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What's happening? Is there a glut of beef on the market?
2 weeks ago, my store had whole ribeye roast for $6 a pound. I've got one in my fridge dry aging. Then the ad came out for this week and ribeye roast is again $6 a pound. (select grade)
Another store has twice this summer had choice grade certified Angus rib steaks with bone at $6 a pound.
This is barbecue season. Steaks should be at their very highest price of the entire year right now.
I'm putting steaks into my freezer, but wondering why the price is so low. Anyone know?
I cut the roasts up into steaks but maybe I should save a roast because Christmas dinner will be here and a rib roast will be well received. The meat freezes well.
The trade war means cattle feed is really cheap, so the feedlots have boosted their head count to take advantage of the improved profit margin. A typical steer enters the feedlot at six months of age and 600 - 900 lbs, but with cheaper feed the feedlot can buy smaller stock and still come out. Meanwhile, the stocker operation has more hay and pasture available, so they can increase the breeding herd. Grain feeding puts more fat on the animal.
What's happening? Is there a glut of beef on the market?
Yep, the Chinese trade war has cattle and other food prices down...for the time being. Over the weekend I watched an agribusiness news show on TV. (I live in a small Midwestern town practically on the Missouri/Kansas border. We have a lot of farmers and cattle ranchers in the area. ) One of the commentators predicted that in the next month or two food and commodity prices will be rising again because...
1. China has been buying food primarily from Brazil, but Brazil is almost exhausted and is running out of extra food to sell. The Chinese will then be forced to buy American, which will causes prices to rise again.
2. The bizarre heatwave in Europe has devastated Europe's farms. The Europeans will be forced to buy American to make up for their loses.
Nothing lasts forever. Enjoy the low prices while they last.
I bought a half prime ribeye and had it cut into 6 steaks for the 4th of July. $112. I don’t eat beef very often and I buy the best grade I can find when I do. Unless I’m making pot roast or some other low-slow preparation, I wouldn’t ever buy select if I had choice available.
there's a 2 dollar a pound difference in cost of select grade …….from choice grade ...traditionally its 50 cents per lb.. from warehouses to stores/restaurants..
if you like select grade sirloin strips...the market is the lowest its been in a year!!
.......if you like select grade sirloin strips...the market is the lowest its been in a year!!
I generally don't buy select grade but even in select grade, a rib steak has plenty of fat for flavor. The select usually smells green, but I solve that issue by dry aging at home. So far, the steaks have been lovely, but if the flavor isn't all that good, I like to use the ribeye to make bulgogi and that covers up a lot of sins in a steak. For $6 a pound, I will risk it.
This last select grade rib roast was tender as butter and the flavor is good. I'm pleased with it.
I'll be watching for a good sale on sirloin. I use that to make chicken fried steak, and again, it won't matter if the flavor and aging aren't perfect because I'm going to beat the dog snot out of it and season it to high heaven and deep fry it.
note: I'm buying at a place that sells good primal cuts. There are some markets that sell cheap meat where I won't buy meat.
The dogs have been enjoying a lot of select grade shoulder made into dog food. The price has been nice and low.
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