Costco took away my favorite cut of steak: a carnivore's lament

[am1]

Seems unhealthy and costco is right to do away with them.

 

[VacationForever]

My friend told me he followed this video. Sounds delicious. I might give it a try.

I just watched this and my issue with this video is that he adds oil and butter to an already very fatty/oily cut of meat. We also avoid oil splatter and hence we love our air fryer.

 

[MOXJO7282]

In Maui and bought Korean BBQ Marinated Beef at the Costco there. Never saw it stateside but it was outstanding.

 

[mentalbreak]

That's the way to do it. Just know if you return fresh meat like we're discussing, it'll go in the trash. Even if it's wrapped, secure and safe, they have to throw it away. Next time you're in the refund line the day after a holiday, look at the people returned huge, expensive cuts of meat, or whole hams or whatever. They'll get their refund, but the meat goes in the garbage.

Dave

Yes, I should clarify that I was talking about non-grocery items.

Although I confess that actually have returned bread before. It was a delicious organic bread with grains/seeds, and was awesome the first 6 months that we purchased it. Then we had a string of 3 purchases when the middle was a chewy, undercooked consistency. I’m still sad about it because we really liked it for sandwich bread.

 

[Glynda]

If you like beef rare to medium, you won't like these. They need to be cooked to at least medium well for fats to drain off, leaving tender flavorful beef. We bought 3 trays of these on Monday, cooked one tray on Tuesday and used the leftover to make potato hash for dinner last evening. The other 2 trays went into our freezer.

Rib eye is our favorite choice of steak and yes, we do like them medium rare. If these have to be cooked longer, then they would be a costly and disappointing mistake for many people. It’s really hard to believe that they were indeed prime.

 

[Glynda]

My friend told me he followed this video. Sounds delicious. I might give it a try.

He cooks it to medium rare. Hmmm.

 

[VacationForever]

Rib eye is our favorite choice of steak and yes, we do like them medium rare. If these have to be cooked longer, then they would be a costly and disappointing mistake for many people. It’s really hard to believe that they were indeed prime.

Our friend who likes steaks medium rare or rare now cooks these to medium well because the few times he did it to medium rare or rare, he couldn't eat it because the uncooked fats stared at him.

 

[DaveNV]

Yes, I should clarify that I was talking about non-grocery items.

Although I confess that actually have returned bread before. It was a delicious organic bread with grains/seeds, and was awesome the first 6 months that we purchased it. Then we had a string of 3 purchases when the middle was a chewy, undercooked consistency. I’m still sad about it because we really liked it for sandwich bread.

If it's not up to your liking, or in the case of the bread, apparently not cooked correctly, then certainly, return it. And make sure you tell the clerk why you're returning the item, so they can note on the item in the computer why it was unacceptable. Costco needs to know they're selling undercooked bread or whatever.

I was talking about perfectly good meat items that were "over purchased." I hear all the time about people who make their refund, then are surprised when the Refund Clerk takes the meat item and drops it in the trash can. "What?? If I knew you were going to throw it away, I wouldn't have returned it!" And the Clerk says, "What do you expect me to do with it? Put it back out for sale? Where has it been? How has it been stored? Did it sit in your hot car for three days before you got in here? Would YOU want to buy that item, without knowing how it's been handled? Sorry, everything fresh goes in the trash."

Dave

 

[Glynda]

Our friend who likes steaks medium rare or rare now cooks these to medium well because the few times he did it to medium rare or rare, he couldn't eat it because the uncooked fats stared at him.

We couldn’t eat it because there was so much gristle. I don’t recall uncooked fat staring at us. I still have two in the freezer and will give them another try.

 

[DEScottzz]

One of my favorites from Costco is the pork tenderloins. It's a lot like eating filet mignon, but you only pay $3 per pound.

A package has four pieces. I take them home and season them with salt, pepper, and garlic. Then I vacuum pack them and freeze. They can go straight from the freezer into the sous vide water bath, and they'll be ready to sear in two to four hours.

 

[VacationForever]

We couldn’t eat it because there was so much gristle. I don’t recall uncooked fat staring at us. I still have two in the freezer and will give them another try.

