USDA Prime at Costco
I was quite ecstatic when I was at Costco today. They actually had some Prime cuts of Ribeye and New York steak. And we all know what a Ribeye is called before it’s sliced into steaks, right? Prime Rib of course! (As a side note, if it’s a Ribeye roast, but not of Prime quality, then it’s considered a Standing Rib Roast.)
For those of you who are not as ecstatic as I was, consider this: There are three primary grades of meat that are available to consumers: Prime, Choice, and Select.
Prime is the juiciest and most flavorful. It is prized for it’s superior marbling, and the youthfulness of the cattle from which it was taken. Prime grade meat makes up less than 2% of all beef sold in the US. It is generally not available for purchase at the supermarket because it is purchased by upscale restaurants and served to their customers.
Choice is the second best grade of meat. It is still a high quality grade of meat, but has less marbling than Prime. This is the most common cut of meat available at the Costco meat case. It is also a step above the Select grade commonly found at most supermarkets.
Select is the lowest grade of meat available for general purchase and consumption. It has the least marbling and is the toughest, with the least flavor. It will also be the least juicy of the three grades. But it is plentiful, and the least expensive. It is frequently found in the meat case of most supermarkets, but I have never seen it at Costco.
So now, maybe you can see why I was so excited that Costco had USDA Prime Beef. They rarely, if ever, carry it. And it’s highly unlikely I’ll ever be able to purchase it retail. I asked the butcher if Prime was going to be a regular feature at Costco, and he said it depended on how well it sold. He mentioned that it wasn’t selling quite as well as they had hoped. So apparently, this is just a trial run. Being the student of economics that I am, I decided to show my support and demand for USDA Prime Beef by buying three ribeyes at the (relatively) low cost of $9.99/lb. (I say relatively low because you would probably pay $10.99 or more for a ribeye steak at Safeway, which is more likely a Select, or possibly a Choice grade steak.) It wasn’t that much more than a Choice ribeye, which I believe was $8 or $9 per pound.
In any case, I took pictures of my prized meat after it came home, and I’ll post those as soon as I download the pictures from my camera to my computer.
“(As a side note, if it’s a Ribeye roast, but not of Prime quality, then it’s considered a Standing Rib Roast.)”
PRIME rib refers to bones 6th through 12th inclusive. The term PRIME in “Prime Rib” has nothing whatsoever to do with the USDA grading of meat. Any rib roast can be a “standing rib roast”, and a Prime Rib could be of USDA Select grade. It is the smaller ribs, near the loin that make the roast “Prime Rib.” What is commonly called a “standing rib roast” is closer to the chuck, and less tender, but typically more flavorful.
The term “Prime Rib” dates back to the late 1800′s (ling before the USDA was formed) and Prime Rib can be found throughout England and Canada where there is no USDA to grade beef.
Hi Jan, thanks for the comment. I’m surprised you dug this post up seeing as how it’s over 7 months old. I guess that just goes to show that if it’s on the Internet, it’s forever. In any case, I did some research on your comment, and the evidence does seem to indicate you are correct. I don’t remember where I originally learned my information. I’m a huge fan of Alton Brown (Good Eats), and I’m fairly certain that I learned it from him. But I’ll have to go back and look at the old episodes to be sure. In any case, I’m pretty sure he’s the one that made the distinction of prime rib vs. standing rib roast being made by the USDA grade of Prime. Hard to believe he’d make a gaffe like that. But I’ll have to take a look…
Just bought some prime New York strip at Costco today. I am just as excited about this as you. Hope it becomes a regular feature there. At $9.99/lb the price is incredible. I guess, with the bad economy there is a lower demand for them at the steakhouses that normally buy most of the prime beef.
I bought the trimmed steaks. Forgot to check if they have the primal cuts of the same meet. I am interested in this so that I can try to dry-age it at home.
Hi Dimitri, thanks for posting. Though my original post stated it’s rarely ever carried, I’ve been able to pretty consistently find the Prime grade beef at my local Costco in Mountain View, CA. I don’t always buy it, mind you, but it’s nice to know it’s available. I have had difficulty finding it at other ones when I’ve looked. Must be a regional/city thing.
I hadn’t thought of it being due to the poor economy, but I suppose you could be right. The original post was back in July, before the economy got really horrible, so I’m not sure they’re directly correlated, though they could be.
In any case, it’s a lucky thing for us as consumers who get our choice of the finest beef available. You’ll definitely be eating the top 2% of all beef when you sit down for dinner.
I don’t know if they sell the primal cut, though that would be a good question to ask. I do know they sell cases of meat, which are 50-100+ lbs. A bit overboard for my purposes.
Have you ever dry-aged beef at home? I’d be interested to know your process.
I didnt even know what prime was until I bought it at costco. i saw the marbling of the ribeye and had a feeling that it was gonna be a damn good steak, that and the fact that it cost $3 more per lb than choice. I went home and decided I should grill a ribeye for myself and…holy crappitydoo! It was the most flavorful and tender steak i’ve ever eaten. I hope costcos continue to sell the prime meat cuz I’d kill the calf myself for a bite of prime! You think its ok to freeze prime meat? Dont want frost to settle on the meat in the freezer. but then again, i shud invest in a machine that vacuum seals plastic bags to avoid freezer burn.
I purchased 3 NY steaks–prime– at Costco; two of them were satisfactory, after some extensive trimming. The third was almost inedible. It was riddled with gristle, yet the side presented in the package showed a nice marbled piece. But the flip side was a disgrace. I got stuck with that piece because I did not want to burden anyone else with it. This was a total ripoff, at more than $32 for 3 steaks. I am going to seek redress.
Hi Carole, I’m sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. That’s rather unfortunate. While I don’t have any personal experience with their return policies, I know Costco has one of the best in the business. I’ve heard of people returning all sorts of stuff to Costco, some of them with questionable ethics. I would definitely encourage you to seek redress from them for this unfortunate mishap.
Well I am a costco member in Canada here it is AAA beef and we have the canadian prime as well. let me tell you its the best beef in the world. It tastes like butter has been put in the steak. Thats the AAA Alberta Beef Buy the whole you will save so much money feeze it with spice and telling you it will be the best beef ever. Anyhow the price lately has been 13.49 a kilo while the whole is 10.99kg for a striploin Safeway is 22.49a kg