Omaha Steaks Sale

[Alan Dunkin]

I realize not everyone likes them, but with some of these discounts, they are actually nearly affordable.

http://www.omahasteaks.com

--- Alan

[stusser]

$99 for all this! But wait, what's it worth?

20 oz filet $20/lb = $25
24 oz sirloin $7/lb = $10.50
16 oz porkchops $4/lb = $4
9 oz stuffed sole $8/lb = $4.50
12 oz salmon $12/lb = $9
24 oz hotdogs $2/lb = $3
16 oz hamburger meat $4/lb = $4
some potatoes lets say a buck apeice, $10
some lasagna lets say $6
and a cheezy cookbook worthless trash
total $76

America's test kitchen did a taste test and Omaha steaks actually ranked roughly equal to supermarket steaks, so they aren't even good meat.

If you want to buy world-class steaks mail order, let me recommend this bad boy right here (http://www.lobels.com/store/main/item.asp?item=6). You will not be disappointed.

[Alan Dunkin]

Oh come on now, that's expensive.

--- Alan

[Post-It]

If you want to buy world-class steaks mail order, let me recommend this bad boy right here (http://www.lobels.com/store/main/item.asp?item=6). You will not be disappointed.


Yeah, hard to argue with Lobel's.

[Ben Sones]

America's test kitchen did a taste test and Omaha steaks actually ranked roughly equal to supermarket steaks, so they aren't even good meat.

That really depends on whether or not your supermarket carries prime beef at all. Many don't. We can argue over whether they are worth the cost, but they are definitely good meat. And while I'd agree that Lobel's is even better, their steaks are also more expensive. At the current Omaha sale prices, Lobel's meat is nearly twice the price of the Omaha stuff.

[Enidigm]

I liked Omaha's stuffed sole in a kind of weekend comfort food sort of way.

The hamburger meat that they pawn off on you for free is ... wierd.

[stusser]

The omaha steaks were ranked equal to bog-standard wet aged supermarket steaks, which are not prime. Omaha steaks, by the way, aren't prime or dry aged.

[Reldan]

That really depends on whether or not your supermarket carries prime beef at all. Many don't. We can argue over whether they are worth the cost, but they are definitely good meat. And while I'd agree that Lobel's is even better, their steaks are also more expensive. At the current Omaha sale prices, Lobel's meat is nearly twice the price of the Omaha stuff.

The couple times I've had Omaha steaks I was not particularly impressed. I have never tried Lobels though, I may have to give them a trial run now.

I've never lived in a place where you could get Prime from a supermarket. Where, pretell, would such a lovely feat be possible?

[Ben Sones]

Wegman's carries all sorts of prime beef, and is otherwise the best grocery store evAr (at least in my experience, though Consumer Reports also recently rated them as the best grocery store in the US; they have also been rated as the best employer in the US by Fortune magazine several years running). But Wegman's is only in the northeast (upstate NY, PA, NJ, and I think they have a store in DC now); they have about 70 stores total, I think. Their flagship store is here in Rochester, and it's so awesome that our relatives always ask us to take them there when they come to visit. Yes, to the grocery store. You'd understand if you saw it.

Omaha steaks, by the way, aren't prime or dry aged.

Omaha sells both prime and choice beef, depending on the cut. Their tenderloin is prime. It is not, however, dry-aged.

[Robert Sharp]

The filet is good though. A relative sent us some steaks for Xmas, and they've been good so far. I agree that I could have gotten similarly good steaks from a supermarket, though. But they also had great twice-baked potatoes!

One thing that is nice about the Omaha steaks is that you don't have to know a lot about meat in order to get a decent steak. Personally, I worked in a meat dept. for about 5 years, so I know a good cut, but most people don't. They just look for the least amount of fat and grab that steak. The steaks we got had decent marbling and were basically well cut. Nothing special, but certainly not bad.

[John E. Motion]

from Lobel's "1 (1 lb.) Beef for Stew $12.98" aka chuck
Who would pay that for stewing meat? A tip o' the hat to the saleman who can pull it off.

