way ot: Costco blade tenderizes steaks?

[eddief]

a friend told me this today. no biggy but i mostly did not believe until i did the google. not a deal killer but something to be aware of i think. not sure why they do this process on better grades of beef? call it pre-chewn.

https://www.chowhound.com/post/revisiting-costco-mechanically-tenderized-steak-1087720

[Pinned]

It's kind of a big issue because you really shouldn't eat blade tenderized meat that isn't thoroughly cooked - if you like rare steaks Costco is not the place to be buying.

[lookout2015]

The cryovac subprimals aren’t needled though, so you can still buy those and break them down yourself....

[batman1425]

It's kind of a big issue because you really shouldn't eat blade tenderized meat that isn't thoroughly cooked - if you like rare steaks Costco is not the place to be buying.

^^^ this. The pathogens in red meat are surface concerns only. As long as the outside is cooked, the inside can be as rare as you prefer and eaten safely. If the surface is compromised by puncture or slicing for tenderness you move that contamination to the interior and it now has to be cooked through to be completely safe. no different than ground beef at that point.

BTW the kinds of bacteria in beef that can make you sick have VERY low infectious doses. 1-100 cells. Doesnt take much.

[tuxbailey]

WTH? I have been cooking their USDA choice Ribeyes to 145-150 for medium...

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[zmudshark]

There have been many discussions about this on r/costco.

Some Costco locations allow you to order non blade tenderized meat a day ahead. Talk to the butcher at your warehouse. Buy the cryopacs to avoid the risk, or sous vide all their steaks for an hour or two @130*.

[djg]

It's kind of a big issue because you really shouldn't eat blade tenderized meat that isn't thoroughly cooked - if you like rare steaks Costco is not the place to be buying.

Is it true?

I followed the link to a chowhound post that seems to be wondering -- there's a reference to "plenty of evidence" but I haven't seen any of it. I'm not saying that I know it to be false -- I really would just like to know, beyond an internet rumor.

BTW, they often have USDA prime brisket that's cryovac sealed -- I don't think they do anything to it besides price it.

[Jaybee]

WTH? I have been cooking their USDA choice Ribeyes to 145-150 for medium...

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Same, except I'm usually in the 135ish range, I think. Eeek, guess my family and I have been lucky so far.

[zmudshark]

Is it true?

I followed the link to a chowhound post that seems to be wondering -- there's a reference to "plenty of evidence" but I haven't seen any of it. I'm not saying that I know it to be false -- I really would just like to know, beyond an internet rumor.

BTW, they often have USDA prime brisket that's cryovac sealed -- I don't think they do anything to it besides price it.

Check out the Reddit posts.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Costco/search/?q=blade%20tenderized&restrict_sr=1&sort=relevance

https://i.redd.it/cewdd2588f641.jpg

[54ny77]

Bummer. Guess it means shaping beyond burgers into steak-shaped slabs from now on.

Hah!

[tuxbailey]

So reading this article from npr:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/20/478859242/new-labels-warn-that-a-tender-steak-could-be-a-little-dangerous

I think I am safe. The article says it means cooking to 145F and letting it rest for a few minutes will allow the steak to reach the right temp. So what I have been doing should be fine (steak reach medium.)

I think the point is blade tenderize beef should not be consume rare to medium rare.

[akelman]

That is a very large picture of a steak. Or maybe a very small picture of a TRULY HUGE steak.

[zmudshark]

That is a very large picture of a steak. Or maybe a very small picture of a TRULY HUGE steak.

I tried to make it smaller, but Costco, so...

[fmradio516]

That is a very large picture of a steak. Or maybe a very small picture of a TRULY HUGE steak.

its costco, sooooo..

[Tandem Rider]

Your're at Costco, so buy from a local farmer, problem solved.

[Blue Jays]

This is the very first time I have heard of this technique. Interesting post!

[dave thompson]

Virtually every major, and many minor supermarket chains tenderize their beef this way. Not rare or unusual at all.

If you’re concerned about it, talk to the meat department manager about it.

[Dekonick]

Eat Venison. Problem solved. Tastes great, saves cars and protects the over population of the species. :banana:

On a serious note, Venison is great, but you can also find local farmers who really care for their animals, and make sure they are humanely killed before butcher. I don't mind paying more for a local farmer to raise beef, pork, whatever - as long as I know they were treated well and loved before they were humanely killed. It does make a difference; go to some local farms then try to see a massive operation. While recognizing we are omnivores bothers some, I personally am aware that is what we are - but I want to know that what I eat did not suffer, be it wild, raised, or I don't know what... Having said that, Costco has some great deals on meat - but check out the sources before your dig in... and I love Costco.

[Blue Jays]

I never even knew that meat was tenderized at the butcher prior to reaching the end consumer.
That was a task that had I assumed people typically do with a textured tenderizer mallet at home.
Then again, I eat meat perhaps 10-12 times per year, so that is why this is a new topic.

