Good Quality Affordable Steaks?

Is this an oxymoron? My boyfriend's birthday is monday and i want to make him steak for dinner. We are on a tight budget, so I'm looking for something a little higher quality than what I can get at Jewel but cheaper than two for $30. I normally have filet mignon when I eat steak, so maybe I need some suggestions for other cuts that are tasty prepared med rare to medium. I am going to broil them and do some sort of bleu cheese topping. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

For Valentine's Day, we did surf & turf at home. We purchased lobster tails and filet mignon (4 filets for $28 ) at Costco. We prepared 2 on a cast iron skillet and froze the other 2 for a later date. Both times, the steak was very tender and flavorful. I would highly recommend Costco's steaks for those on a budget.

I'll second the Costco recc.

Even if your not on a budget, they sell great quality USDA Choice meat exclusively. You won't go wrong picking out a well marbled package of ribeyes from them---IMO, a much tastier ( and less expensive ) cut than Filets.

cuppncake wrote:We are on a tight budget, so I'm looking for something a little higher quality than what I can get at Jewel but cheaper than two for $30. !!!

You won't have a problem finding something "a little higher quality than Jewel," regardless of the price.

Don't know where you are, and will admit to not shoping there regularly, but I have had great success with Happy Food on Oakton in Skokie for a number of years. My husband doesn't like turkey and since I've been doing thanksgiving for the past 8 years, I've always made a beef tenderloin as well. Their prices may fluctuate but in late november they're pretty reaonable and we've never had a bad steak. FWIW

I'll second (third? fourth?) the Costco recommendation. ONy drawback is that you need to be a member and you need to buy in bulk (4 steaks is typical) but the quality is very good and prices excellent.

As far as steak goes, regardless of where they are purchased, I'm not really a fan of Filet/Tenderloin. Its very tender, but does not have the real beefy taste that I enjoy. I am much more a fan of the Strip Steak (also called Delmonico/Kansas City Stirp/NY Strip - I think Costco lables them NY Steak). Last trip to Costco they were $7.99/lb. If you have ever had a porterhouse, the strip is the larger side - tenderloin the smaller side - with the rib bone running down the middle. Still tender, but much more flavor than a filet. No need to resort to the sauces/reductions/bacon wrapping that you often find with Filet to add more flavor. Just grill to Medium Rare and enjoy - although a little blue cheeese topping coldn't hurt... Look for the ones with the most fat marbling in the meat - those cuts will cook up more tender.

Thanks, everyone, for your feedback. I unfortunately am no longer a member at Costco, so that isn't an option, although I will keep that information stored in the back of my head! I live on the north side, so I think maybe I'll swing by Paulina Meat Market tomorrow and see what I can find....

cuppncake wrote:Thanks, everyone, for your feedback. I unfortunately am no longer a member at Costco, so that isn't an option, although I will keep that information stored in the back of my head! I live on the north side, so I think maybe I'll swing by Paulina Meat Market tomorrow and see what I can find....

Depending on where you live, I go to Costco about once a week for whatever randomness I need- my 4 pack of filets in the freezer were about 32 bucks for 4. Yah I know, I keep backups in the freezer, but do you know how many times that's saved my ass when at the last minute I needed to entertain?

The Costco on Damen isn't that far from Paulina, and you can join today!

I am likewise a big fan of Costco, but an alternative includes Super H-mart in Niles.

Ribeye steaks (although not Choice like Costco) are on sale for $4.99/lb

We've gotten Choice porterhouses for $5.99-$6.99/lb as well; Unfortunately the Koreans tend to cut their porterhouses & T-bones a tad thinner than preferable ~1in thick or less.

I forget how much their tenderloins are currently...

Jay K wrote:I am likewise a big fan of Costco, but an alternative includes Super H-mart in Niles.

Solid member of the Costco Fan Club here, though I also appreciate the quality, pricing and ability to get custom cuts at Devon Ave Meats in Park Ridge.

Prime rib eye $10.99 lb, Porterhouse $9.99 lb, I made a lovely, if gigantic, porterhouse from Devon Ave for dinner this evening

Park Ridge is a bit of a trek for many, but I find Devon Ave's beef compares favorably with Paulina and Whole Foods for approximately 30% less.

Enjoy,
Gary

Devon Avenue Meats
800 Devon Ave
Park Ridge, IL 60068
847-825-0478
(Inside Morningfield's grocery)

I've been buying the whole loin at Costco for a buck or two cheaper per pound than the sliced packages. This way I can cut some 2 or 3 inch steaks or whatever size I want. Vacu-seal the extra steaks and freeze....

Next up is to buy the whole section they cut for veal chops and make a frenched rack of veal roast. Only problem is it's something like $120 and would feed maybe 10 people.... Plus, I'm wary of cooking such a spendy roast

mhill95149 wrote:Next up is to buy the whole section they cut for veal chops and make a frenched rack of veal roast. Only problem is it's something like $120 and would feed maybe 10 people.... Plus, I'm wary of cooking such a spendy roast

Mhill,

What you want here is a "Chop ready veal rack". It will have either six or seven bones, depending on weight and size. It's no more intimidating to roast that a pork loin or beef tenderloin. In a moderate oven, it'll take about 40-45 minutes to cook. I dislike rare and medium rare veal, so I cook it to medium with just a hint of pink.

