Costco Shoppers Say a Popular Steak Has Plummeted In Quality
Earlier this fall, Costco received a wave of shopper backlash against the "poorly cut" fresh filet mignons sold in its meat department. Now, another popular steak sold at the warehouse club is under scrutiny after a reported decline in quality.
This week, a shopper complained on Reddit that the ribeye quality has been "mediocre" at their local Southern California Costco over the last couple of years. The shopper had been buying Choice-grade ribeye steaks, beef, and roasts from Costco for decades and was consistently pleased with the meat quality. But in recent years, the vast majority of Costco's Choice ribeye has been more like lower-grade Select ribeye, the shopper said.
"I kinda got used to it, like a boiled frog. But last week I was at Smart & Final and came across about 10 cryovaced choice ribeye roasts," they wrote, referencing a chain of warehouse stores out West. "The quality/marbling was substantially better than the Choice ribeye I've been getting at Costco these last couple years. It was akin to what I got from Costco in the past. I just cooked one last night, and it was phenomenal."
As it turns out, this isn't the only Costco fan with major complaints about the retailer's ribeye. The post has received nearly 100 comments from other shoppers, many of whom also reported a decline in the ribeye quality in their corners of the country.
"I had the same experience. Costco ribeye quality is poor. I call it beef bubble gum," one commenter wrote, noting that they live in Oregon.
"Midwest here—the ribeyes have been hit or miss lately. Sometimes they look Select, other times high Choice (and anywhere in between)," another commented. Beef graded as "Select" is leaner and may lack some of the juiciness and flavor of higher-grade Choice and Prime beef, according to the USDA.
Other Redditors complained of insufficient marbling, tiny fat caps, a tough texture, and "mangled-up" cuts.
That's not to say that Costco members are having poor experiences with the ribeye across the board. Several Redditors even noted in the comments that the ribeye at their local warehouses is consistently good quality and enjoyable.
"Not my experience. Sometimes the Choice ribeyes and rib roasts are so well marbled [that] I wonder if they mixed up the Prime and Choice," wrote one Costco member in the Midwest.
Still, others have gotten so fed up with Costco's ribeye quality that they've given up on buying it from the warehouse club altogether.
"We go to our butcher now because the quality just can't be beat. I would rather eat a delicious, higher-cost steak once a month and trade in my bimonthly Costco ribeye purchases," a Redditor wrote.
Costco did not immediately respond to our queries for comment on the ribeye quality complaints.
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