[Jake Plane]

Any ever read that New York Times Magazine on how a calf becomes steak? (http://www.nehbc.org/pollan1.html)

First, let me make clear that I'm a meat eater and always will be. Secondly, let me also say that I have nothing against bio-tech foods.

That said, reading this article turned me off corn-fed meat in a significant way. Organic beef is significantly more expensive and doesn't taste as rich (less marbeling), but after reading this expose, I'm sticking to it.




Although the modern cattle industry all but ignores it, the reciprocal relationship between cows and grass is one of nature's underappreciated wonders. For the grasses, the cow maintains their habitat by preventing trees and shrubs from gaining a foothold; the animal also spreads grass seed, planting it with its hoofs and fertilizing it. In exchange for these services, the grasses offer the ruminants a plentiful, exclusive meal. For cows, sheep and other grazers have the unique ability to convert grass -- which single-stomached creatures like us can't digest -- into high-quality protein. They can do this because they possess a rumen, a 45-gallon fermentation tank in which a resident population of bacteria turns grass into metabolically useful organic acids and protein...

So... why is it that my cow hasn't tasted a blade of grass since October? Speed, in a word. Cows raised on grass simply take longer to reach slaughter weight than cows raised on a richer diet, and the modern meat industry has devoted itself to shortening a beef calf's allotted time on earth. ''In my grandfather's day, steers were 4 or 5 years old at slaughter,'' explained Rich Blair, who, at 45, is the younger of the brothers by four years. ''In the 50's, when my father was ranching, it was 2 or 3. Now we get there at 14 to 16 months.'' Fast food indeed. What gets a beef calf from 80 to 1,200 pounds in 14 months are enormous quantities of corn, protein supplements -- and drugs, including growth hormones. These ''efficiencies,'' all of which come at a price, have transformed raising cattle into a high-volume, low-margin business. Not everybody is convinced that this is progress. ''Hell,'' Ed Blair told me, ''my dad made more money on 250 head than we do on 850...''

We have come to think of ''cornfed'' as some kind of old-fashioned virtue; we shouldn't. Granted, a cornfed cow develops well-marbled flesh, giving it a taste and texture American consumers have learned to like. Yet this meat is demonstrably less healthy to eat, since it contains more saturated fat. A recent study in The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the meat of grass-fed livestock not only had substantially less fat than grain-fed meat but that the type of fats found in grass-fed meat were much healthier. (Grass-fed meat has more omega 3 fatty acids and fewer omega 6, which is believed to promote heart disease; it also contains betacarotine and CLA, another ''good'' fat.) A growing body of research suggests that many of the health problems associated with eating beef are really problems with cornfed beef. In the same way ruminants have not evolved to eat grain, humans may not be well adapted to eating grain-fed animals. Yet the U.S.D.A.'s grading system continues to reward marbling -- that is, intermuscular fat -- and thus the feeding of corn to cows.

[Robert Sharp]

I don't get it...if you could make more money on 250 head of cattle by doing things the old way, why do the new low-margin way? It makes no sense. Something else must be going on here.

[Ben Sones]

No, they used to make more money on 250 head of cattle doing it the old way. If they did it that way today, they'd probably price themselves out of the market. Cattle producers who refused to adopt the new, more efficient (but lower margin) methods for raising cattle would have been driven out of business over time, because they wouldn't be able to compete with a producer who can raise 850 head of cattle with the same overhead that the old-style cattle producer spends raising 250.

[stusser]

Omaha sells both prime and choice beef, depending on the cut. Their tenderloin is prime.
I'm pretty sure you're wrong. Omaha just calls all of their meat "Omaha Black Angus(tm)", which is a trademark and a breed, not a rating. And any steak that isn't dry aged isn't special, period.

You can find supermarkets that sell prime dry aged beef in major metropolitan areas, but that's about it. It's certainly worth the price premium. Prime beef has more marbling so it's juicer, and dry aged beef loses a great deal of the water giving it a more intensive beefy taste. The bacterial invasion during the aging process also changes the texture, smoothing it out, and imparts a decidedly mineral bite. Properly dry aged steaks are really an entirely different product than supermarket drek.