[eddief]

when i was a younger man i worked for him for one year. his line of biz was largely selling "portion controlled" precut steaks to some family-type steak chain restaurants such as Sizzler. they did not use top grade beef but something known as "cow." in larger cuts prior to being portioned into steaks, the beef was put in vats filled with a tenderizing solution and left to soak for a while. and then those big cuts were put through the needling machine. so they were made really tender before being sold to restaurants. of course the restaurant owner knew as this was perfectly legit according to the regs, but i bet the customers did not. so i know of this process, but did not ever think Costco choice or prime-graded beef was processed this way. still no biggy, but a surprise to me.

[Hardlyrob]

USDA beef grades are kind of a joke - they have been manipulated to meet consumer demand - kind of like sizing in women's clothing. They have created "select" between choice and standard. Expanded choice substantially because - you know USDA says choice so it must be good right?

The problem is that pretty much a fixed percentage of cows are truly prime or choice - by expanding what is acceptable in prime and choice beef, voila! There is more prime and choice meat available.

[Tony T]

I could never understand why COSCO Blade Tenderizes it’s Prime steaks.
I always get the Cryovac Prime, but my last visit they only had pre-cut Prime NY Strips, no cryo, with the current meat shortage, I don’t expect cryos anytime soon.

And speaking of the meat shortage, how is there not a surplus of Prime beef with all the steakhouses closed?

[Ozz]

...
And speaking of the meat shortage, how is there not a surplus of Prime beef with all the steakhouses closed?

A bunch of the restaurants around here are still buying from their suppliers, but then turning around and selling "groceries", along with take-out food.

I went in with a friend on some seafood last week and got about 8 lbs of frozen prawns, along with scallops and halibut that she and SO ordered.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Regarding any shortages, it is of labor (ability to process) and not livestock. So, I would expect to see the supply of further processed items (cut steaks) before or moreso than less processed items (cryovac subprimals). I realize that is the opposite of a particular Costco experience above, but that is what I have read and am hearing from friends in the industry.

[djg]

A bunch of the restaurants around here are still buying from their suppliers, but then turning around and selling "groceries", along with take-out food.

I went in with a friend on some seafood last week and got about 8 lbs of frozen prawns, along with scallops and halibut that she and SO ordered.

We have a local seafood supply business that mostly deals with restaurants (and the sort interested in high-quality seafood) -- they've taken to neighborhood retail drop-offs around town, where you order in advance, then meet their truck in a prescribed window of time for low-contact pickup. I'm sure it's been tough for them, and for the restaurants, but it's been great for us.

[C40_guy]

We have a local seafood supply business that mostly deals with restaurants (and the sort interested in high-quality seafood) -- they've taken to neighborhood retail drop-offs around town, where you order in advance, then meet their truck in a prescribed window of time for low-contact pickup. I'm sure it's been tough for them, and for the restaurants, but it's been great for us.

We've got that here on Cape Cod. A couple of local fisherman have put up FB pages announcing when/where they'd be docking... My taste in fish runs mostly to wild salmon and red snapper, so we haven't tried much of the local fare (scallops, cod, striper, blue fish, oysters, etc.).

We tried a restaurant supply wholesaler for some produce, but gave up after they delivered the world's largest carrots. Three of us spent a week peeling one, and then another two weeks chewing away at one end of it.

[C40_guy]

Blade tenderized and cryovac are both new to me.

I googled cryovac and found a Sams Club ribeye offering that included this description:

"Cows are grain-fed so that you get a vibrant and natural flavor throughout the meat."

Isn't "grain-fed" (i.e. corn and soy) pretty much the minimum dietary requirement for barely keeping the animal alive? A diet that requires antibiotics and hormone supplements to help the animal get to slaughter weight?

Sounds like Sams is riffing off "grass-fed" but expects people not to know the difference...

And at $14.98 a pound for 13-20 lb quantities. No bargain there.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Isn't "grain-fed" (i.e. corn and soy) pretty much the minimum dietary requirement for barely keeping the animal alive? A diet that requires antibiotics and hormone supplements to help the animal get to slaughter weight?

No.

Sounds like Sams is riffing off "grass-fed" but expects people not to know the difference...

One can assume that the beef is grain-fed if the package does not tout grass-fed. I'm really not a fan of the flavor of grass-fed* beef so the distinction is most certainly not a selling point to every consumer.

*at least not exclusively grass-fed. Some small farmers raise cattle on mostly pasture grass and hay but introduce a predominately grain diet for some weeks prior to slaughter. This serves to add weight and "flush out" the distinct taste of a most/all grass diet.

[Tony T]

No.



One can assume that the beef is grain-fed if the package does not tout grass-fed. I'm really not a fan of the flavor of grass-fed* beef so the distinction is most certainly not a selling point to every consumer.

*at least not exclusively grass-fed. Some small farmers raise cattle on mostly pasture grass and hay but introduce a predominately grain diet for some weeks prior to slaughter. This serves to add weight and "flush out" the distinct taste of a most/all grass diet.

Same here. Not a fan of grass fed, flavor wise. Also, there is Grass Fed, and Grass Finished

https://www.crowdcow.com/blog/grass-finished-vs-grain-finished