Ground beef at Jewel :P (Chicago, Palatine: transplants, to buy, price) - Chicago Suburbs - Illinois (IL) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

moho81 · 08-31-2009, 01:01 PM

I wonder if it's only a Jewel and Domenick's problem? I grew up in southern CA and lived there until I was 23, then shipped off to CO for about four and a half years. In all that time, I never encountered the same problem with meat, not even at the stores' respective regional counterparts (Jewel= Albertsons, Vons/Safeway= Domenick's, etc.)

Lookout Kid · 08-31-2009, 01:09 PM

I've been complaining about the meat and produce at Jewel and Dominick's for years (though I've had slightly better luck with Dominick's). I don't know why our two largest grocery chains in Chicago are so terrible, but I've been very disappointed in both of them. Wisconsin-based Roundy's has been making attempts to open stores in Chicago, and I hope they are successful. Their Wisconsin chains (Pick-n-Save being the largest one) are far superior to Jewel and Dominicks.

linicx · 08-31-2009, 01:11 PM

I was forced into making our hamburger due to dietary needs. Most supermarket ground beef 16/40 or 40% fat. We need no more than 5% fat. I ruined 6 processors before I bought a professional version with the heavy duty motor I can process 3 pounds in 30 seconds. Fat free, or nearly fat free beef is dry. The advantage I have is what I need. I add the fat. It works very well for us, but not everyone will appreciate the hours work it takes to defat, debone and clean up 3 pounds of beef. The Extra Lean Ground is close to $5 a pound at our grocer, but even it is 90/10, but it has a good flavor. What you buy at the grocer now in the meat department is a rall of the dice.

chet everett · 08-31-2009, 01:29 PM

I think the lack of local ownership makes it easy for the marketing to get screwed up.

Some rocket scientist in Phoenix, LA, Boise or Eden Prairie is not going to realize that folks in Chicago like a nice oozy burger like you get at Portillos if they are going off some "market research group" where the participants are only asked: "Do perceive leaner meat to be preferable to fattier". Well DUH in a "clinical setting" the lard butted folks are going to tell Miss Atheltic MBA Survey Girl the same thing they'd tell their cardiologists after their third bypass. Then they stop at Mr Beef on the way home and gobble down a beef & sausage with mozzeralla and hot peppers...
When Dominicks had local owners they knew that fatty stuff sells.

Costco and Sam's Club do not use expensive and fancy market research -- they the damned data from their cash registers. When men go shopping for cook outs they do not buy chicken burgers and lean cuts in Chicago, they get the stuff that makes Atkins diets so much fun: big honking slabs of marbled beef like you get in steak house! When health homemakers shop for their chubby hubbies they get the stuff that is Dean Ornish approved...

cubssoxfan · 08-31-2009, 03:07 PM

Chet, I agree about the decline of Dominick's and Jewel since local ownership went away. The Sam's meat, overall is quite good. If you have issue with it they have a very member oriented return policy. We do lean ground chuck or ground sirloin, 5%-10% fat, and the burgers taste very good.
Please don't get me started on that absolutely ridiculous Atkin's diet or diets in general...probably another thread for another forum.

linicx · 08-31-2009, 03:35 PM

Beef is different in other parts of the country. It is not too hard to get Angus in Illinois, but 600 miles west, and the beef is grass fed Dairy and F4. It's hard to find really good ground beef.

cubssoxfan · 08-31-2009, 04:08 PM

OK, WHat is F4? Is the cattle here on a mixed grass and corn diet or primarily corn?

Avengerfire · 08-31-2009, 06:20 PM

^ I believe F4 is a genetic breeding term. I believe F4 would be less inbred than lets say F1,F2,F3, but I could be wrong. ^

deechee · 08-31-2009, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moho81

Hey all,

I just moved to the Northwest suburbs about three months ago, and something I've noticed is that the ground beef at Jewel, and I guess even Sam's Club, leaves much to be desired for. My husband and I have made burgers for dinner several times, and whenever we use meat from Jewel, they're really tasteless and mushy. We made some with meat from Trader Joe's just last week and didn't have any complaints. Anybody else have similar experiences or know of a good place to get quality meat?

I love buying from Dominick's or Eurofresh. Then again, I live in South Chicagoland, so I don't know if there is a Eurofresh near you. Great place anyway...

I am always satisfied with things i buy from Dom's, whether it's store brand or not. Eurofresh is my favorite, and Moo & Oink is next

jlawrence01 · 08-31-2009, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by linicx

Beef is different in other parts of the country. It is not too hard to get Angus in Illinois, but 600 miles west, and the beef is grass fed Dairy and F4. It's hard to find really good ground beef.

A good deal of the ground beef in the Great Lake states region comes from dairy cows coming to slaughter and Holstein steers, both by-products of the dairy industry.

Personally, some of the best ground beef comes from Batavia-based Aldi's. I make a lot of chili and the stuff has a lot less fat than similarly rated 85/15 ground beef at the large groceries.

Woodman's has pretty good ground beef locally.