Our traditional Christmas dinner is prime rib with Yorkshire pudding
(the DH, who is generally entirely clueless in the kitchen, has become
something of an idiot savant when it comes to Yorkshire pudding - his
puds turn out brilliantly) and we generally order 2 rib roasts from
Gelson's (an upscale SoCal market) b/c they've always delivered top
notch meat and I won't scrimp on a Big Dinner such as this. The DH
either read or heard about Costco's meat, which is supposed to be top
notch, too. He wants to order our roasts from Costco, selecting the
prime 4+ pounders, but not having tried their meat dept. wonder if
anyone can weigh in on the quality of their meat. Their roasts aren't
*that* darned much less, running about $75 per roast, but he'd like to
give it a try. I have reservations about *anything* edible from Costco
that doesn't live in a freezer, as I've seen mice scurrying from
pallet to pallet during *daylight* and shudder to think what surfaces
might be contaminated by the little buggers.

What say you?

Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

--

"If the soup had been as hot as the claret, if the claret had been as
old as the bird, and if the bird's breasts had been as full as the
waitress's, it would have been a very good dinner."

- Duncan Hines

To reply, replace "meatloaf" with "cox"

On Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:15:33 -0800, Terry Pulliam Burd
> wrote:


>What say you?
>
>Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

Have you tried Hows market? They are supposed to have some of the
best beef around that area... It is Prime grade too...

Probably not close to you....but still....

http://hows.foodmagic.com/fmap/jsphows/home.jsp

Christine

Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:
He wants to order our roasts from Costco, selecting the
> prime 4+ pounders, but not having tried their meat dept. wonder if
> anyone can weigh in on the quality of their meat. Their roasts aren't
> *that* darned much less, running about $75 per roast, but he'd like to
> give it a try. I have reservations about *anything* edible from Costco
> that doesn't live in a freezer, as I've seen mice scurrying from
> pallet to pallet during *daylight* and shudder to think what surfaces
> might be contaminated by the little buggers.
>
> What say you?
>
> Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd

I can't speak for Costco, but I love (read: love, love, love!) the meats
from SamsClub. They are definitely a notch above supermarket meats.
Goomba

Goomba wrote:
> Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:
> He wants to order our roasts from Costco, selecting the
>> prime 4+ pounders, but not having tried their meat dept. wonder if
>> anyone can weigh in on the quality of their meat. Their roasts aren't
>> *that* darned much less, running about $75 per roast, but he'd like to
>> give it a try. I have reservations about *anything* edible from Costco
>> that doesn't live in a freezer, as I've seen mice scurrying from
>> pallet to pallet during *daylight* and shudder to think what surfaces
>> might be contaminated by the little buggers.
>>
>> What say you?
>>
>> Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
>
> I can't speak for Costco, but I love (read: love, love, love!) the meats
> from SamsClub. They are definitely a notch above supermarket meats.
> Goomba

We get our meat at Sams Club, too. Their rib eye steaks are awesome.

--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life

Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:

> Our traditional Christmas dinner is prime rib with Yorkshire pudding
> (the DH, who is generally entirely clueless in the kitchen, has become
> something of an idiot savant when it comes to Yorkshire pudding - his
> puds turn out brilliantly) and we generally order 2 rib roasts from
> Gelson's (an upscale SoCal market) b/c they've always delivered top
> notch meat and I won't scrimp on a Big Dinner such as this. The DH
> either read or heard about Costco's meat, which is supposed to be top
> notch, too. He wants to order our roasts from Costco, selecting the
> prime 4+ pounders, but not having tried their meat dept. wonder if
> anyone can weigh in on the quality of their meat. Their roasts aren't
> *that* darned much less, running about $75 per roast, but he'd like to
> give it a try. I have reservations about *anything* edible from Costco
> that doesn't live in a freezer, as I've seen mice scurrying from
> pallet to pallet during *daylight* and shudder to think what surfaces
> might be contaminated by the little buggers.
>
> What say you?

I buy most of our meat from Costco. We just had ribeye steaks last
night that were awesome. In fact, barring the results of a couple of
glaringly obvious cooking errors, I've never eaten a bad piece of beef,
or meat of any kind from Costco.