I certainly wouldn't buy prime dry aged stew beef, that's crazy. But lobels truly is the best of the best, and their shell steak is a beautiful thing. It's definitely overpriced, though. It's the same beef you get at peter lugers, and lugers will cook it and serve it to me for less money than Lobel's will deliver. But if you're in ohio somewhere, it's probably your only option to get the real deal.

[Ben Sones]

I'm pretty sure you're wrong. Omaha just calls all of their meat "Omaha Black Angus(tm)", which is a trademark and a breed, not a rating. And any steak that isn't dry aged isn't special, period.

I'm not arguing that dry-aged beef isn't great, but even just regular, non-aged prime beef is a noticeable improvement over choice and (especially) select, which is what most supermarkets carry. The Omaha website says that all of their meat is either USDA choice or select in their "about us" section. Their page for their filets says that it's cut from prime tenderloin.

You can find supermarkets that sell prime dry aged beef in major metropolitan areas, but that's about it. It's certainly worth the price premium.

Yes, it definitely is.

I certainly wouldn't buy prime dry aged stew beef, that's crazy.

Yeah, I'd go so far as to say that it's a bad idea. Any meat application that involves long, slow braising actually benefits from some extra connective tissue in the meat. The geletin cooks out and provides flavor and mouthfeel to the cooking liquid. The absence of the connective tissue gives the meat that "falling apart" quality that you expect in a good stew. Prime, dry-aged meat would probably make for an inferior stew.

[mouselock]

Their flagship store is here in Rochester, and it's so awesome that our relatives always ask us to take them there when they come to visit. Yes, to the grocery store. You'd understand if you saw it.


This man speaks truth. Over the Christmas break I and my fiance took a trip to Wegman's. Unfortunately the place was a zoo so I couldn't really, truly get into my foodie zone, but goddamn! A nearby Wegman's would actually be a deciding factor in figuring out places to live for me. (Not the primary one, but if it was here or there I'd pay a bit more or deal with less convenience of nearby gadget stores and the like if it let me be close to a Wegman's.)

Unfortunately for my stomach, the NE is the last place I'd choose to live if I had my druthers.

[stusser]

Yeah, I'd go so far as to say that it's a bad idea.
I dunno. I wouldn't expect prime chuck or round to have less connective tissue than choice, because beef isn't graded based upon those primal cuts. Dry aged beef does taste different than wet aged, but I doubt any of that would be noticeable through the long cooking process in a flavorful liquid, though. It's probably about the same, just more expensive. I would never pay extra for prime hamburger, but hamburger made from dry aged chuck and castings (like Lugers sells for lunch) is a beautiful thing.

[Athryn]

Any ever read that New York Times Magazine on how a calf becomes steak? (http://www.nehbc.org/pollan1.html)

First, let me make clear that I'm a meat eater and always will be. Secondly, let me also say that I have nothing against bio-tech foods.

That said, reading this article turned me off corn-fed meat in a significant way. Organic beef is significantly more expensive and doesn't taste as rich (less marbeling), but after reading this expose, I'm sticking to it.


And actually, according to this (http://www.slate.com/id/2152674/) article by Slate, grass-fed actually does taste better.

[Robert Sharp]

It does taste better, as far as the meat is concerned. What the quote is saying is that it often has less marbling because the cows are leaner. That would vary by cut though.

[Uncle Larry]

If you want to buy world-class steaks mail order, let me recommend this bad boy right here (http://www.lobels.com/store/main/item.asp?item=6). You will not be disappointed.

I think I've found a better bargain. (http://web.archive.org/web/20010331034238/www.manbeef.com/meats.html)

[jpinard]

I think I've found a better bargain. (http://web.archive.org/web/20010331034238/www.manbeef.com/meats.html)

http://web.archive.org/web/20010401023800/www.manbeef.com/recipes/recipe-65.html

Yum...

CHEESE MANBURGER PIE
3/4 pound manburger
1/2 onion -- chopped
1 1/2 slices bread -- cubed
1/2 cup Ragu sauce
Salt -- pepper and oregano

Saute ManBeef and onions in butter. Add Ragu, bread and seasonings. Pour into 9" unbaked pie shell. Beat one egg, add 1/2 cup milk, 1 cup grated cheddar cheese. Spread over ManBeef mixture. Bake 1/2 hour at 350 degrees.

