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USDA Select ribeyes worth it?

11,154 Views | 33 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by aggiebq03+
Joe Exotic
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AG
Kroger has bone in USDA select rib eyes for $3.99 a pound this week. I usually stick with choice but the price intrigues me. HEB also has select tbones this week for $3.97 as well. Which would be better?
62strat
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AG
It's $4.. buy one and try it!
Max06
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Dig through the case of them, you're bound to find Select+ that rival Choice-
Tanya 93
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I am not trying to troll but what is the difference between select, choice, and prime.

I buy our beef at the farmers market. So i don't know what half of it is. I just get whatever Benny says he wants from what he has at his friends' houses.
Max06
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USDA Beef Grading
Joe Exotic
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quote:
I am not trying to troll but what is the difference between select, choice, and prime.

I buy our beef at the farmers market. So i don't know what half of it is. I just get whatever Benny says he wants from what he has at his friends' houses.


It may not be graded if at a farmers market. Amd if it's grass fed it's probably not going to matter anyway.
Duncan Idaho
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If you are looking for a some steaks the throw in the freezer and have handy, go for it.

If you eat your steals past medium rare, go for it.

There is a lot you can do with a ribeye besides grill it ($4 is cheap for a fajita like dish , chicken fried rib eyes are awesome, hell buy a brisket to go with it and make some ground beef, or make some of Fido's carne guisada
Bruce Almighty
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If they suck, use them for sandwiches or stir fry
ToddyHill
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Max is spot on. Many shoppers don't realize the top 2/3 Choice graded product is sold at a premium to what is labeled Choice, which is the bottom third of the grade.

Personally, I'd try to find the smallest ribeye, which will probably be around 15 pounds. Put it in the coldest section of your frig for two weeks then portion cut.
ToddyHill
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My bad, I thought these were boneless, lip-on Ribeye rolls.

Should be easy. Go for the steaks with the most marbling. Even the steaks with that 1" section of fat in between the large muscle (the eye), and thinner muscle on the edge should eat great. In fact, that thinner muscle, called the spinalis, is as good as it gets.
FIDO*98*
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FIDO sister and Mrs FIDO bought some refrigerator case steaks for me to cook a few weeks ago. I would have been happier with chopped steak with 80/20 ground beef. They thought they were great. What's your standard for a good steak?
Joe Exotic
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I usually stick to choice from Costco or the occasional prime. Cooked one of the select ones yesterday and I have to admit it wasn't bad at all. Definitely worth the $3.99.
03_Aggie
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I use them for philly cheese steaks.
TX AG 88
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Tanya,

select, choice, and prime are the USDA grades, which are assigned based on the amount of marbling in them. The more marbling, the more flavorful and tender the steak will be. Select is the lowest grade, prime is the highest.
ToddyHill
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Ribeye for Philly Cheesesteak
Joe Exotic
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quote:
Tanya,

select, choice, and prime are the USDA grades, which are assigned based on the amount of marbling in them. The more marbling, the more flavorful and tender the steak will be. Select is the lowest grade, prime is the highest.


There are grades lower than select
agcrock2005
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Depends on what the marbling looks like, not what the labeling says. Every steak is different. I've seen Choice ribeyes that looked like garbage at Tom Thumb and select Ribeyes at Kroger that had much better marbling than Tom Thumb.
fta09
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quote:
Depends on what the marbling looks like, not what the labeling says. Every steak is different. I've seen Choice ribeyes that looked like garbage at Tom Thumb and select Ribeyes at Kroger that had much better marbling than Tom Thumb.
Just another reason why I like to buy and grill my steaks at home. Even buying prime can be cheaper than Texas Roadhouse or any other generic reasonably accessible steak place. I hate when you go out and you get a ribeye with hardly any cap on it. I guess at least Texas Roadhouse will let you pick one as you walk in, but the marbling ain't there.
superunknown
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Yeah but do they even sell cutter/canner in stores? I thought it was meant for inner city elementary schools.
schmellba99
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quote:
Tanya,

select, choice, and prime are the USDA grades, which are assigned based on the amount of marbling in them. The more marbling, the more flavorful and tender the steak will be. Select is the lowest grade, prime is the highest.
It's more than just marbling that goes into how a cut of meat ultimately gets graded. The link posted above goes into a lot of detail on it, good read actually.
Joe Exotic
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quote:
Yeah but do they even sell cutter/canner in stores? I thought it was meant for inner city elementary schools.