"Terry Pulliam Burd" > wrote in message
...
> Our traditional Christmas dinner is prime rib with Yorkshire pudding
> (the DH, who is generally entirely clueless in the kitchen, has become
> something of an idiot savant when it comes to Yorkshire pudding - his
> puds turn out brilliantly) and we generally order 2 rib roasts from
> Gelson's (an upscale SoCal market) b/c they've always delivered top
> notch meat and I won't scrimp on a Big Dinner such as this. The DH
> either read or heard about Costco's meat, which is supposed to be top
> notch, too. He wants to order our roasts from Costco, selecting the
> prime 4+ pounders, but not having tried their meat dept. wonder if
> anyone can weigh in on the quality of their meat. Their roasts aren't
> *that* darned much less, running about $75 per roast, but he'd like to
> give it a try. I have reservations about *anything* edible from Costco
> that doesn't live in a freezer, as I've seen mice scurrying from
> pallet to pallet during *daylight* and shudder to think what surfaces
> might be contaminated by the little buggers.
>
> What say you?
>
> Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
>
> --
By "prime rib" do you mean USDA Prime Standing Rib Roast, or just Standing
Rib Roast?
We've always been very happy with Costco's USDA Choice Standing Rib Roasts.
They only have the mandatory "bone in" during the holiday season. I don't
think, given the endogenous fat content of standing rib roasts, that it
makes much sense to invest in USDA Prime. We bought USDA Choice Standing Rib
Roasts at our local Costco for $4.99/lb recently. It may have been a pricing
error, which you see now and then. Today they were $7.99/lb, still a good
price. As Julia Child advised, get the roast from the small end.
Happy Holidays,

Theron,

>>
>> Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
>>
>> --
> By "prime rib" do you mean USDA Prime Standing Rib Roast, or just Standing
> Rib Roast?
> We've always been very happy with Costco's USDA Choice Standing Rib
> Roasts. They only have the mandatory "bone in" during the holiday season.
> I don't think, given the endogenous fat content of standing rib roasts,
> that it makes much sense to invest in USDA Prime. We bought USDA Choice
> Standing Rib Roasts at our local Costco for $4.99/lb recently. It may have
> been a pricing error, which you see now and then. Today they were
> $7.99/lb, still a good price. As Julia Child advised, get the roast from
> the small end.
> Happy Holidays,
>
> Theron,
>
I'm new to this group and hate to speak out of turn, but prime rib doesn't
refer to USDA prime beef, but rather to the 'primal' rib, where the cut of
beef starts (or ends, depending on your viewpoint of the steer). It's hard
to find USDA prime beef in most areas, but possible in larger cities, and
probably near beef-producing areas.

Given that USDA choice is our lot as consumers, just check the label on the
package. If it says something about a percentage of 'solution' put it back.
That 'solution' is water and salt added to the meat to add weight, in
amounts from 10% to 30%. The packers claim it's for flavor, but it's for
weight. How tasty is water, after all?

That said, finding hams without water added can be problematical, but smoked
hams are usually free of added water. They're also saltier than most hams,
so judge the value yourself.

This is backwards, I guess, but hi! I'm Keith.

Keith

On Tue, 9 Dec 2008 19:22:15 -0600, "K" > wrote:

>This is backwards, I guess, but hi! I'm Keith.

Hi Keith! Nice to meet you. Welcome to the group!

