We enjoy our steaks from Sams Club and for Christmas this year we got a 8lb Prime Rib from Sweetbay that was absolutely outsanding and the cheapest price around.

Food taste, quality, and value for price paid is always in the eye of the beholder.

HELLO.....

Walmart and Sams sells stock yard beef. The problem with florida beef is that it is grass feed due to the long season here. Grass feed beef is tuff and dry. Grain feed beef from stock yards is tender as they have no room or need to move around and build stringy muscle tissue. Take this from an Iowa boy that is from the farm. Florida beef is similar to the long horn of two hundred years ago.

Costco beef is the best you can get at a reasonable price. Not sure where the closest Costco is to TV.

Thanks, glad you said it. This old country boy knows the difference too.

Rosa's Farm in Citra (N.of Ocala) on 13450 N.Hwy 301 (theorganicchef@yahoo.com) The Organic Chef Foods/Facebook

You bought a standing rib roast. Prime meat can only be sold to restaurants. Choice meat is the highest grade sold retail. That includes "Omaha Steak" Company

I didn't believe this when I first read it, but according to my research on the internet it's true. The "prime" rating is earned by less than 3% of carcasses and most of them are sold to high end hotels and restaurants. Thanks for the info.

AS quoted above ---
"I agree with Gulfhills. We stock up at Costco. They carry both "Prime" and "Choice" meat and it does not compare to the meat I've tasted anywhere else in the area. I've also purchased meat in a pinch at Fresh Market and they also carry prime fliets which were great the other night."

I raised purebred cattle and only purebred is given prime rating. It is only sold to high end hotels and restaurants as the cost of purchasing purebred cattle and feeding them is very expensive verses dairy cross. 95% of cattle are dairy cross which the highest rating is choice. I beg to differ but you will NOT get prime at Costco. A dairy cow must have a calf every year to produce milk. They are bred to a beef, Hereford or Angus for example, thus producing a dairy cross.

I worked in the meat department at Giant Eagle in Ohio (Cleveland area). The beef in Florida is not what I am used to buying and eating. The worse is Save a lot, beef from Mexico. I think it was horse meat, nothing on the package said "beef. Be safe and buy at Fresh Market or Publix. Cody's has good steaks if you are going out for a steak dinner.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I shopped in many stores in Columbus, but Giant Eagle was my favorite. D&Lsunfun, you understand what I am saying. I usually had good luck at Sam's, but my experience here is not the same. Will keep looking. The info about grass fed makes a lot of sense. When eating tough meat, Dad used to say, "They didn't kill it. They ran it to death."

Fresh Market has the best meat.

We are not big meat eaters but do eat some beef. Personally, I found Winn Dixie beef to be a bit better than Publix. I recently talked to a friend who said the same thing.

OK since you claim to know what you are talking about (you capitalized NOT and a previous post said only sold to restaurants), how do you reconcile that with this fact: On the Costco website (Beef) you'll see that they advertise USDA prime. Yes it's expensive but they do offer it.

Do you still say that you can't buy prime retail? Did you mean in person? Since it's obviously available for shipping at Costco and elsewhere.

Someone's wrong, either you or the Costco website.

Just wondering since you weren't the only one who says you can't buy Prime USDA retail.

My guess is that if I found this that quickly I could find others. i.e. http://www.kansascitysteaks.com/USDA...a_+prime_+beef

http://www.mychicagosteak.com/USDA-P.../#.UuvM_kCA3IU

http://www.lobels.com/store/item/bac...aks-roasts.htm

Just the top three on a Google search.

Costco does offer "Prime" we buy it there all the time. The only caveat is that you have to get there early enough in the day to find it in the meat case. Once it's gone, it's gone......but they have some every day. They carry mostly Prime steaks - either porterhouse or filets and there is a HUGE difference in the taste and tenderness. The packages are marked with a blue and red sticker that says Prime and located in the area closest to butcher department door. Ask the meat guys and they will direct you.