Meat price sales

[Roadkill]

Having been a farmer most of my life until recently,and understanding raising and selling beef-hogs from start to finish,always prompts me to see what the poor consumer must pay for excellent cuts of meat.In the past few weeks tho,I've noticed a price decrease,on several great cuts of beef,including prime rib roasts,and some great steaks,mainly porterhouse and rib eye.MyButcher.com as well as Omaha steaks,now has some excellent prices on prime rib roats,as well as steak prices in general.
 Many may not see the justification in the prices for these high end graded steaks and roasts,but having raised angus for many years,and farrow to fininshing purebred Duroc hogs,it makes me smile as I walk by the meat case in the super markets now days.Pork chops that are almost pale pink in color,,,and a lot of the meat cuts are "select",with so much excess fat,and no marbeling in the meat itself,people see the low prices,and fill their shopping carts,to stock the frezer full of this "leftover,second rate junk" I was just curious,as to what has caused the prices on meat to fall lately,I haven't been in touch with the mad cow scare lately,which does limit our ability to export,,,anyone know why prices are coming down?

"PINK"-the only way,to devour a steak!

[owrstrich]

kill...

you are very close to being a hoosier... i really dig that iroquios corn down there though...

i cant say anything more than you already know...

5 or 6 giant arsed national outfits that control cost and quality of 90% of all grocery store meat...

check this out... i spent the month of december at a dairy farm in iowa... hy vee had an ad about now having amana farms beef... i asked the old man at the farm what amana farms beef was... he said amana farms has always had the finest beef in iowa... simply the best beef anywhere...

i did a search of amana farms cause i was curious how one farm could supply the high quality beef to all of hy vee...

guess what... i found that amana farms no longer has a beef operation and had licensed the name to a corporate giant who cuts beef and pork for grocery store chains...

i went to town to take a look at the amana farms product... looked like the same no color no marbeling no flavor stuff they have at the big box places...

so i told the old man amana was a sell out and he better pull some of that red angus they butchered out of the freezer...

we had fried pig tenderloins as the good stuff thawed out and we ate good for a month...

you gotta eat...

owrstrich

[nodak]

Also Hanging time and the age of the critter has a lot with the tenderness.  There is some great research being done at Universities working with companies on making leaner and lower quality products more tender.  Anywhere from adjusting PH to DNA testing to hanging methods.  One is on developing way to hang beef front up and severing backbone as the weight hanging is supposed to help the tissue stretch and creating a tenderer product.  Tenderness and consistency is something the beef industry has always been struggling with to give the consumer a more consistent product.

If you can find a quality local producer to buy from and split if needed with family/friends you won't go back to the grocery store again.

"If you're not living on the edge, You're taking up way too much room, so get the he-- out of my way."

[Roadkill]

owrstrich,,,EAXCTLY what I'm talking about here.There are so many breeds of cattle,that are raised,that do not have the genetic ability to produce high grade and yield beef,but the packing houses must do something with it,eh? Angus,as well as Charlois produce excellent marbled beef,Herefords produce too much "cover" fat,and then Limosines produce too much bone-meat ration when the packers desired "boxed beef" size steer of 1250 pounds,is slaughtered.
  Comsumers pay the price,for the enviornment dictates to the farmer,which breeds suit his unique "niche"as to geographical area.Any company that tells you their beef is "Choice" or "Prime" and says it was raised on the highest quality grass and forage available,is laughing all the way to the bank! Grass does not equate to fat deposits,which is marbeling,,,high protein grains do this,to the extent of overfeeding,to develope this fat,in the meat.
 Evidently,the packing houses must be full now,thus the lowered prices,to move some out,to make room for more.We had a herd of Red Angus cattle here,all registered,and what excellent quality,for stuffing your freezerfull once a year! We dreaded the month or so,when we ran out of our home raised,and had to store buy for awhile,until the next steer was slaughtered.If the buying public,only had 1/2 an idea what was going on,in the showcase at the supermarket,it would put many of these packerhouses out of business,and the butcher down the street,would have to work 24-7 to keep up with demand.

"PINK"-the only way,to devour a steak!

[nodak]

Road kill right on about genetics,  marbling doesn't always equal tender.  I'll put some limousin, which usually grade select cuz of lean meat, up against some highly marbled critters.  Hanging lean meat 14 days really helps tenderness through connective tissue breakdown actually any beef. We've learned the hard way on hang time.

The hog industry (short cycle helps) are a good example of this listening to customer and delivering a more consistent product(large hog farm) from a chosen genetic base.  

Sorry just couldn't let you take a shot at the Limousin cattle. And it's not the bone/meat why packers dislike Purebred Limousin it's the select grade from lack of marbling that kills profitability, Unless selling into something like Laura's Lean Beef Program where you get more money for your cattle grading select and discounted on choice.  Cattle size are more consistent across all breeds than they were 20 years ago ex. Angus got bigger, Simmental got smaller boned.