Carol

Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:
> Our traditional Christmas dinner is prime rib with Yorkshire pudding
> (the DH, who is generally entirely clueless in the kitchen, has become
> something of an idiot savant when it comes to Yorkshire pudding - his
> puds turn out brilliantly) and we generally order 2 rib roasts from
> Gelson's (an upscale SoCal market) b/c they've always delivered top
> notch meat and I won't scrimp on a Big Dinner such as this. The DH
> either read or heard about Costco's meat, which is supposed to be top
> notch, too. He wants to order our roasts from Costco, selecting the
> prime 4+ pounders, but not having tried their meat dept. wonder if
> anyone can weigh in on the quality of their meat. Their roasts aren't
> *that* darned much less, running about $75 per roast, but he'd like to
> give it a try. I have reservations about *anything* edible from Costco
> that doesn't live in a freezer, as I've seen mice scurrying from
> pallet to pallet during *daylight* and shudder to think what surfaces
> might be contaminated by the little buggers.
>

I've never bought prime rib from Costco, but we've had our fair share of
their beef tenderloins, cooked according to Cook's Illustrated recipe,
and they have been wonderful. Not cheap, but worth every penny. Much
of their meat seems to be Cryovac sealed.

And I have never seem mice in the store but our new cat caught one in
the house Thanksgiving weekend. Here in the 'burbs they come in from
the cold every fall and we have to trap or poison. Cat did well.

gloria p

Terry Pulliam Burd > wrote in message
...
> Our traditional Christmas dinner is prime rib with Yorkshire
> pudding
> (the DH, who is generally entirely clueless in the kitchen,
> has become
> something of an idiot savant when it comes to Yorkshire
> pudding - his
> puds turn out brilliantly) and we generally order 2 rib
> roasts from
> Gelson's (an upscale SoCal market) b/c they've always
> delivered top
> notch meat and I won't scrimp on a Big Dinner such as this.
> The DH
> either read or heard about Costco's meat, which is supposed
> to be top
> notch, too. He wants to order our roasts from Costco,
> selecting the
> prime 4+ pounders, but not having tried their meat dept.
> wonder if
> anyone can weigh in on the quality of their meat. Their
> roasts aren't
> *that* darned much less, running about $75 per roast, but
> he'd like to
> give it a try. I have reservations about *anything* edible
> from Costco
> that doesn't live in a freezer, as I've seen mice scurrying
> from
> pallet to pallet during *daylight* and shudder to think what
> surfaces
> might be contaminated by the little buggers.
>
> What say you?

A worthwhile purchase. FIL, the judge of all things beef --
including his regular standing rib at Fat Man's Holiday --
swears by the quality to cost of Costco. He's not easily swayed
by cheap beef, either, preferring quality over quantity.

I purchase all lamb, most pork, and several cuts of beef from
Costco. I _would_ purchase chicken from them too but find the
double-pack breasts too funky and not easily separated.

The Ranger

Squeaks wrote:

> Our traditional Christmas dinner is prime rib with Yorkshire pudding
> (the DH, who is generally entirely clueless in the kitchen, has become
> something of an idiot savant when it comes to Yorkshire pudding - his
> puds turn out brilliantly) and we generally order 2 rib roasts from
> Gelson's (an upscale SoCal market) b/c they've always delivered top
> notch meat and I won't scrimp on a Big Dinner such as this. The DH
> either read or heard about Costco's meat, which is supposed to be top
> notch, too. He wants to order our roasts from Costco, selecting the
> prime 4+ pounders, but not having tried their meat dept. wonder if
> anyone can weigh in on the quality of their meat. Their roasts aren't
> *that* darned much less, running about $75 per roast, but he'd like to
> give it a try. I have reservations about *anything* edible from Costco
> that doesn't live in a freezer, as I've seen mice scurrying from
> pallet to pallet during *daylight* and shudder to think what surfaces
> might be contaminated by the little buggers.
>
> What say you?

I had your same misgivings up until several years ago. Then I tried it (on
Bob Pastorio's recommendation, I believe) and I haven't looked back. Costco
meats here are higher-quality than in any of the grocery stores around here,
and on a par with the highest-grade butcher here. Their standing rib roast
is fully the equal of the butcher's.

