Meat, Butchers, Meat Markets (Pittsburgh, Crabtree: home, buying, law)

[Catia]

I'm pretty bummed out about the quality of meat lately.


My issues won't be the same as those of you who do up your steaks well done.


Recently I learned that *ALL* Costco steaks are blade tenderized.
All. Every. Single. Freaking. Steak.
You have zero choice about it & cannot request anything different.


This simply boggles my mind. Why do this to filet/delmonico/ribeye???


1st let me state, I prefer my steaks 'Pittsburgh rare', or rare.
Medium at MOST, if it's a burger.


For those of you not familiar with the risks of the process, you should google it.
I didn't even know it was a 'thing'.
Commercial blade, needle, or mechanical tenderization, pushes any potentially harmful bacteria from the outside of the meat, where it could be washed or seared off & no issue, to deep within the meat where full cooking to well done is NECESSARY.
Due to assembly line type practices, 1 contaminated portion will infect all of the rest.
Usually the bad bacteria, is limited to the outside, but once you enter in this process, all bets are off.


There is no law that states it must be labeled regarding this process.
Costco voluntarily notes this in the fine print on their steaks, which kudos to them for putting it on the label, which also explains it must be cooked through.


So I need a new place to buy at least my beef, if nothing else.
I also need to know how exactly it works *nowadays*, because I admit, I haven't been to a real butcher or meat market since I was a kid shopping with my mom.


Asking how it works also because:
Recently I went to Weiss Meats, many people I know say they get their meat there. I bought some chuck roasts, lamb, rabbit & other stuff. When I was at the counter, I told the man it was my 1st time there. I asked the man what I needed to do to place an order. I read many of the signs on the wall. Man said "just tell me what you want", & I did.
I got my paper bags & left.
When I got home, I was kind of shocked, none of my meats were wrapped like a butcher wraps meat, you know, in white paper & all, neatly separated.
The roasts were all thrown into 1 clear plastic garbage bag tied into a knot. Same with the lamb. I felt like I did something wrong to get that type of service & I felt a bit confused. The next day, I asked coworkers about it. Two people told me you have to ask for your meat to be wrapped, & there is an extra charge for the service. Another man told me he has never experienced that in all of the years he has shopped there, but that he orders ahead via phone & never specifies needing it wrapped & to his knowledge has never been charged for having his meat wrapped.

Gotta say, as this was my 1st experience with Weiss, I was pretty upset about it, & freaked out enough that I was not sure if I should eat it.

There was nothing I saw written on the wall signs about needing to specify if you want your meat separated & wrapped. I felt like I p*ssed the man off or something when I saw all that meat in a clear garbage bag tied into a knot.

I don't call & complain, if this is not proper practice, I just won't return. I vote with my checkbook.
I'm the type of person who KNOWS never to complain to the people handling my food, the last thing I want is for angry people to handle my food.

So what is the process now? Or what is the real process at Weiss Meats?
Is this how it is now at a real butcher? I'd like to know before I go shopping again.

Recommendations for butchers/meat markets wanted.

If it is customary to need to specify that you want your meat wrapped, & customary for there to be a charge, fine, but I need to know about it, & what to say when I am ordering. It wasn't ever the process 20 yrs ago, but things change & we all know good customer service is hard to come by nowadays.


Sigh. I feel like my grandmother!


Thanks all!

[guy2073]

Weiss meats is garbage quality. Since you will travel to weiss go a little farther to here Cheplics

[Craziaskowboi]

I prefer a high-quality meat rub myself.

[jea6321]

I have no personal experience with the place, but I grew up pretty close by and know several people who have been going here for years. Home Page Tom Fridays Market | Butcher Shop | Catering | Smoked Meats

[guy2073]

Originally Posted by jea6321

I have no personal experience with the place, but I grew up pretty close by and know several people who have been going here for years. Home Page Tom Fridays Market | Butcher Shop | Catering | Smoked Meats

Just like the place i suggested they stock sides of beef, that is the key to getting good quality. Most places bring there meats in a vacuum sealed bag just like weiss. I will give this place a try in the future

[norcider]

I get my meats from Tom Friday in Brighton Heights.

[Benzman66]

If you don't mind the travel time, take a cooler of ice/dry ice along and try Bardine's Country Smokehouse in Crabtree, PA. Best butcher around in my book. Well worth the trip.

[Catia]

I still need to know/understand the process when I order.
Maybe this sounds stupid, but I need to know.


Do I need to specify that I want my meat separated & wrapped?
For instance, if I order 20lb of chuck roast cut into 2lb roasts.


Is it customary to receive meats all thrown together in a clear plastic bag tied in a knot?
I'm not talking about a vacuum bag. I literally mean a loose clear plastic bag the size of a medium trash bag.

[guy2073]

Originally Posted by Catia

I still need to know/understand the process when I order.
Maybe this sounds stupid, but I need to know.


Do I need to specify that I want my meat separated & wrapped?
For instance, if I order 20lb of chuck roast cut into 2lb roasts.


Is it customary to receive meats all thrown together in a clear plastic bag tied in a knot?
I'm not talking about a vacuum bag. I literally mean a loose clear plastic bag the size of a medium trash bag.

Weiss will not individually wrap meats, your process was the only process there. When you go to a real butcher you tell them what you want and they will do it. My mom would order 20lbs of ground chuck wrapped in 1 pound packages and they were glad to do it.

[Catia]

If that is Weiss Meats only process, I would understand, *but* 2 of my coworkers say they need to ask for it, & that they are charged for it, as a separate thing, they both order ahead. 1 coworker states his meats are ALWAYS separated & wrapped & he has never had to specify to do it, & never been charged for as a service, but he orders by phone, & had shopped there for years.




I do understand what you're saying, that if I go to a real butcher I tell them what I want & they will do it.
Weiss may have done it too, but there is nothing on their wall signs, or on their website, to indicate that you need to ask for it.


As a general rule, if I go to a butcher--ANY butcher:
Do I need to actually specify "Please wrap separately" or "please wrap in butcher paper"
WHAT do I need to actually say to the butcher in order to not come home with a messy 'bag-o-meat' ???


I'm trying to understand if this is my fault for not knowing the protocol, & trying to avoid it happening again wherever I go.


It simply never occurred to me that I might need to ASK for it to be wrapped a certain way.
I did not even know butchers might not wrap meat in *butcher paper* LOL I thought that is what it was for ya know?


Sigh, it should not be this difficult to understand the process of buying meat.


I want to try both Cheplics & Bardine's. Probably in that order.


Let's help me not screw it up!