"If you're not living on the edge, You're taking up way too much room, so get the he-- out of my way."

[Oldman]

Interesting thread to say the least.

On of the problems I have here is that no butcher can supply me with Prime grade Black Angus beef. Choice is it. Now I cannot dry age meat here but I do wet age all of my beef (including what I grind into hamburger meat) 30 to 45 days--depending when I get around to cutting and packing it up. May not have the nutty flavor of dry age but it sure is tender. A few years back I aged a full top round instead of a Prime Rib for Christmas.... man o man you could cut with a butter knife.


Now what really ticks me off is I have to go to a super market to get a Prime rib from the large end. What all of the butchers have here is the small end....I guess you would call it the delmonico end.  That just does not get-er-done with me.

Years ago we have a butcher here with Prime grades. However, there just was not enough community support. I hated to see that place close.

For those who read this thread and would like to see what wet aged meat looks like then check out this posting on the recipe site:

Aged Sirloin

EDIT: At the moment I'm aging a full sirloin and a New York Strip... If you have an extra refrigerator I cannot strongly enough suggest that you wet age your beef.  All it takes is a little foresight. Ummm only have 6 steaks left. Time to age another piece.

Olds

[Roadkill]

Oldman,
  Seems that 1% of American raised beef,meets the standard of "prime" anymore,and most of that is exported.Kobi grade beef,is the highest priced beef in the world,and is highly sought after in Japan,and has better marbeling than prime.Guess the secret to raising beef to meet that standard,is almost a 30% protien ration,for over 150 days,to get the fat developed,in the muscle content.And little excercise,to develope muscle,just the mass is needed.I used to leave our beef hang for 14 days,and have wondered now about buying choice cuts,and aging them longer,you know as well as I do,the beef in the store don't hang long enough to quit dripping blood,let alone relax muscle tissue.Must it me done in an airtight plastic wrap,to continue the aging?If vacumn sealing is the answer,would be a great way,to pre-season the meat also,along with the aging process.
  I always wanted to get more involved in butchering,but I'd be as huge as a silo by now,eating steaks and great cuts all the time.

"PINK"-the only way,to devour a steak!

[Oldman]

RoadKill,

I strongly suggest aging in the original cryopak. Look for the grade stamp on the pack. If you have a way to vacuum pack 11 to 18 pounds in one bag then you more than likely can add your seasonings. However, I'm not certain about this.

Next, I never...ever take a re-seal job from a butcher. The reason is possible cross contamination. That is why I look for the USDA stamp on the package. I wet age around 36 F.

As far a Kobi I have had it twice... IMO it is not worth the money....sorry.  I can age a piece of good meat, cook it over a direct Oak wood fire and I have all I can hope for.  Then again this is just my opinion. However, when you can see folks chewing the meat off of the T-bone you know you got a winning program.

Now to set everyone on their shorts we have a place here that serves Black Angue Prime Beef. However, their Prime Rib has almost no Marbling if any  and it is the best Prime Rib I've ever eating... It is tender and flavorful like a Filet Mignon.  Plus they are always from the large end... Go figure.

Olds

[nodak]

Here's one for you! If the critter is black or red it pretty much qualifies for the Certified Angus program.  Great marketing gimmick from Angus Association.  These Animals are not traced back for source identification.  If they look like they will make the grade when they come out of the feedlot they can go into the program.  Here is another reason our great gov't needs to get off their fannies and get a national animal ID program running and country of origin labeling.  Packers are resisting it.  Illegal to sell clothing without label of where it's made but when it comes to our food no label of origin required. Think about that.  I could go on here but will spare you.

"If you're not living on the edge, You're taking up way too much room, so get the he-- out of my way."

[Smudge]

Japan lifted its two year long ban on imported US beef a month ago but almost immediately reimposed it after a single mad cow incident in Washington State. This could be the reason for the downward pressure on beef prices, though I haven't noticed them here in Minnesota.

[Roadkill]

Nodak,
  Hide color is like a paint job,many have the misconceptions that any cow that is black,is Angus,which we know many other breeds used in crossbreeding have black hide.When we raised Red angus,they would Not allow Red Angus,to be put in the Certified Angus Beef sales.Competition was the problem,as all Red Angus had verifiable records from the very beginning,of the 6-7 breeders thast used to buy solid red calves,from black angus breeders,to start and diversify the Red Angus breed.But the downfall of that,led many breeders to switch,and go to all Red Angus,because they could be traced back 60 or so years,coming from the black angus.
  Run one Black Angus bull,with 5 solid black Limosine cows,and wa-la!! Next spring,we now have 5 Black angus calves,,,when they should be sold as crossbreds,,being only 1/2 angus.I've seen Holsteins that are solid black in color,as well as Simentals,and for some cattleman to get a premium for their lower quality beef,do just as I described above,,,but one bull,breed to as many black females as they could,and all that had a solid black coat,was instantly a purebred Angus.
  IBP was the only packer that we could get motivated enough,to offer any interest in the Red Angus,it was like pushing a heavy log uphill in the mud,until they started to see the results on the rail,and then offered value based beef,similiar to the certified program they had for the blacks,,as I said,some people are Sooo,in the dark on this.
  Before we got out of raising them,red Angus was the single,fastest growing breed,in the United States,,,this was the main reason the Black breeders,were running scared.

