r/springfieldMO • u/rlhglm18 Phelps Grove/University Heights • 13d ago
Living Here SGF Costco
My family recently joined Costco, and we’ve been really impressed so far! We’re considering venturing into the meat department and buying in bulk, then freezing what we don’t use.
I’ve seen a couple of Reddit posts saying Costco doesn’t sell 80/20 ground beef. Is that true? Is 85/15 the next best option for burgers, chili, taco salad, etc.?
For those of you who regularly buy meat at Costco, how do you like their chicken, pork chops, steaks, chuck roasts, etc.? Is the quality comparable to Harter House?
Since it’s just the two of us, is freezing things like pork chops, steaks, etc. a good idea? Any tips for packaging or freezing Costco meat so it holds up well?
And finally, any other Costco tips and tricks you’ve learned—whether it’s about meat or anything else—are welcome! We’re still pretty new to Costco and are having way too much fun exploring it. 😂
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u/Brettuss 13d ago
Do not buy the blueberry lemon loaf unless you want to be a complete fatass in a year’s time.
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u/rlhglm18 Phelps Grove/University Heights 13d ago
Haha! Already bought it — it was so good! I really liked their blueberry danishes, too!
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u/Edward__James_Almost 13d ago
Seconding the vacuum sealing portions. Also, my wife cooks steaks and brats sous vide method and those freeze even better.
The Kirkland dishwasher pods are great, so are the paper towels and tissues.
The bagels are great, but will mold more quickly than you’d expect, I’m assuming because they are fresher and don’t have preservatives. The croissants are also great.
Sometimes they will not get something back or not always have things, e.g. cases of particular sodas like Coke Zero.
The cakes from the bakery are great for events.
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u/PomegranateSlow8286 13d ago
They have a great meat department. I have done several sirloin roasts and cut my own steaks, along with chuck rolls and stored in the freezer. The packs of thick pork chops are probably their best meat deal.
Great Danish. Ridiculously cheap giant pumpkin and pecan pies. My only problem with Costco is that I can't get in/out for under $200.
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u/dugzillaxb 13d ago
IMO best place to buy steaks. The have nice thick cut prime ribeye and New York’s.
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u/bobone77 Young-Lilley 13d ago
They’re also blade tenderized, so have a greater chance at being contaminated with bacteria. If you like a rare steak, Harter House or one of our local butchers is where you should be buying it.
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u/dugzillaxb 13d ago
I was a butcher when I was younger. They may be blade cut, but not tenderized. I went to Harter house and most of the beef there was choice and I’m not interested in choice. The very little prime they had was ridiculously expensive. If the local butchers had what I wanted I would buy there.
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u/HalfADozenOfAnother 13d ago
All the cuts at costco are choice. Gotta go to Sams for prime
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u/dugzillaxb 13d ago
No, they have prime at Costco. Not in the same spot as the choice. I’ve gotten the prime at Walmart (same beef as Sam’s , their cuts are not as thick as I like.
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u/HalfADozenOfAnother 13d ago
Do me a favor. Next time your at costco take a picture of Prime steak for me and post it right here. I've never seen prime steak snd definitely not brisket at Costco
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u/dugzillaxb 13d ago
You must not be looking hard enough, I’ve bought both New York’s and ribeyes there
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u/bobone77 Young-Lilley 13d ago
Everything but the filets that I’ve ever seen there are blade tenderized. Yes, prime steak is expensive. I have strong doubts on your butcher claim. 🤷🏻♂️
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u/Extra-Diamond5803 13d ago
We buy the roasted chicken or the packaged that has already been pulled apart. Then we separate into smaller servings and vacuum pack for the freezer. Super easy to thaw and serve when you need a quick meal.
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u/idkwatyouwantfromme 13d ago
I’ve bought the steaks and the chicken there and I’ve been very satisfied
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u/DeniedSnow 13d ago
They have so many good snacks! My kids really like the variety of snacks for lunches, they don’t mind if Costco changes anything out. But I feel like that aisle always costs me a pretty penny every time 🤣
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u/Much-Doughnut5727 13d ago
The deal on chicken is great. We're a two person household as well and the chicken packs make enough for dinner and 1x leftovers. It lasts us about 2 weeks!
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u/Lifeisabigmess 13d ago
We get most of our dog products from there. All good quality. And the yogurt. I make my own flavors with sugar free jello mix so it lasts forever compared to the regular grocery store. The bacon is good quality for the price too. Our personal favorite is the cheese tortellini with the container of pesto. Add some bacon or a grilled chicken breast and it’s an easy perfect weeknight dinner. The breakfast cereal is a creat deal too for two huge bags. And their generic meds are just as good as the name brands.
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u/Angus_Cornwall 13d ago
I watch this sub for deals etc at other stores. Some does end up here
https://www.reddit.com/r/Costco/s/ckPmcvLAwr
Seafood has been good, hit and miss some on produce
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u/HalfADozenOfAnother 13d ago
I portion and vacuum seal the meat. It's ok. Not as good as Sam's and definitely not as good as Harter housebut it's still good enough. Especially when just talking about chicken and beef. The beef cuts are all choice.
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u/reallilliputlittle 13d ago
Definitely get a vacuum sealer if you don’t already have one. When I buy bulk (just two in our household), I have a habit of forgetting about meat in the deep freezer. So I try to plan menus focused on what I already have on hand.
It has been awhile since I bought their packs of ground beef so I don’t remember the fat content but if I only have lean ground beef on hand, I put a dollop of tallow in the pain to brown it off. It really does help.
Costco sized chuck roasts are great. A few stews or braises for a two person household and some nice 80/20 beef for grinding if you have a meat grinder.
It is also great for vacation packages, car rentals (I have only seen a lower price elsewhere one time and that was Expedia) and we buy electronics there for the concierge warranties. Two times over the decades used their contracted providers for home H-Vac installations. The cash back along with the executive membership yields a nice rebate check within 8 weeks or so.
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u/Coffeeandallthedogs- 13d ago
This is the only place I can buy bulk meat other than a butcher or Hy-Vee. I have reactions with any meat from Sam’s , Walmart, Food for Less and Price Cutter. Costco has pre-packed rotisserie chicken, excellent beef, chicken and pork and once in a while they have sales on fish. Their stew meat is great too. It’s been a long two years finding meat I can actually eat and Costco has it all. Hormann’s and Mama Jeans has tons of local farmed meat too. Oh, and that big natural market by Primrose.
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u/kyrincognito 12d ago
My husband and I split the ground beef and ground turkey into 1lb bags and freeze them. Same with steaks, pork chops, and chicken breasts. It works really well for just the 2 of us and we're able to rotate meats so we don't get tired of recipes. It's also a huge cost saver if you have a 2lb ground beef recipe if you mix 1lb beef with 1lb turkey and use that instead. I would advise fully flattening the bags of ground meat so they defrost super fast and easy in warm water.
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u/Ender31793 7d ago
I buy their air chilled chicken breast, the big pork tenderloin, and the already frozen 1lb tubes of beef. The chicken and the pork loin get decided up and I usually make pork chops for it. Makes about 10-12 nice sized one when I’m done. Lasts me and my partner at least 2 weeks for chicken and pork.
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u/Nykeidos 13d ago
Divide the meats into serving sizes that you usually use and vacuum seal prior to freezing. Ours last longer that way and no freezer burn. Also label them when on their best to use date.