[chet]

jpinard, you eat country crock "butter" out of a tub. I trust your taste buds as much as I trust an ass sniffing dog to pick a fine perfume.

chet

[jpinard]

jpinard, you eat country crock "butter" out of a tub. I trust your taste buds as much as I trust an ass sniffing dog to pick a fine perfume.

chet

Hehe :) You probably wouldn't like my chicken & onion pot pie then. Oh wait... neither did I. blech.

[Jake Plane]

It does taste better, as far as the meat is concerned. What the quote is saying is that it often has less marbling because the cows are leaner. That would vary by cut though.

And marbling means fat - which adds to the taste. Many people like ribeyes because of the heavy marbling throughout.

But if that's not your thing, then I'd suggest the non-hormone injected beef.

[Robert Sharp]

And marbling means fat - which adds to the taste. Many people like ribeyes because of the heavy marbling throughout.

But if that's not your thing, then I'd suggest the non-hormone injected beef.

Yeah, that was my point, Jake. Marbling gives meat better flavor by adding fat. But the LEAN part of grass fed cows taste better than the lean part of corn-fed cows.

Oh, and ribeyes are like any other cut. You can get lean ones with low marbling or get ones with lots of marbling, just like you can with strip steak or tenderloin.

[stusser]

Actually, he's totally right. Ribeyes tend to be the best supermarket steaks because they contain more fat than other cuts.

[Robert Sharp]

Actually, he's totally right. Ribeyes tend to be the best supermarket steaks because they contain more fat than other cuts.

Totally subjective. They have more fat, but not necessarily more marbling, so if you just like fat, sure they're good. As far as "best" filet mignon is almost always the best cut you can get. Strip steaks are pretty damned good too, and usually cost more than ribeye as a result.

Edit: Let me put this another way. Fat is not a good measure of how good a steak will be. If it were, then chuck steaks would be better than all the ones we are discussing, but they aren't. We can argue about such things if you want, but "most fat" is a terrible way to pick out steaks. Believe me. Five years of working in a meat dept. You don't have to think that makes me an expert, but it does mean that I've made a lot of comparisons and given a lot of advice and received a lot of info from coworkers and customers.

[stusser]

Filet is tender but has no flavor or fat, chuck has tons of flavor and fat but is too chewy, rib chops have great flavor, tons of fat, and are tender enough to eat as steaks. Relatively little of it is intramuscular, but it's still a great steak. At the supermarket I always buy ribeye or shell steaks, bone-in.

[Robert Sharp]

I like ribeye too...one of my favorite steaks. But filet DOES have marbling in it. You just have to pick out the right ones. Then they have good flavor. Of course, I'm a spice man anyway, so tenderness is more important to me overall.

[mystery]

I've never lived in a place where you could get Prime from a supermarket. Where, pretell, would such a lovely feat be possible?

Whole Foods is a national chain and carries prime organic. You'll be paying a premium for it (like you pay a premium for everything in that store), but it's pretty decent stuff on my taste-meter.

We've got a local outfit near my house called Brennan's that has its own meat and fish market. The stuff is fresh enough that you want to eat it the night you bring it home. It's hardly alone in the quality of beef it serves, but I live in Wisconsin. We seem to have a lot of beef around here...for some reason.

[Robert Sharp]

We have nothing down here. Bob, Tyler, and I are forced to eat dried rations of artificially flavored (chicken and rice, mainly) powder. If we're lucky, we might be able to scavenge some water out of what is left of our wells. Today, it's raining, so I have my lucky pot out there, in hopes of catching some drinkable water.

[copeknight]

Whole Foods is a national chain

Well, yes, but there are 20 states in which it doesn't have a presence and many more in which its presence is limited to a single metropolitan area.

[Jojo]

I browsed the Slate article that Athryn linked earlier, and plan to try some grass-fed steaks from the Alderspring Ranch, except they're pretty much sold out since the Slate article.