We have not had gristle in the Ribeye Caps from Costco.

 

[Glynda]

A follow up. Yesterday, I took out one of the two remaining Costco rib-eye caps from the freezer. This was from the same tray we used for the very disappointing dinner discussed above. The day before, I read an old Cook's Illustrated Magazine on how to cook flank steak. In the article, the author wrote of the magazine's tried and true method for cooking thick steaks like rib-eye. The article adjusted the recipe for flank steak. I decided to give mine another chance and followed the "tried and true" for thick steaks. I seasoned the rib-eye cap with salt, pepper and sugar, placed it on a rack on a baking sheet and baked it in the oven at 275 degrees until it was 125/130 degrees in the center. It took about an hour. They suggest 120 degrees internal temperature, but I had a little trouble getting a consistent read on the meat thermometer. When it was almost there, I pre-heated a cast iron pan on the stove until it was starting to smoke, removed the steak from the oven and browned it the frying pan flipping it every minute, for four to five minutes (I browned the sides too as it was very thick). I let it rest for ten minutes before dividing it for the two of us. Vacation Forever's advice above was spot on about this steak needing to be cooked to a medium to medium-well temperature. We prefer medium rare normally but this one was absolutely delicious! A fine steak restaurant couldn't couldn't have served a better steak!

 

[VacationForever]

A follow up. Yesterday, I took out one of the two remaining Costco rib-eye caps from the freezer. This was from the same tray we used for the very disappointing dinner discussed above. The day before, I read an old Cook's Illustrated Magazine on how to cook flank steak. In the article, the author wrote of the magazine's tried and true method for cooking thick steaks like rib-eye. The article adjusted the recipe for flank steak. I decided to give mine another chance and followed the "tried and true" for thick steaks. I seasoned the rib-eye cap with salt, pepper and sugar, placed it on a rack on a baking sheet and baked it in the oven at 275 degrees until it was 125/130 degrees in the center. It took about an hour. They suggest 120 degrees internal temperature, but I had a little trouble getting a consistent read on the meat thermometer. When it was almost there, I pre-heated a cast iron pan on the stove until it was starting to smoke, removed the steak from the oven and browned it the frying pan flipping it every minute, for four to five minutes (I browned the sides too as it was very thick). I let it rest for ten minutes before dividing it for the two of us. Vacation Forever's advice above was spot on about this steak needing to be cooked to a medium to medium-well temperature. We prefer medium rare normally but this one was absolutely delicious! A fine steak restaurant couldn't couldn't have served a better steak!

I am glad you tried it again. We are having some tomorrow evening, cook in an air fryer.

 

[#1 Cowboys Fan]

An 'air fryer'----do steaks really come out NICE in those?

 

[VacationForever]

An 'air fryer'----do steaks really come out NICE in those?

The best! Nicely seared and crunchy, if you want, on the outside, juicy on the inside. Air fryer makes the best steaks and we know quite alot about cooking steaks. The oil drips down to the bottom, leaving juicy and tender meat.

We also use it to cook pork belly for the nice crunch. We also love how our unbreaded chicken wings are nice and crispy and guilt-free.

Air fryers are essentially convection ovens on steriod.

 

[dioxide45]

A follow up. Yesterday, I took out one of the two remaining Costco rib-eye caps from the freezer. This was from the same tray we used for the very disappointing dinner discussed above. The day before, I read an old Cook's Illustrated Magazine on how to cook flank steak. In the article, the author wrote of the magazine's tried and true method for cooking thick steaks like rib-eye. The article adjusted the recipe for flank steak. I decided to give mine another chance and followed the "tried and true" for thick steaks. I seasoned the rib-eye cap with salt, pepper and sugar, placed it on a rack on a baking sheet and baked it in the oven at 275 degrees until it was 125/130 degrees in the center. It took about an hour. They suggest 120 degrees internal temperature, but I had a little trouble getting a consistent read on the meat thermometer. When it was almost there, I pre-heated a cast iron pan on the stove until it was starting to smoke, removed the steak from the oven and browned it the frying pan flipping it every minute, for four to five minutes (I browned the sides too as it was very thick). I let it rest for ten minutes before dividing it for the two of us. Vacation Forever's advice above was spot on about this steak needing to be cooked to a medium to medium-well temperature. We prefer medium rare normally but this one was absolutely delicious! A fine steak restaurant couldn't couldn't have served a better steak!

