Are you taking the extra step to get the best meat?

[40-140]

I love firing up the smoker and do it multiple times a week. I am luckly for cattle I raise my own (Black Angus, picture below) but that is only 2 Briskets for each one of my steers and only do 1 a year so I am left to find quality meat for my family and friends.
Options:
-High-end grocery stores (Whole Foods/ Heinens (local chain) often pride some cuts with high dollars.
- Mid Level (Giant Eagle) where $3.99 # for pork ribs is normal
-Costco & Restaurant Depot: Costco has Prime & Choice meats ( Prime Brisket $44-50, Standing Rib roast & etc.) RD has reasonable prices for Pork $1.99/lb for Shoulder or $1.51/lb for pork ribs.
-local butcher or farmers market (Picture #1)/markets (Cleveland Westside Market) This is one that is overwhelming at times since the smaller shops have limited cuts and often need to order (Just my opinion)

Where do you guys go to get your meat and am I missing something?

Do you care about ethically raised/ slaughtered?

Cheers,
Lou

IMG_0674.JPG

• 40-140
• Jan 17, 2017

IMG_1101.JPG

• 40-140
• Jan 17, 2017

 

[SmokinAl]

That's great that you raise your own cattle, but I think most of us have to get our meat at the grocery store or butcher shop.

Personally we buy most of our meat from Sam's or Costco.

The quality & price are good at both places.

Al

 

[chipmanbbq]

I buy half a cow every year. I'm not sure I could go back to eating and more importantly paying for store bought beef. I'm paying ~$2.50 a pound for beef and that includes all the cuts I want plus a ton of ground beef.

For pork I'm a Sam's club guy.

I do care how animals are treated, but until I win the lottery and have my own farm there really isn't a whole lot I can do about it.

 

[johnmeyer]

We had several high-end local butchers thirty years ago, but we're down to one. As much as I like the people at the butcher and their friendly touch, Costco's meats are incredibly tasty. I find Costco choice cuts to be amazingly good (I'm just about to cook some 1.5" ribeyes), and have only spent the extra money for prime on a few occasions. I buy almost all my meats for smoking at Costco, including top round for jerky; St. Louis ribs; Boston butt for pulled pork; almonds for smoked almonds; and salmon for hot-smoked salmon. The salmon is the one item that, in season, can easily be beaten, both in price and quality, from other sources. Even Safeway often has better salmon than Costco, but only for a few weeks out of the year.

 

[gr0uch0]

I've been very pleased with Costco's meats.  Last go-round, I could buy prime brisket for about $2.75 a pound, vs. over $4 2 bunkers over for choice.  I haven't found the same deals on their prime steaks, but the choice have been quite good regardless.  If I'm in the store while their butchers are in, they've been very accommodating to cut whatever thickness I want.  I've also had good luck with GFS as well.  Let's face it:  brisket is really a lousy cut of meat by all accounts.  It's what we've learned to do with that lousy cut of beef that makes it so mouth-watering at the end of the process.

We've got a couple of full-blown butchers in the area, but I have a hard time justifying paying what they're asking, regardless if the cattle were bedded on 24 carat sheets and blankets, and had attendants warm washing their hind ends after each meadow muffin.  My $0.02.

 

[myownidaho]

I buy half a steer every year from a friend. They're grass fed but he also starts them on grain day one. The result is that I get grass fed flavor with grain fed texture. Some of the best beef I've ever had but it comes at a premium. My feeling is that I paid a premium for the ground beef but I stole the t-bones! [emoji]128512[/emoji]
They're also smaller so the 170# this year is 30# more than I've received in previous years. As a result, I smoke arm roasts, chuck etc. If I need any other beef, Fred Meyer has good quality as well as Costco.

I also buy half a Berkshire hog every year but I wasn't happy with how the animal was butchered last year. I have identified another source I may try this year at the same price. Freddy's has decent pork for smoking and Costco is the go to if I need to do quantity.

 

[pabeef]

We raise sheep and eat them

20160729_112233.jpg

• pabeef
• Jan 19, 2017

Pictures is my daughter in purple showing the reserve supreme ram at our county fair
2017 baby should start coming the end of next week.
We will put 3 in the freezer this August. I normally trade a lamb with my friend for a 4-H hog his family has raised. And we will pickup a 1/4 of beef from some one we know. So that covers most of the needs for home.
For big cooks we go to Sam's & or a meat wholesale about 40 minutes away.
One place to check is at your county fair. There are always some animals that do not make the quality meats auction and need a home after the fair. The kids have worked hard with their animals and deserve a good price.