Lately I've been buying meat at Cermak Produce on Kedzie just north of Irving. Fantastic selection, decent pricing and unlike Jewel all of the beef seems to be USDA choice.

1+" thick FRESH ribeyes can be had at Peoria Packing for $4/lb. Same price for a boneless rib roast, sitting right next to the ribeyes, so you can cut them as thick or thin as you like...

Adding to the Costco crowd, especially when it is a very reasonable alternative to going to a packing plant (never tried that! Neat idea though) or having a quality butcher at hand.

In a pinch Costco is ok. Their meat is above the Jewel Dominicks quality, but not the best out there. I go to my local butcher who has great beef, dry aged, and prime, cuts each steak etc. to order, and the service of a family owned butcher shop just tops off the experience. i also think they have been in business since the late 1800's.

They also have great pork, and make the famed breaded pork tendeloin.

Polancics Meat Market
Ottawa Illinois

jimswside wrote:In a pinch Costco is ok. Their meat is above the Jewel Dominicks quality, but not the best out there. I go to my local butcher who has great beef, dry aged, and prime, cuts each steak etc. to order, and the service of a family owned butcher shop just tops off the experience. i also think they have been in business since the late 1800's.

They also have great pork, and make the famed breaded pork tendeloin.

Polancics Meat Market
Ottawa Illinois

It's certainly not the BEST, but USDA Choice is darn good meat and the only shops that I've been to that sell better meats (i.e., USDA Prime) charge close to double what Costco charges.

USDA Choice grade meat is pretty good, and most times that is what i use, but for a special meal Prime, and dry-aged is the route I go. Prime beef is almost double the cost of the Choice Beef where I shop as well, but you get what you pay for.

I like Costco for some items(king crab legs, canned goods, baby formula, chicken breasts,beer), but if possible I prefer to shop at family owned business if possible, instead of a corporate giant.

jimswside wrote:In a pinch Costco is ok. Their meat is above the Jewel Dominicks quality, but not the best out there. I go to my local butcher who has great beef, dry aged, and prime, cuts each steak etc. to order, and the service of a family owned butcher shop just tops off the experience. i also think they have been in business since the late 1800's.

They also have great pork, and make the famed breaded pork tendeloin.

Polancics Meat Market
Ottawa Illinois

Jim, I finally stopped at Polancics on a Saturday. You can't ask for nicer, more helpful people when it comes to meat. I bought several nice butterflied pork chops and then had them cut to order a few steaks. Be careful about their fish though, they did not know the source for some and when we picked up the package, the label said it was from China. For meat though, these guys are great, helpful and very friendly! The quality can't be beat.

likestoeatout,

I have never tried their fish, I typically go into Villa Park to Supreme Lobster when I am buying fish, or hit Costco for my favorite, King Crab Legs, thanks for the tip on their fish.

I was in Polancics on Saturday as well, I picked up a slab of baby back ribs for the smoker on Saurday night, and a nice chunk of London Broil for last night.

The guys there are great, it is rare to find people so passionate about their jobs these days.

We only looked at the fish because Terri is a fish eating vegetarian, I, however was in meat heaven! Everything in the meat case looked wonderful!

Stopped at Peoria Packing this past weekend. Ribeyes were $3.29/lb, same size and quality. Boneless rib roast same price. I'll be stopping on the way home to buy a couple to grill up tonight...

At risk of highjacking the thread, anybody have any ideas for simple prep for steaks?

I usually just toss on a bit of salt and pepper (and buy the best quality meat available -- recently I've liked the tallgrass product).

Any other ideas for prep that will take me less than five minutes?

If you cook it in a pan, you can make a reduction sauce with wine and shallots very quickly. Steak au poivre does not have to take long either. Generally I would go for a sauce or topping rather than do anything fancy to the steak before cooking.

On the outdoor grill, I've brushed steaks with a reduced balsamic glaze and liked the resulting crispy crust, but I wouldn't do that to an expensive steak.

bibi rose wrote:If you cook it in a pan, you can make a reduction sauce with wine and shallots very quickly. Steak au poivre does not have to take long either. Generally I would go for a sauce or topping rather than do anything fancy to the steak before cooking.

On the outdoor grill, I've brushed steaks with a reduced balsamic glaze and liked the resulting crispy crust, but I wouldn't do that to an expensive steak.

At risk of sounding like somebody who should not be let loose near a kitchen:

Do you splash some wine and the shallots in the pan while cooking, or do you wait until the steak is done, then put it in there and reduce it?

DML wrote:At risk of sounding like somebody who should not be let loose near a kitchen:

Do you splash some wine and the shallots in the pan while cooking, or do you wait until the steak is done, then put it in there and reduce it?

after you take the steak off, while it's resting, toss in the shallot, let it brown/sweat for a minute, and then add some wine and if desired some brown chicken/veal stock or demiglace.