Looking for a large Flank Steak

[katbri]

Does Costco carry Flank steak?

Am in search of a large Flank steak to marinate and grill.

[chefonism]

flank steak and london broil are essentially the same thing, london broil is sold for less, and is bigger! if you have good knife skills just buy a london broil and slice it thinly accross the grain, its good to do that when it's semi frozen!

[jayt90]

flank steak and london broil (sic) 'could' be the same, but there are lots of substitutes, such as skirt steak, hanger, bavette, or round. Meat cutters have lots of tricks.

[katbri]

For those of you who know I'm curious on cost difference. What would a larger flank steak cost at Costco as opposed to say Royal Beef?

[mariecollins]

I'll check RB tonight.

[mariecollins]

Hmm, well the tri-tip is $8.99 lb, marinated or not. I'll check the flank next.

[mariecollins]

Flank was $10.99 lb.

[Ted Richards]

Yikes, that's expensive. I got some at the SLM on Saturday - Witteveen's was $8.99/lb, Whitehouse was $9.99, (or maybe it was the other way around), but I got some at De Liso's for $7.99/lb, which turned out pretty tender after marinating in soy sauce, oil, and vinegar overnight.

[Herne]

I assume the issue is cost per lb or kilogram and not size. Anyway I usually assume that Costco will be cheap and high quality from meat to dishwasher detergent.

[Cup cake]

Costco has been a great source of flank for me. Also Gasparro's - but I usually order ahead of time to make sure they have it.

[meathead2]

Flank steak, or a "London Broil, is definately a tougher cut of meat, but there are some very simple things that can be done to make this cut an excellent meal. The options, in no particular order are: marination - using acids like red wines, or enzymes like those found in papaya and mangoes. These can be greatly enhanced with garlic, shallots, and the simple seasonings of black pepper and sea salt. Butchery - with the flank another choice is to shorten the muscle fibers that hold the meat together and this is best accomplished by one of two methods - either a fast hot grill (or broil) to medium rare and then slicing across the grain, or pre slicing (again across the grain) into long strips and then applying the aforementioned marinade before a hot grill treatment too. - grilling is my prefered method here for sure - While there is debate as to how effective each technique would be, I refer to the latter as a bavette, a very popular cut in Quebec and other thingsand places French. To say that CostCo or T & T are better or worse than each other is not the point. Flank is tough, and it is the cook who will make the difference in the final appreciation of this cut of beef.

[TorontoTips]

Toughness is not the only measure of meat - flavour, marbling, texture, etc. can vary greatly based on how the animal is raised and fed, as well as how the meat is handled after slaughter.
Good beef is good beef, and yes, flank is a tougher muscle than tenderloin, but within each different cut of beef, flavour, texture and quality can be shockingly different, based on the above.
I am one of those who gets fussy about fresh, dry-aged, non-vacuum-bag beef for steaks and roasts where the flavour needs to stand alone, but I'm a little more egalitarian if the meat will be braised or stewed with multiple flavourings, or served shaved and covered in intensely flavoured sauces, etc.
Personally, I find marinades and brines good for adding flavouring, but not very useful at delivering quality tenderizing in any piece of beef more than 1/2" thick. The papain and bromelain from fruit can tenderize 1/4" or so, deep, but tend to create mushiness that for me isn't very pleasant. Even a punchy marinade won't penetrate very deeply into the meat, so the final product will still showcase either quality beef, or a more neutral flavour that lets the marinade or glaze shine.
Mechanically shortening the fibres (via pounding, piercing or slicing thinly) can definitely 'tenderize' a poor cut, but I think often the best way to enjoy a great piece of meat is to BUY a great piece of meat, don't mess with it too much, and then prepare it well. :-)

Some good places for meat, as mentioned by many:
- Royal Beef - Danforth and Woodbine
- Nortown Foods - York Mills and Bayview
- Grace Meats - Grace and College
- St James Town Steak and Chop - Parliament and Carlton
- Juan Meat Market, otherwise known as El Gaucho - near Jane and the 401
- Cumbrae's - Church & Wellesley

[Kagemusha]

Little--if any--of this alters the fact that flank is tough whatever the source. The pay more/get more axiom doesn't stick too well to flank.

[TorontoTips]

I disagree.
You do get more marbling and better flavour if you buy better beef, period.
Flank is a tougher cut of meat than a tenderloin regardless of where you buy it, but quality does matter - and if it's only tenderness you value in beef, buy another cut.
However if you want that great flank steak flavour and texture (like skirt steak), buy good quality meat to begin with, and don't make it mushy with long fruity marinades, just marinade for a couple hours at most to add flavour if you wish, treat it well, and bring out it's best, instead :-)

[Kagemusha]

Flank just isn't that marbled and a boutique meat flank and a Costco flank won't differ enough qualitatively to warrant the premium price. YMMV, as always, but don't foist off the "pay more get more" mantra on this particular cut.

