.

[c oliver]

Just so ya know, a vegetarian diet actually isn't good for birds. They're omnivores and need some animal protein for maximum health.

[Bacardi1]

I've purchased some lovely flavorful tender steak cuts from Walmart. Also great lamb chops (both loin & rib), & country-style pork ribs. Perfectly tender wonderful meat at terrific prices. Don't diss it until you've tried it.

[Davwud]

I've used it as steak and it was okay flavour wise but not very tender. I will buy their steak and grind or cube and use for other things.

DT

[Buckeye_Local]

My local Walmart has select grade in the center of the beef case and choice grades of beef placed at the end of the case. Compared to other stores, I think Walmart is higher priced on the Choice beef. I wait for other supermarkets to put beef on sale.

[Uncle Bob]

It's Select beef...I avoid it. ~~ Never tried it.

[PenskeFan]

According to the commercials now, they are carrying choice. Seems like a change from the past.

Not sure if it is all their steaks or not, since I don't get my meat from Walmart .

I know I would be quite put off if I hired a babysitter and took the time to go out for steaks to be fed Walmart steak, like they did in the commercial. The price of the meal is only a small part of the equation to me.

[Uncle Bob]

News to me....Next time I'm in one...I'll look see...........