"PINK"-the only way,to devour a steak!

[iceman]

This is all amazing to me guys. I feel like I've been a guinia pig all these years now. The Kobi beef I had in Japan was nothing worth writing about. Don't get me wrong, it was good but not worth the money. They don,t serve it like a steak, instead it is cut into small pieces and marinated along with many other things then cooked and served. Olds, we need to talk more about this aging thing. Very interesting! The meat Ann and I have been buying lately is from Safeway (the Rancher Select brand) just because of the price. I've been stung to many times on the cryvac roasts from the butchers up here. Can you guys tell me anything about the origins of this particular brand? Man, you just gotta love this forum!![:D]

[Smudge]

IMO, what grocery chains are doing--placing fanciful names like "Rancher Select" to lower grade meat--is disappointing. What's even worse is in talking with some of the meat department employees. Getting a straight answer is next to impossible.

I was a meatcutter back in the 70's, and it was unheard of, let alone illegal because of price caps, to dream up fanciful names for beef. Everyone used the government grading system, which consisted of USDA Prime, Choice, Good, and cutters and canners. Within each grade there were five levels. For instance USDA Prime #5 would be heavily marbled and capped, more so than USDA Prime #1. The measurement using a simple template to determine marbling was taken at the rib eye where the front and hind quarters are separated.

The most sought after grade for supermarkets then was USDA Choice, Grade 2, which offered a wonderful balance between flavor and value. I always felt it was important to have a good relationship with the meat salesman, who would then provide my department with a consistent product.

Today, we are told the consumer wants leaner meat. That may be true, but there's no reason for the name game. What is the grade of meat iceman is getting with "Rancher Select"? Beats me, but if I had to guess it's one of the grades of USDA Good, a substantial step away from USDA Choice quality.

Try getting a meat department employee to admit that. They won't. I think the name games should stop and meat, particularly beef, should again be labled using the USDA system. Comparative shopping could be back in the consumers' hands. Right now it's a crap shoot.

[Roadkill]

Iceman,
  When I hear the word "Rancher"it reminds me of grass,and dustbowls from back in the '30's."Select",you can take that word a lot of diffrent ways,but anytime it's associated with beef,it's the grade. Put these two words together,in my opinion,means your getting grass fed,select grade,hard chewing,jerky type beef,probably from a bos-indicus breed of cattle,the breeds that have "humps" on their backs,Texas Longhorns come to mind,one of the hardest doing cattle there is today.This breed can be fed 30 pounds of a high ration corn based feed,and only luckily convert possibly 2 pounds of AVD(averge daily gain),,where given the same circumstances,a Angus,will gain 4.5-6 pounds a day. High yield and grade beef,normally is fed to slaughter weight of 1150-1250 pounds,in 14 months time or less.
  I know people that raise Longhorns,and also Holstein steers,have fed them for over 18 months,and they still are not to this weight yet.
Imagine all the extra walking,and muscle usage these breeds gets eating for another 6-8 months time,to attain the desired weight for slaughter!Less days on feed,equals Quicker slaughter dates,equals more money in the rancher,or farmers pocket.Iceman,look on your labelling of the beef your buying,there has to be grade of the beef,that you are buying.Select,is the grade above dog food quality,in my opinion,edible,but just barely by human standards.

"PINK"-the only way,to devour a steak!

[iceman]

Thanks for the help guys. Today I went to five different markets and three meat cutting outlets and was just floored at what I saw. I counted 40, YES 40 different steak names!!! Holy cow!! (Pardon the pun).As far as I can remember from my CISC classes the National Livestock and Meat Board recognizes only 23 different cuts of steaks worthy of grilling and staying juicy and tender. At one of the places I actually saw the butcher unpacking "Foster Farm" chickens and putting them in the counter section on ice as "Free Range Chickens"at a dollar more a pound than the regular ones. Now that is just plan bull s_it if you ask me. I asked the manager about it and all he did was chew the butcher out for leaving the back door open. I think I need to visit Carol at the ADEC tomorrow. I also found out that millions of pounds of "ungraded beef" are sold to institutions all over the country to feed the masses (prisons, schools, etc.). Boy howdy you guys opened up my eyes a whole bunch. At one of the health food stores they advertised "Natural Beef"??? I asked what the heck that meant and didn't get an answer. There was no USDA grading so it could have been meat cake for all I know! Hey Smudge, can we even find prime anymore or is choice #2 what to be looking for? Does anyone remember Merle Ellis and his shows Cutting it up in the kitchen or The butcher? Back then it was fairly easy to remember what cuts where what. I used to watch his show all the time. I think I even still have his book somewhere. Oh well, that was the good old days.