The beef at Walmart just says USDA Inspected. Not sure what that is grade wise.
superunknown
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quote:

The beef at Walmart just says USDA Inspected. Not sure what that is grade wise.


Tursiops93
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quote:
quote:

The beef at Walmart just says USDA Inspected. Not sure what that is grade wise.



Yup.....It's meat!

-FDA -USDA Inspector (Whew....Fixed it)
ToddyHill
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I suspect that category of beef at Wal Mart is probably a combination of Select and No Roll, which is a whole other topic. Regardless, I believe that beef comes from youthful, feedlot cattle...I.e., nothing that would be considered Utility grade.

Also, that would be USDA, not FDA.
FtBendTxAg
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I was at the terrible academy store on Voss and Westehimer the other day and the dollar general next door has a huge banner outside advertising $2/LB ribeye steaks. Really makes you think..
FtBendTxAg
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& is chicken fried ribeye a real thing??

Serious question. I'm intrigued.
TX AG 88
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quote:
quote:
Tanya,

select, choice, and prime are the USDA grades, which are assigned based on the amount of marbling in them. The more marbling, the more flavorful and tender the steak will be. Select is the lowest grade, prime is the highest.


There are grades lower than select


yes, i know that, but it's not important to Tanya, she'll never see anything below Select. Same with "other factors beside marbling" going into the grading. I was just trying to give her the basic "non-asterisked" information she needs to know to buy her son a steak.
fta09
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quote:
I was at the terrible academy store on Voss and Westehimer the other day and the dollar general next door has a huge banner outside advertising $2/LB ribeye steaks. Really makes you think..
Tursiops93
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quote:
I suspect that category of beef at Wal Mart is probably a combination of Select and No Roll, which is a whole other topic. Regardless, I believe that beef comes from youthful, feedlot cattle...I.e., nothing that would be considered Utility grade.

Also, that would be USDA, not FDA.
OMG!!!! I am soooo sorry for the mistype while cracking a joke! Editing right now and I will do my best to NEVER EVER do that again!
FtBendTxAg
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quote:
quote:
I was at the terrible academy store on Voss and Westehimer the other day and the dollar general next door has a huge banner outside advertising $2/LB ribeye steaks. Really makes you think..



Brave man! Thats disgusting.
Tanya 93
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quote:
quote:
I am not trying to troll but what is the difference between select, choice, and prime.

I buy our beef at the farmers market. So i don't know what half of it is. I just get whatever Benny says he wants from what he has at his friends' houses.


It may not be graded if at a farmers market. Amd if it's grass fed it's probably not going to matter anyway.
Does this mean grass fed doesn't have marbling? Literally, I ask this woman for ground sirloin, usually some jerky, and a roast or a couple of steaks because Benny helps me plan the weekly menu.

Would it be better meat if I went to Hyvee or something like that and asked the butcher for stuff?
Joe Exotic
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Generally grass fed beef will have considerably less marbling than grain finished beef. This will affect the flavor profile. While tastes are subjective most people will find grain fed beef more flavorful since marbling will heavily contribute to flavor. There's a reason why high end steak houses don't serve grass finished beef as their main choices.

For ground it won't really matter. Probably not the roasts either. Go with the grain fed at choice if you can for steaks.
schmellba99
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quote:
& is chicken fried ribeye a real thing??

Serious question. I'm intrigued.
A guy I used to work with made some solid CFS with ribeye's. Use to freak the butcher out when he'd grab a package and ask the butcher to run them through the tenderizer.

They were damn good. Not sure I'd make a habit of using a ribeye for CFS, but on occasion - yep.
biobioprof
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quote:
quote:
I was at the terrible academy store on Voss and Westehimer the other day and the dollar general next door has a huge banner outside advertising $2/LB ribeye steaks. Really makes you think..

That steak has been treated with bromelain! which is the protease found in fresh pineapple. Aside from the thinness, that's why it looks mushy.
aggiebq03+
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FIDO sister and Mrs FIDO bought some refrigerator case steaks for me to cook a few weeks ago. I would have been happier with chopped steak with 80/20 ground beef. They thought they were great. What's your standard for a good steak?

This is why everyone knows if I'm cooking steak or other meat for them (besides chicken) not to bother buying and bringing it to our house. I'll do a better job selecting and everyone will enjoy the meal more. And I don't feel like wasting my time cooking a meal with subpar meat.
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