Bob

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> Squeaks wrote:
>
>> Our traditional Christmas dinner is prime rib with Yorkshire pudding
>> (the DH, who is generally entirely clueless in the kitchen, has
>> become something of an idiot savant when it comes to Yorkshire
>> pudding - his puds turn out brilliantly) and we generally order 2
>> rib roasts from Gelson's (an upscale SoCal market) b/c they've
>> always delivered top notch meat and I won't scrimp on a Big Dinner
>> such as this. The DH either read or heard about Costco's meat, which
>> is supposed to be top notch, too. He wants to order our roasts from
>> Costco, selecting the prime 4+ pounders, but not having tried their
>> meat dept. wonder if anyone can weigh in on the quality of their
>> meat. Their roasts aren't *that* darned much less, running about $75
>> per roast, but he'd like to give it a try. I have reservations about
>> *anything* edible from Costco that doesn't live in a freezer, as
>> I've seen mice scurrying from pallet to pallet during *daylight* and
>> shudder to think what surfaces might be contaminated by the little
>> buggers.
>>
>> What say you?
>
> I had your same misgivings up until several years ago. Then I tried
> it (on Bob Pastorio's recommendation, I believe) and I haven't looked
> back. Costco meats here are higher-quality than in any of the grocery
> stores around here, and on a par with the highest-grade butcher here.
> Their standing rib roast is fully the equal of the butcher's.

I spent a lot of money from an upscale store to buy a Prime rib
roast, prime as in the grade. Frankly, I wasn't all that crazy about
it, but I've never had a complaint about the rib roasts I have bought
at Costco. It's always excellent.

I've never noticed a rodent problem, but who knows. I can't say
any store I've ever shopped doesn't have the occasional mouse
problem, my own house does as well. Not commenting on the
store in question, my Costco seems very clean.

nancy

Nancy Young > wrote:

> I spent a lot of money from an upscale store to buy a Prime rib
> roast, prime as in the grade.

Our CostCo's in Austin offer Prime and Choice roasts and steaks.
They always have prime roasts during the holidays for $10 or under a
pound. All other times they sell usually just display the steaks in
Prime, but roasts are available in Prime for the asking.

-sw

Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:
> Our traditional Christmas dinner is prime rib with Yorkshire pudding
> (the DH, who is generally entirely clueless in the kitchen, has become
> something of an idiot savant when it comes to Yorkshire pudding - his
> puds turn out brilliantly) and we generally order 2 rib roasts from
> Gelson's (an upscale SoCal market) b/c they've always delivered top
> notch meat and I won't scrimp on a Big Dinner such as this. The DH
> either read or heard about Costco's meat, which is supposed to be top
> notch, too. He wants to order our roasts from Costco, selecting the
> prime 4+ pounders, but not having tried their meat dept. wonder if
> anyone can weigh in on the quality of their meat. Their roasts aren't
> *that* darned much less, running about $75 per roast, but he'd like to
> give it a try. I have reservations about *anything* edible from Costco
> that doesn't live in a freezer, as I've seen mice scurrying from
> pallet to pallet during *daylight* and shudder to think what surfaces
> might be contaminated by the little buggers.
>
> What say you?

I buy a fair amount of meat at Costco, and it's always good. Of
course, I haven't noticed mice in the store I go to. That might put
me off a bit. (That doesn't mean there aren't any, just that I haven't
seen them;-) I'd rather not know.)

pat

Cryambers writes:
>
> I buy a fair amount of meat at Costco, and it's always good. �Of
> course, I haven't noticed mice in the store I go to. �That might put
> me off a bit. (That doesn't mean there aren't any, just that I haven't
> seen them;-) �I'd rather not know.)

They're in the ground meat.

On Tue, 9 Dec 2008 06:27:24 -0800 (PST), Cryambers wrote:

> Terry Pulliam Burd wrote:
>> Our traditional Christmas dinner is prime rib with Yorkshire pudding
>> (the DH, who is generally entirely clueless in the kitchen, has become
>> something of an idiot savant when it comes to Yorkshire pudding - his
>> puds turn out brilliantly) and we generally order 2 rib roasts from
>> Gelson's (an upscale SoCal market) b/c they've always delivered top
>> notch meat and I won't scrimp on a Big Dinner such as this. The DH
>> either read or heard about Costco's meat, which is supposed to be top
>> notch, too. He wants to order our roasts from Costco, selecting the
>> prime 4+ pounders, but not having tried their meat dept. wonder if
>> anyone can weigh in on the quality of their meat. Their roasts aren't
>> *that* darned much less, running about $75 per roast, but he'd like to
>> give it a try. I have reservations about *anything* edible from Costco
>> that doesn't live in a freezer, as I've seen mice scurrying from
>> pallet to pallet during *daylight* and shudder to think what surfaces
>> might be contaminated by the little buggers.
>>
>> What say you?
>
> I buy a fair amount of meat at Costco, and it's always good. Of
> course, I haven't noticed mice in the store I go to. That might put
> me off a bit. (That doesn't mean there aren't any, just that I haven't
> seen them;-) I'd rather not know.)
>
> pat

