Butcher shop or grocery store?

#1

I have been contemplating going to my local butcher shop for meat, especially beef. I haven’t yet because 1) I’m afraid I’ll not cook it properly, thereby wasting money and 2) is good butcher shop-quality meat really that much better, to pay more? Is it worth it?

Here’s a short video of one shelf of beef at my butcher shop, with prices. I included video so you could see the meat. Oh, sometimes the Wagyu goes on sale for a mere $150/lb. Below the video is pricing posted today. I was considering the smoked wings.

Link, if it doesn’t play here:
Meat video

image
C8018748-3955-4379-92FA-C3AFBB259BFE.jpeg1125×1637 266 KB

They’ll also smoke the meat for you so I was thinking about having them do a weekly smoked beef brisket for me since it’s so versatile and I love it so much.

(Robert C) #2

Did you check on line?

ButcherBox or US Wellness Meats (I am sure there are others)

I use ButcherBox - they slaughter and immediately freeze high quality meat - ends up on my doorstep solid as a rock in dry ice.

To me that is better than a butcher where they receive frozen meat - then thaw and leave in a showcase.

If you do not want to mess up cooking - look into Sous Vide cooking and Crockpot slow cooking. Both are (almost) idiot proof.

('Jackie P') #3

I always think it is a good idea to cultivate a good relationship with your butcher. I often get mine to bone joints and give me the bones for stock. And other bones if he has them. I’m working on mine to get me some chicken skins at the moment.
Also he can tell you exactly what he puts in things, like sausages! Even though he broke my heart by telling me how much rusk he put in, but at least I know!

#4

I’ve not checked them out but I will now. Thanks for the tip. I think the butcher shop I referenced cuts their own steaks from a whole animal, from local farms, carved in the shop. Again, I’m not sure if that makes a difference but thought I’d mention it.

This is part of the allure for me… knowing my local butcher and walking up to the counter and saying “whatcha got good this week, Joe?” or something like that! Haha

Speaking of sausages, they posted this photo which was actually what first got me interested. I wouldn’t have thought to ask what was in them but if I partake, now I will. Thanks!

image
78F55F06-2CF9-40B2-82B5-7BC07C87996A.jpeg1536×2048 431 KB
(Marianne) #5

We buy all of our meat, bacon, veggies at BJs (like Sams, Costco).

(Doug) #6

Maybe - I think of it as a splurge: you’re probably going to get the absolute best you can, though at considerably higher price. Is it worth it? People around the world willingly pay thousands of Dollars per bottle for the ‘best’ Burgundy wines. These are only marginally (if that) better than many others that cost in the hundreds… Hard for me to see Wagyu beef being worth 10 or 15 times as much as regular beef. But - if it’s a “life-changing experience” then what the hey…

Filet: $24.99/lb
Ribeye: $16.99/lb
NY Strip: $15.99/lb

For U.S. prices this is not really “brutal” for top-end meat, but I’d rather get my own beef tenderloin for $10 or $11 per lb, and cut my own filets, with very little waste, at half the cost or less.

(Bob M) #7

Went to a steak place that had 4 different 6 ounces steaks including wagyu, and it came in third in a taste test. We liked the shed aged prime and grass fed better.

#8

If I could afford Wagyu, I probably wouldn’t need a life changing experience! :laughing:

Holy facepalm! I swear I’m not a doofus, but I never thought about doing that.

I hope it was complimentary. Though I would consider paying for a bite of different types of steaks just to see what the difference really is.

#9

Costco or Sam’s both have whole cuts of prime rib, sirloins, and tenderloin.

#10

HEB here puts various USDA prime cuts on sale from time to time and I load up. ALthough the A5 wagyu looked impressive, none of the other cuts looked substantially better than the HEB prime. In addition to buying the whole tenderloin, I buy several whole standing rib roasts and do prime rib, ribs, bone in ribeyes, standard ribeyes… I freeze them salted in the same bags I am going to sous vide them in. The salt doesn’t do anything on frozen meat but does its thing once you toss it in the hot water bath/

at 10.99/lb for prime ribeyes the butcher shop difference is minimal. That said, when I need to impress someone I often buy the very best at the butcher shop. The key is to act like it is all in how you cook it.

The top 85% is the meat quality as long as you know how to cook a steak. Here is my way. http://yanbbqb.blogspot.com/2018/03/how-to-cook-steak-right-way.html

#11

Great info. Thank you!

I think until I get a grill or can sous vide, and learn how to really do it well, I’d be wasting my $ on the really good stuff. That Wagyu marbling does look pretty though.

I definitely need to look into buying whole meats though like a tenderloin or your other examples.

(Will knit for bacon. ) #12

Is there a local farmer you can hook up with to buy sides or half sides of beef? If you don’t have storage space you might be able to find a friend or two to split the cost and the meat with you. That’s what I’ve been doing with my son; we both end up with a quarter side of beef for around $200. It works out to under $4 a pound, processed. I couldn’t afford nice ribeyes otherwise!

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #13

It’s pretty hard to ruin meet, unless you actually set it on fire. But I personally wouldn’t shopt at that butcher, what with the difficulty of taking out a second mortgage, and all. I’d either find a more reasonably-priced butcher, or buy from the supermarket. And here I though Whole Foods was expensive!

There are no rules for eating ketogenically, except for keeping your carbohydrate intake below your threshold. Expensive, deluxe, grass-fed beef is lovely if one can afford it, but hardly necessary to a well-formulated ketogenic diet.

(Jeb Bower) #14

We get most of ours from the grocery, but then again, most of the time our meat ends up going in the smoker in some form or another. Once in a while we’ll get meat from my sister-in-law’s farm where the “meat once had a name” but she. Usually the farm fresh stuff is better, but pricewise, we probably wouldn’t get it if it weren’t for the family discount.

(Scott) #15

Lately I have had good luck shopping at Lidl. They have a good selection of grass fed beef priced very reasonable. They often have sales that make it even better. My butcher says he doesn’t get grass fed and even if he did wouldn’t be able to compete pricewise.