On a related note, while I was browsing for meat products, I finally found somewhere that sells *proper* bacon! I thought Gary Whitta might be interested. I'm incredibly excited, about ordering some bacon and lincolnshire sausages over the internet. Comfort food breakfasts here I come! http://www.britishbacon.com/

[wildpokerman]

And again Slate has an article discussing this very issue:

http://www.slate.com/id/2152674/

[Athryn]

And again Slate has an article discussing this very issue:

http://www.slate.com/id/2152674/


http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showpost.php?p=856107&postcount=19

[Reldan]

Whole Foods is a national chain and carries prime organic. You'll be paying a premium for it (like you pay a premium for everything in that store), but it's pretty decent stuff on my taste-meter.

We've got a local outfit near my house called Brennan's that has its own meat and fish market. The stuff is fresh enough that you want to eat it the night you bring it home. It's hardly alone in the quality of beef it serves, but I live in Wisconsin. We seem to have a lot of beef around here...for some reason.

Yes, I also have a Brennan's by my house as I also live in Madison. Their meat department is really a Jacobson's Bros, and while the meat is good it's still just Choice. Hell, I was trying to make some stock and they didn't even have any marrow bones (nor did the guy even have a clue why I was asking for them). That's not a sign of a good butcher shop.

I know the Whole Foods you're talking about and have shopped there a few times. I don't recall seeing that they sold Prime. I'll have to check them out again I guess.

[mystery]

Yes, I also have a Brennan's by my house as I also live in Madison. Their meat department is really a Jacobson's Bros, and while the meat is good it's still just Choice. Hell, I was trying to make some stock and they didn't even have any marrow bones (nor did the guy even have a clue why I was asking for them). That's not a sign of a good butcher shop.

I know the Whole Foods you're talking about and have shopped there a few times. I don't recall seeing that they sold Prime. I'll have to check them out again I guess.

You're stalking me, aren't you Reldan? I know I look sexy in those pants, you don't have to tell me.

[Reldan]

You're stalking me, aren't you Reldan? I know I look sexy in those pants, you don't have to tell me.

Damn straight! You're probably a bit too old for me though. I'm just happy we finally have what looks like a good Prime steakhouse in town here (Flemings up at Hilldale).

[jeffd]

Wow wtf is wrong with me - I just posted this stuff to a totally different thread. Brainfart! Anyway....

The whole grass fed vs. not grass fed is a tough one.

Fat gives meat flavor, and less intramuscular fat (marbling) in theory means less flavor.

When I cook steaks I use dry aged prime beef (lucky me I have a market 1.5 miles away that has the stuff), but it's not grass fed. Most cattle is fed grain (as pointed out above) and then finished on grass. I honestly don't think a grass fed cow would provide better meat for my steaks; but I have yet to test it out.

On the other hand, when I cook brisket I have to special order it because I want a totally grass fed cut of meat. I don't know why, but a grass fed brisket is just plain better than one fed grain.

Incidentally you can tell if a cut of meat is from a grass fed or a grain fed animal pretty easily - grass fed meat will have white fat, whereas the grain fed meat will have yellowish fat.

OK while I'm thinking about it - my theory of steaks.

The reason you want marbling in a good steak is because you don't actually cook it much. A good steak should be served rare - specifically you want to sear the outside with very high heat while leaving the inside relatively uncooked. "Quivering like jelly" is a phrase often used to describe well prepared beef.

The best steakhouses in the world do this with ovens that achieve an insanely high temperature. The meat goes into the oven for literally a minute or so, enough to sear the outside and melt all the intramuscular fat (which gives the meat a lot of its flavor). This is what I try to replicate on my grill at home - a seared crust on the outside, rare on the inside.

[jeffd]

Oh, and one bit of advice: If you want some grass fed meat just ask your local butcher. Honest to god they're good folk and they'll special order it for you. Just find out when the head cutter is in (usually Sundays are a good bet) and go in and ask to talk to him - introduce yourself and tell him you've heard about grass fed beef and want to try it. If you really want to get on his good side cook some up and bring him a sample.