Buying Steaks Online

Why would anyone buy a steak online? What's wrong with the local market or butcher shop?

I prefer to SEE my food before I buy it!

Besides, the farther out in the boondocks, the more likely you will be able to find a local cattle rancher with some outstanding grass fat beef!

The biggest problem with buying online is that you're buying frozen steaks. And it doesn't matter what quality the meat was, freezing meat reduces its quality by a fair amount IMO. 

I've never used them, but Omaha Steaks is the mail order name that comes to mind.

My friend's sister gave him some for Christmas once. He liked them quite well.

And just to scare French Fries a little, fresh and rozen don't mean what you think it means in regards to all meat, at least in the USA.  Fresh chicken can be stored as low as 27 degrees and still be called fresh. I haven't been able to find similar info on Beef though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by phatch 

I've never used them, but Omaha Steaks is the mail order name that comes to mind.

I've used them (someone made us a gift) and the steaks were good. If that's the only alternative I would recommend them. 

As for frozen, my experience was with local farmers who come to our farmer's market with excellent cuts of grass fed organic beef etc.... but frozen. I tried them, but do not care for them. I am very familiar with grass fed organic beef, so that's not the issue either. The fresh grass fed organic beef I get from Whole Foods is world apart from anything I get frozen at a farmer's market or on mail order. 

And FWIW when I get really good chicken from the farmer's market it's probably been at around 27 degrees, given how it looks almost frozen, but it handles and tastes like fresh chicken. If I freeze chicken and defrost it and cook it 3 weeks later, the taste, texture and moisture content have completely changed. I can taste chicken in a restaurant and tell right away if it has been frozen or not, or if it was just cooked or if it has been reheated. The taste is completely different. 

http://www.pastureprimewagyu.com/

I just opened this site from another forum.  Comes highly recommended although I have never used them.  Prices seem reasonable for what you are getting.

Do you have a Trader Joes, Whole Foods, or similar store nearby?  I do like to pick my meat myself.  I know enough about beef to make sure the other guy gets the low grade cuts.

Where do you live?  There are many small operations producing quality beef in many locations. 

A few I can think of;

http://www.lobels.com/

http://www.allenbrothers.com/

http://lafrieda.com/

http://www.heritagefoodsusa.com/

Bryan's Fine Foods

WARNING:   Steak Porn

I've never gotten any meat from this guy, but his reputation is stellar among the wine geeks on at least three(3) other boards I'm on.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allen Steaks 

Allen Brothers.   allenbrothers.com (of course, we're biased  :)

 

You can also win 36 Prime Steak Burgers from Allen Brothers.  

-Allen Brothers

Heh? 36 burgers? C'mon I want a 48 ounce Prime dry aged Porterhouse just for my app.....Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurp.

Dave

Hey you lovely steak lovers!

I am about to start selling the most amazing meat/steaks on my website. 

I only deal with small local producers, who have very high standards of animal welfare and farm sustainably. The meat these guys are producing is 2nd to none. You get a choice of rare breed, English Longhorn or Belted Galloway, which have been hung for at least 28 days. The farmers really care for and respect their animals and this is reflected in the quality of the meat. 

Have a look at our galleries! PM me for the link

Enjoy!

I purchased once for home  just to see.  Company name started with an O . Would never buy again They were extremely expensive and then you pay for shipping. You can't see what you are getting, and you can't send back. NO WAY.. Maybe for home use may be passable but sorry  most consummers don't really know  a peice, of meats quality by looking at it  , and in most cases where it comes from  Its hit and miss.

In agreement, that I like to not only see my meat, however smell my food before I purchase ...

Online Meat: Too risky, too expensive and why, when I have fab Butchers throughout the city  of Madrid most of the year.

Good Post.

Margaux.

Is there a reason why you would need to buy steaks online?

For that kind of money, go to Costco and get a whole Strip, age it, cut it, practice your steak cooking technique every day for a week.  You'll get good at it.

If at all possible like Kuan says buy it whole. That goes for Primal Rib, Strips,  loins ,Top rounds, bottom rounds, Filets or Butts. Whole pork loins, and butts.  You can cut any size you want. Yor can use all trim and fat.  You save buy buying bulk. You can age if you like . You will learn a lot. Forget Whole Foods way way overpriced for what you get..(unless it is chopped meat)

PS  the termonology for chickens not flash or quick frozen is FROSTED where as you will find ice crystals inside the bird , or the parts. This makes what used to be fresh birds have 3 to  4 times shelf life. Turkeys are mostly flash blown frozen, as are quack, quacks.

I have yet to see whole cuts of beef frosted. The Color changes and it throws water if it has been.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuan 

Is there a reason why you would need to buy steaks online?

 

For that kind of money, go to Costco and get a whole Strip, age it, cut it, practice your steak cooking technique every day for a week.  You'll get good at it.

