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Why are NY Steaks suddenly cheap as hell

Rimbo

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NoName

NoName 16351

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1 hour ago, Etexhorn13 said:

I too am team NY Strip. I’d go so far as to say that while I will eat a ribeye if presented to me, a) i never buy them to cook at home, and b) they would be my third choice of meat in a restaurant behind strip and filet. 

i get a lot of pleasure out of reverse searing a hugeass ribeye but i think next time i do it i am going with a hugeass strip instead.

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DDD Dad

DDD Dad 14339

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27 minutes ago, NoName said:

i get a lot of pleasure out of reverse searing a hugeass ribeye but i think next time i do it i am going with a hugeass strip instead.

You won't regret it.

Although I did sous vide a couple of ribeyes the other night.  They were on point.

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Landomatic

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13 minutes ago, midtown said:
1 hour ago, Landomatic said:
Most restaurant NY strips and Kansas City strips come from Chicago.

I've been to Chicago. Never seen any cattle in Chicago. Texas is the largest cattle producer I believe. Or are most of the slaughter houses in Chicago. Serous question.

Allen Brothers is based there. Damn near every high end steakhouse gets their meat from there.

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Rimbo

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7 hours ago, dcbc said:

It's all relative, I suppose.  But without making a case for it, I'll just say I don't recall that being the case.  But my dad grew up poor.  So while we may have been less refined in a foodie sense (entirely possible), we didn't eat at dumps.  But I can't for the life of me remember where we ate on that trip.

So as a side note and a question for the older crowd, has the ribeye always been the darling of the steak eating crowd.  Growing up, we had a ranch we went to on the weekends and steak always was on the menu (beef processed from our cattle).  So I'm sure there were ribeyes here and there, but what I remember vividly is my dad grilling strips for all of us on the weekends.  That man could grill a good steak and he loved a good steak.  So my question is did the ribeye overtake the strip as the premier cut at some point or did my old man just have a preference that went against the popular notion?

 

I think you're right that they used to be more popular than today. 1970s-1980s, I remember seeing them at all the hoity-toity places. I remember my wife and I favoring the ribeye starting in the 1990s, just because they have all that fat in them. Juicy and delicious. Still do, but only because they were cheaper than tenderloin/filets. 

Finding all these strips on sale at such low prices has got me rediscovering the strip. And enjoying the heck out of them.

My ranking, I'd still rank them:

1. Filet/Tenderloin

2. Ribeye

3. Strip

But really, any of these three are winners. Especially if you can cook them right.

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Guest Lobo

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2 hours ago, midtown said:
3 hours ago, Landomatic said:
Most restaurant NY strips and Kansas City strips come from Chicago.

I've been to Chicago. Never seen any cattle in Chicago. Texas is the largest cattle producer I believe. Or are most of the slaughter houses in Chicago. Serous question.

No, there are no cattle within the city limits Of Chicago.  Between O’Hare, midway, wrigley and downtown…you will not see any cattle.  Amazing 

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dcbc

dcbc 14482

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51 minutes ago, Rimbo said:

Especially if you can cook them right.

Reading a little more about them today, I'm seeing different cooking techniques based on the cut, which I really hadn't considered for whatever reason.  I got Franklin Steak as a work gift and am slowly working my way through it (more technical than the BBQ was early on, but good).

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Landomatic

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14 minutes ago, midtown said:
1 hour ago, Landomatic said:
Allen Brothers is based there. Damn near every high end steakhouse gets their meat from there.

Ok. So they scour the world for the best beef? They buy whole animals and then process it? and sell it back to restaurants all over the world?

Yeah probably. I was being somewhat satirical. But KC strip doesn’t mean the meat you’re eating is actually from Kansas City and NY strip doesn’t mean it’s from New York. They just originally rose to their popularity from those places. And they’re pretty much the same thing, only the KC one has a bone. I don’t know the history, but I’d guess the strip originated in NY and Kansas City started serving it with the bone attached and called it their own. Kansas City is pretty aggy in that regard…wanna be big city with a bad case of collective little brother napoleon syndrome.

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jimmyjazz

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Properly seasoned, a tenderloin can be amazing, but if it's great, a whole lot of what you're tasting is the seasoning.  A ribeye is more forgiving in the flavor department, but will never be as tender.  Still, that flavor.  Fat is flavor.  A strip is the jack of all trades, master of none, and as is almost always the case, less interesting.

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Rimbo

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1 hour ago, dcbc said:

Reading a little more about them today, I'm seeing different cooking techniques based on the cut, which I really hadn't considered for whatever reason.  I got Franklin Steak as a work gift and am slowly working my way through it (more technical than the BBQ was early on, but good).

Look, the real trick is to have a good thermometer. I swear by my Thermoworks Dot. Doesn't matter if it's in a skillet, on the grill, in the oven ... the thermometer doesn't lie. Just remember that it keeps cooking for 5-15 minutes after you take it off the heat. If you remove it at the desired temp, it'll overcook every time.

I also have a great beef rub I use. Kosher salt, pepper, garlic, dry mustard, rosemary, olive oil, all made into a paste. Put that on in the fridge a few hours before you cook.

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Guest Lobo

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Who the fuck did you guys have for Social Studies in junior high?  You think there's still cattle just roaming around downtown Kansas City, Fort Worth, and Chicago?  