[Herne]

"a Costco flank won't differ enough qualitatively to warrant the premium price"

I have always found Costco to be cheapest rather than "premium price" especially for Lean ground beef and for S/B chicken breasts. Are you saying that their flank steak is more expensive than elsewhere?

[Kagemusha]

No, just that they're better value than the meat boutiques on a tough cut like flank, i.e., the quality won't be wildly different though the price will.

[stephen]

The most success I have had with flank steak is a citrus, ginger and garlic marinade which would mimic orange beef from a Szechuan spot. Some ponzu and a little oil to help transfer flavors...a couple of hours at least in the fridge in a zip loc and then onto a raging grill to char. Med rare at best and then 15 minutes to rest. Slice on a bias against the grain...beats a pricey filet at douchbag Keg every time.

[ScotchBlog]

Gasparro's near Ossington & Bloor. Great spot. Call ahead to make sure they set aside a monster for you.

[Kagemusha]

Yup. Can't believe the dissing Costco meat gets, especially on a cut like flank steak that's tough wherever it's bought. No meaningful difference between boutique meat and Costco's flank aside from price. T&T is about the last place I'd buy beef.

[T Long]

Dissing of Costco meat!.....where do you find that?

[T Long]

T&T always seems to have flank steak available....I've bought it from there several times.

[1sweetpea]

But, what about quality? How is Costco's quality versus T & T or the Korean Galleria SM, and then a butcher at SLM or even Cumbrae's? Obviously, there will be a big difference in price, but does grass-fed or aged meat matter as much when we're talking about flank steak, which is probably going to be marinated? I've bought flank steak recently at the grocery store. My marinade was punchy, so I couldn't really comment as to quality, but I'd guess it was average. I'm just wondering if I'd be getting something better elsewhere, or does it matter less when applying strong marinades to meat?

[Charles Yu]

T & T carries Canadian AAA Angus. Whether it applies to flank steak is another question?!
Last time I looked, COSTCO' label just state its Canadian grade AA or above!
BTW, Flank steak is a cheaper cut of meat so I guess it doesn't matter especially if the preparation entails marinating the meat! However, I would be more choosey if I'm looking for Striploin or Ribeye?!

[Only the Paranoid Will Survive]

I have had very good luck with one Loblows, however only at the meat counter at a store at Burnhamthorpe and the East Mall, Barretta Farms meat. Otherwise the store sucks, empy shelfs, rotten produce, no milk!! on some ocasions. Very good and knowledgable butchers, when they are there, otherwise you will deal with high school kids.

[Chowrin]

costco's meat is excellent. particularly for lean beef. I don't like it too fatty anyhow.

[childofthestorm]

Costco actually is AAA Canadian. Signs are everywhere - beef is how they get you in there, and all of a sudden you've bought a $300 vacuum. If they don't have it they source USDA Prime, which is always a treat.

I've seen a few things labeled as AAA "Angus" (don't get me started on the Angus label) at T&T, but more at AA, it can be hit and miss. I go to Costco for my cheap and cheerful beef, and T&T for my live fish that gets whacked on the head and gutted, basically.

[jayt90]

Chas. I have never seen 'AA or above' at Costco, but this is de rigeur at the other large stores. Highland Farms and T&T also offer AAA beef, but not across the board like Costco.

[T Long]

My only experience with flank steak is to use it for stir-frys. It needs to be cut properly and marinated lightly, but I've always found T&T's quality to be very satisfactory. Even though T&T states that its beef is AAA, I would only buy flank steak or ox-tail there. A strip loin bought some time ago was tougher than it should have been; I suspect they were not aged properly.

[Full tummy]

I have purchased many flank steaks from Royal Beef, and they have been excellent. I normally grill them whole till medium rare and then slice them thinly against the grain. Great, less expensive steak done this way.

http://www.royalbeef.ca/

[mariecollins]

Royal Beef does wonderful flank steaks - they call them tri-tips.

[Cframp]

Tri tip and flank steak are two different cuts. Similar ways of cooking it, same as you would flatiron, skirt or flank but never the less they're all different cuts.

[crawfish]

European Meats or any proper butcher shop would have them.

[sbug206]

Yes Costco is the perfect place to get flank steak.