Don't read any further unless you want to put up with my RANT!
Am I the only one with the pet peeve that every rib roast being called "Prime Rib"? As a consumer, I am so fed up with labeling issues at the meat market! And this issue (as old as it is) is just scratching the surface lately. It has really gotten out of hand!
The names “rib roast” and “prime rib roast” are often used synonymously, however this is a bit of a misnomer. In short, what you need to know is that BOTH by all accounts, are the SAME CUT OF BEEF. But they can also be boneless or bone-in. The way beef is graded by USDA standards, “Prime” grade beef is the highest quality and has the best marbling. Technically a “prime rib roast” should mean that it is prime grade, but it doesn’t in this special case. It is commonly excepted nowadays to call and label any ol’ rib roast “prime rib roast”. Unfortunately that doesn’t guarantee that it is prime grade, but it is marketed this way to consumers by taking advantage of the misnomer. An actual prime grade ribeye roast will cost up to three times or more in price! Unless it is specifically labeled “USDA Prime Grade” you are getting the same cut of “prime rib”.
To make matters worse, lets cut that same piece of meat into steaks: Ribeye steaks are just steaks cut out of the same cut of beef. But wait... isn't that a "Rib steak"? No... Ribeyes and rib steaks ARE the same thing, however, typically the difference that you will see at the store is that ribeyes are usually boneless, and rib steaks are bone-in. …. That is of course, including a PRICE difference as well! Do you like to pay $7 + per lb for bone that you won’t be eating? But again, the butcher can sell those ribs for a premium if they are cut out! I know it can be confusing…
This labeling issue is just one of many I see at the meat counter that do nothing but confuse consumers to increase your perceived value. (The seafood industry labeling issue is an even worse problem!) Meat mongers go to great length to maximize yield profits and minimize waste or unsellable products by how they separate out and make the different cuts from the larger (primal) cuts. Each will command a different price per lb. at current market prices. In this very example… when you buy boneless ribeye, they will sell the beef ribs that were cut out of it and get more $$ per lb than if they were left on the ribeye. Just check out what beef plate ribs or short ribs go for per lb.!
Now there is this new thing called CAB: which is yet another labeling that is “Certified Angus Beef”. Angus is a specific breed that is known for their quality of table fare, otherwise if not specifically labeled, do you never really know what heritage breed of beef you are getting? So does that mean if not specifically labeled, you could be buying any old dairy cow beef or something like that? At least this is a step in the right direction, but remember this "Certified Angus" label is still designed for profiteering. Wagu or "Kobe" beef is just the next generation of this example of a high quality breed extorting more dollars from the consumer. If you assumed that means that the animal must have 100% pure breed to meet this label, you would be WRONG!
Grass fed, organic, no antibiotics or hormones, GMO free, free range, Certificate of Origin, the list goes on... So many labels and certifications!
As much as I would like to think everything mentioned above was to PROTECT the consumer and HELP them make good decisions about what they pay for to feed themselves and their family... sadly it is not. And sadly the much larger percentage of our population is IGNORANT or simply MISINFORMED by what you are told that is good or bad for you or what is "BEST" to buy.
So in closing I am saying to OP: Get whichever end of the rib roast you can afford, or else buy the WHOLE (primal) untrimmed Rib roast if you can in the cryovac sealed plastic bag and save yourself some money in the long run.
[End Rant]
