Beef Cost is Unreal!

[mneeley490]

Two things you should get along with a Costco membership: a chest freezer and a vacuum pack food saver.

I have both, but didn't get either at Costco. Still looking for a new vac, though. The one I currently have won't automatically seal after vacuuming anymore, and I have to hold down the lid with one hand, and flip the switch with the other. Looking at a couple of Inkbirds on Amazon.

 

[sandyut]

Two things you should get along with a Costco membership: a chest freezer and a vacuum pack food saver.

We (2 oldies) usually buy huge hunks of prime beef and cut our own steaks, then vac bag them in "meals for 2", tag them, and into the chest freezer they go. We do the same with pork or prime beef tenderloin. Buy a whole one, then cut, bag, tag, and freeze.

Similar with Costco's 2-pack of St. Louis style ribs. Cook them both, eat off the bone for 1 or 2 meals, debone the rest of the meat, vac bag it into "meals for 2" packages, and into the freezer.

We just had a smoked rib dinner recently from ribs cooked 7 months ago. Two dinner packs left before we need to buy another 2-pack from Costco.

Same here, two of us, but we stock up, vacuum up, freeze it up. Denver suberbs are a solid 45 minute drive, so it nice to be self sufficient. If winter comes this year, Im sure we will get snowed in with a power outage at some point. Back up generator and Starlink make it feel like nothing is falling apart.

 

[werd339]

I would be shocked if Costco still even had real meat... their hamburger is dyed red garbage so it sets the standards pretty low... been interested in looking into getting a butcher instead

 

[KonaRich]

I would be shocked if Costco still even had real meat... their hamburger is dyed red garbage so it sets the standards pretty low... been interested in looking into getting a butcher instead

Costco is the "Savior of the Islands" in Hawaii, especially the out-islands. 95% of all our groceries come from Costco. Same for most of our friends. Many restaurants buy their meat and other things at Costco. Their meat is vary real, and very good. Its been our source for 26 years.

 

[KonaRich]

Costco is the "Savior of the Islands" in Hawaii, especially the out-islands. 95% of all our groceries come from Costco. Same for most of our friends. Many restaurants buy their meat and other things at Costco. Their meat is vary real, and very good. Its been our source for 26 years.

Costco is the "Savior of the Islands" in Hawaii, especially the out-islands. 95% of all our groceries come from Costco. Same for most of our friends. Many restaurants buy their meat and other things at Costco. Their meat is vary real, and very good. Its been our source for 26 years.

Costco doesn’t “dye” its ground beef. It stays bright red because oxygen exposure and sometimes modified‑atmosphere packaging (MAP) keep the meat in the oxymyoglobin or carboxymyoglobin state — both of which look cherry‑red.

What actually makes ground beef red​

Beef color comes from myoglobin, an iron‑containing muscle protein.Myoglobin shifts color depending on what gas it’s exposed to:

• Deoxymyoglobin (purple) — no oxygen, like vacuum‑packed beef.
• Oxymyoglobin (bright red) — oxygen exposure (“blooming”).
• Metmyoglobin (brown) — oxidation over time.

Ground beef turns bright red within minutes of air exposure — this is normal and not a freshness indicator.

What Costco specifically does​

Costco uses standard retail packaging practices similar to other major grocers:

1.​

Most Costco ground beef is sold in traditional overwrap (the loose plastic film over a foam tray).This packaging allows oxygen to reach the surface, forming oxymyoglobin, which looks cherry‑red.This is the same mechanism that makes the outside red while the inside stays brownish‑gray.

2.​

Some retailers (including big-box stores) use MAP containing ~0.4% carbon monoxide.CO binds to myoglobin to form carboxymyoglobin, which is also bright red but more stable and stays red longer.This practice is USDA‑approved and widely used in the industry.

Costco does not publicly list which specific ground‑beef SKUs use MAP, but the technique is common in large‑volume retail packaging.

Important nuance​

Bright red color does not mean the beef is fresher.It only means the surface myoglobin is in the oxygen‑ or CO‑bound state.Brown interior is normal and not a spoilage sign.