That was apparently one of Cooks Illustrated old methods for cooking ribeye. I watched an America's Test Kitchen episode from one of their recent seasons and it seems they now recommend to cook the ribeye in a scorching hot cast iron skillet (preheated in a 500 degree oven for 30 minutes) and placed on a hot cook top. Cook the steak for two minutes on each side for 9 minutes total. It turns out great!

 

[Glynda]

That was apparently one of Cooks Illustrated old methods for cooking ribeye. I watched an America's Test Kitchen episode from one of their recent seasons and it seems they now recommend to cook the ribeye in a scorching hot cast iron skillet (preheated in a 500 degree oven for 30 minutes) and placed on a hot cook top. Cook the steak for two minutes on each side for 9 minutes total. It turns out great!

The magazine was four years old. Our ribeye-cap steak could not have been better. I think I'll skip the mess from nine minutes of sizzling and spattering on my cooktop and opt for the oven method and perhaps finishing it on a hot grill outside next time. I hate trying to clean the heavy iron grates on my gas stovetop.

 

[dioxide45]

The magazine was four years old. Our ribeye-cap steak could not have been better. I think I'll skip the mess from nine minutes of sizzling and spattering on my cooktop and opt for the oven method and perhaps finishing it on a hot grill outside next time. I hate trying to clean the heavy iron grates on my gas stovetop.

I agree, the cast iron method does make a mess of the stovetop.

 

[VacationForever]

You can always sear it in the oven first before dropping the temperature to get the inside cooked.

 

[Glynda]

You can always sear it in the oven first before dropping the temperature to get the inside cooked.

Could try that. It would keep the mess to my oven. I have one more remaining from the original packages. Has anyone definitively determined if Costco really is going to discontinue the rib-eye caps?

 

[VacationForever]

Could try that. It would keep the mess to my oven. I have one more remaining from the original packages. Has anyone definitively determined if Costco really is going to discontinue the rib-eye caps?

We went to Costco last week and again today and found none. We asked the meat department today and were told that decision to stop carrying ribeye caps were made at the corporate level. No more ribeye caps at all Costco warehouses. It was great while it lasted. We still have 5 trays in the freezer. Our local butcher shop carries them and they don't look fresh and at 3 times the price of Costco's.

 

[CO skier]

It must be a regional decision not a "corporate decision", because I was at my local Costco tonight to buy a prime tomahawk steak (as a result of another TUG Lounge thread), and there were half a dozen packages of 3 (or 4, I do not exactly remember) tied and true prime beef "cap steaks" priced at $20.99/lb. Beautifully marbled.

Pricey as it may be, I have always considered Costco prime beef to be a bargain. The rib caps are sooo beautifully marbled, I took a package home one night. Just my opinion, but the steaks were something of a disappointment and even more so considering the premium price. They were certainly "beefy" and tasty, but I thought they were a bit tough for prime beef. The eye of the rib is soooo much more tender, and that is why I will stick with the tomahawk steaks (with the cap trimmed off) at $13.99/lb.

 

[Glynda]

I bought a package of the prime rib-eye caps at the Mount Pleasant Costco yesterday (10/18/19). I was shocked to find it there. There was no sign for it and only one package. There were four nice sized caps and they were $19.99 lb.

 

[Beachclubmum]

I bought a package of the prime rib-eye caps at the Mount Pleasant Costco yesterday (10/18/19). I was shocked to find it there. There was no sign for it and only one package. There were four nice sized caps and they were $19.99 lb.

I knew that Mt. Pleasant Costco was phenomenal! Great find. Now the big question....will you dry age them first? LOL

 

[Glynda]

I knew that Mt. Pleasant Costco was phenomenal! Great find. Now the big question....will you dry age them first? LOL

Ahhh...no.