your store has a better class of mice. they're very polite.

your pal,
blake

"Terry Pulliam Burd" > wrote in message
...
> Our traditional Christmas dinner is prime rib with Yorkshire pudding
> (the DH, who is generally entirely clueless in the kitchen, has become
> something of an idiot savant when it comes to Yorkshire pudding - his
> puds turn out brilliantly) and we generally order 2 rib roasts from
> Gelson's (an upscale SoCal market) b/c they've always delivered top
> notch meat and I won't scrimp on a Big Dinner such as this. The DH
> either read or heard about Costco's meat, which is supposed to be top
> notch, too. He wants to order our roasts from Costco, selecting the
> prime 4+ pounders, but not having tried their meat dept. wonder if
> anyone can weigh in on the quality of their meat. Their roasts aren't
> *that* darned much less, running about $75 per roast, but he'd like to
> give it a try. I have reservations about *anything* edible from Costco
> that doesn't live in a freezer, as I've seen mice scurrying from
> pallet to pallet during *daylight* and shudder to think what surfaces
> might be contaminated by the little buggers.
>
> What say you?
>
> Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd


Overall, I have found Costco beef to be USDA Choice and well marbled as
well as well trimmed.

Generally they are a good value. especially if you are a Costco Business
customer and have access to their meat by the case.

I have never had a problem.

By the same token Gelsons has always had high standards.

Dimitri

Dimitri wrote:
> "Terry Pulliam Burd" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Our traditional Christmas dinner is prime rib with Yorkshire pudding
>> (the DH, who is generally entirely clueless in the kitchen, has
>> become something of an idiot savant when it comes to Yorkshire
>> pudding - his puds turn out brilliantly) and we generally order 2
>> rib roasts from Gelson's (an upscale SoCal market) b/c they've
>> always delivered top notch meat and I won't scrimp on a Big Dinner
>> such as this. The DH either read or heard about Costco's meat, which
>> is supposed to be top notch, too. He wants to order our roasts from
>> Costco, selecting the prime 4+ pounders, but not having tried their
>> meat dept. wonder if anyone can weigh in on the quality of their
>> meat. Their roasts aren't *that* darned much less, running about $75
>> per roast, but he'd like to give it a try. I have reservations about
>> *anything* edible from Costco that doesn't live in a freezer, as
>> I've seen mice scurrying from pallet to pallet during *daylight* and
>> shudder to think what surfaces might be contaminated by the little
>> buggers. What say you?
>>
>> Terry "Squeaks" Pulliam Burd
>
>
> Overall, I have found Costco beef to be USDA Choice and well marbled
> as well as well trimmed.
>
> Generally they are a good value. especially if you are a Costco
> Business customer and have access to their meat by the case.
>
> I have never had a problem.
>
> By the same token Gelsons has always had high standards.
>
> Dimitri

Although I am a Costco business member, my Costco does not require any
particular membership to buy the meat by the case. Good value.
Janet

Dimitri > wrote:

> Generally they are a good value. especially if you are a Costco Business
> customer and have access to their meat by the case.

You don't have to be a business customer to buy by the case. And
they're the same price to business (unless your state charges sales
tax on meat).

-sw

Terry Pulliam Burd > wrote:

> What say you?

The beef, pork, and lamb at CostCo are the best deals around.
Quality and price-wise. They are very sanitary as well. Mice,
well.... it's a mouse. They can get in anywhere.

-sw