Not every one can shop at Costco. Setting that aside I still agree with what you are saying for most cuts. I'd venture a guess one of the main reasons many will buy steaks on line is that they can not get true dry aged beef in their area. Not many home cooks will be buying whole short loins and popping them on the band saw.

So there is always a reason but it rarely makes sense when considering the cost. Freight is a killer.

I can think of many Professional Chefs that order meat from these places and have fish freighted at an expense far greater than a few steaks.

I'd rather have a steak already cut by the hacks at Costco than Omaha though. I received a pack of those as a gift once and they arrive completely rancid.

Dave

Mrdecoy says he lives in the city.  I don't know which city, but in nearly every location classified as a city there is a store that would provide a better product for less money than any online retailer.  Absent of any reason to not shop locall, I would avoid on line beef sellers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbo68 

 I don't know which city, but in nearly every location classified as a city there is a store that would provide a better product for less money than any online retailer. 

Boy do I ever disagree with that! I'd venture a guess that you've never purchased prime dry aged beef from some of the places in this thread. They are providing meat to some very high end restaurants. Do you have any idea how many restaurants Lafrieda and Allen Brother alone sell meat to?  If those Chef's could buy better quality for less you better believe they would. I can list numerous "cities" where any retail customer would struggle to find prime dry aged beef let alone wagyu or other specialty products.

Dave

I must live in a blessed area.  I can buy whole prime ribeyes at 10 a pound in Cryovac and wet age myself.  I have enough experience to pick and choose my subprimals, and if none meet my standards, I pass.  Allen gets around 30 a pound for wet aged prime ribeyes.  There are a few vendors here that carry dry aged prime at less than $15/pound for ribeye.  While there may be some restaurants that do purchase online, I know from experience that that is not the norm here.  Again, several good vendors.  Dry aging is not an option for me, as I do not have a humidity and temp controlled cooler.  There are also several good farm vendors in the area surrounding Richmond specializing in restaurant service.

All in all, if you live in a fairly populated area with a good restaurant presence, there should  be good local vendors.  If not, then I would turn to the internet. 
 

FWIW, I have some experience with beef.  I tagged in a packing house for a couple of years,  Portioned for another.  While I don't remember purchasing from Allen et al, I have had the pleasure of tasting their product on several occasions.  Good eating, but not much better than what I can produce at home, and at less than a third the price.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbo68 

 While there may be some restaurants that do purchase online, I know from experience that that is not the norm here. 

It surely depends on where you are. Many restaurants order on line. Even a lot of main stream ordering from Sysco is on line. I had a dedicated computer terminal with a direct link to Sysco way back in the mid-90's. Both Allen and Lafrieda sell directly to many restaurants but for many retail customers the only way to get that same meat is to have it shipped. Wet aged meat is fine and I'm in total agreement most of us here can pick meat and get a very good product locally at a better price...but "better" quality? I think that's a bit of a stretch, at least on average.

I also order wine direct from Duckhorn and I assure you I could buy other wine cheaper. ;)

Dave

Did I say better quality somewhere?  If I did, it was a misspeak. 

I treat wine much the same way as I do meats.  Most is purchased locally, much of it at Costco.  The downside of Costco is that there is no customer service in the wine department, so personal knowledge is king.  The upside is that Costco often has prices at less than the local wholesale price.  I also buy from local retail wine merchants.  The good ones have tasted many in their store and can make recommendations.  I do have a few producers who will ship direct to me.  Wine clubs, wine of the month, etc, do not interest me.

Bottom line for me, it pays to know your product. 
 

I know the owners and managers of The Palm Steak House . They strive for quality in fact many years ago they could not find enough of the great meat that they use. So they started their own cattle ranch and raise it themselves using experts to run their operation.

(Moved to new thread...)

Like others above, I'm not sure why you would buy online: there must be some sources of good meat at whatever city you live in.

However, if you're determined, you could take a look at

www.americangrassfedbeef.com

They are an interesting farming family in southeast Missouri. where my German-farmer ancestors have been since 1848. My father's family raised purebred Black Angus up until fifteen or twenty years ago.

Good luck. 

Mike

The short answer to your question is no.  By large cuts I assume you mean whole strips or rib eyes.  If purchased in Cyrovac (The heavy plastic packaging), and the seal is not broken, they will age in the refrigerator for 4 weeks or more from the time of packaging.   Once you open the package, the meat begins to break down.

Here you go.  I know if I tell you to dry age your own beef someone will tell me I'm gonna kill myself someday. If you're not gonna say it you're probably thinking it.  Here's some reading.

http://www.beefresearch.org/CMDocs/BeefResearch/Dry%20Aging%20of%20Beef.pdf

Problem with leaving and aging in cryovac or visking is that meat sits in own blood. Temperature must be stable and about 34-37 . 40 is two high. Meat and poultry  goes bad faster when sitting in own blood even without oxygen.