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dcbc

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1 minute ago, Rimbo said:

Look, the real trick is to have a good thermometer. I swear by my Thermoworks Dot. Doesn't matter if it's in a skillet, on the grill, in the oven ... the thermometer doesn't lie. Just remember that it keeps cooking for 5-15 minutes after you take it off the heat. If you remove it at the desired temp, it'll overcook every time.

I also have a great beef rub I use. Kosher salt, pepper, garlic, dry mustard, rosemary, olive oil, all made into a paste. Put that on in the fridge a few hours before you cook.

Oh yeah.  For sure.  I keep playing with a few variables.  But what I was mentioning earlier was things like cooking strips (more muscle fiber) faster than ribeyes (more marbling).  Probably matters less than a good pat of butter in the end.

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elfenix

elfenix 34238

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On 2/17/2022 at 8:39 PM, Stunns38 said:


A long time ago

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Stock_Yards

basically, chicago is really well located geographically.  it's on the great lakes which are an important trade route, waterways have been engineered and built (reversing the chicago river, for example) to connect it to the mississippi, and those two things lead it to also being a rail hub.  that connectivity lead it to being a huge meat packing area back when those were located in cities. 

i assume the byproduct of meatpacking is why sausage is so ingrained in the city's food. 

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Rimbo

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4 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Who the fuck did you guys have for Social Studies in junior high?  You think there's still cattle just roaming around downtown Kansas City, Fort Worth, and Chicago?  

I think the question isn't WHO the fuck but WHEN the fuck. Got some olds here you know.

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Etexhorn13

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My background kinda killed ribeyes for me I think. Grew up in a nice restaurant and ribeyes were rarely on the menu; strip and filet always but ribeyes would just be a special for the weekend or something occasionally. I can’t begin to remember all the times in high school/college waiting tables and a customer that was a little out of place saying, “what, y’all ain’t got no ribeye???” Maybe it’s just my contempt for those idiots that would substitute bordelaise sauce for A1 and I should see a therapist for it, but I associate ribeyes more with dudes that don’t know what they’re doing on a grill and figure they can’t fuck it up cus there’s so much fat it’ll be tender anyway. 
All that to say,  I’ve had great ribeyes, but not gonna cook them at my house and not paying for it at a restaurant. The only situation i can think of is if I were going to cut it up before serving…. And I’d still probably rather have a strip for that anyway 

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Texzilla58

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It's all relative, I suppose.  But without making a case for it, I'll just say I don't recall that being the case.  But my dad grew up poor.  So while we may have been less refined in a foodie sense (entirely possible), we didn't eat at dumps.  But I can't for the life of me remember where we ate on that trip.
So as a side note and a question for the older crowd, has the ribeye always been the darling of the steak eating crowd.  Growing up, we had a ranch we went to on the weekends and steak always was on the menu (beef processed from our cattle).  So I'm sure there were ribeyes here and there, but what I remember vividly is my dad grilling strips for all of us on the weekends.  That man could grill a good steak and he loved a good steak.  So my question is did the ribeye overtake the strip as the premier cut at some point or did my old man just have a preference that went against the popular notion?
 

Ribeyes have been a more recent addition to the steak scene as far as popularity. My old man was a steak grilling wizard and was one of the few folks we knew who grilled ribeyes. In the 60’s most folks grilled enormous sirloin steaks that had the entire sirloin top and bottom. You don’t see that anymore. The top restaurant cuts were strips, filets wrapped in bacon, and t bone/porterhouse. I remember when many restaurant did not have a ribeye on the menu. I still like a top sirloin for a strong marinade like teriyaki.

Anyway ribeyes started making a move in the 80’s and then with the advent of cooking shows. I buy strips when on sale but they don’t compare to ribeyes and filets.
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52-80

52-80 19155

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4 hours ago, Texzilla58 said:


Ribeyes have been a more recent addition to the steak scene as far as popularity. ...


Anyway ribeyes started making a move in the 80’s and then with the advent of cooking shows. I buy strips when on sale but they don’t compare to ribeyes and filets.

 

Bro, are you like a 700 year old vampire ?

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Texzilla58

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I’d say that prime rib has the most popular cut of meat since the beginning of time. 

That is a roast, not steaks. The popularity of how primals are cut and what restaurants serve changes all the time. Twenty years ago no one knew what hanger steaks, flatiron steaks, and rib caps were. I remember as a kid we’d have folks over and they had never had a ribeye and were usually blown away. Medium rare for a lot of folks was gross, they’d want it medium well or worse. Most Texans until the 80’s usually wanted a steak well done. It was awful having steaks at other folks house as you’d get a stringy well done under seasoned piece of sirloin.
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Js1

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On 2/18/2022 at 12:08 PM, Texzilla58 said:


That is a roast, not steaks. The popularity of how primals are cut and what restaurants serve changes all the time. Twenty years ago no one knew what hanger steaks, flatiron steaks, and rib caps were. I remember as a kid we’d have folks over and they had never had a ribeye and were usually blown away. Medium rare for a lot of folks was gross, they’d want it medium well or worse. Most Texans until the 80’s usually wanted a steak well done. It was awful having steaks at other folks house as you’d get a stringy well done under seasoned piece of sirloin.

 

3EF118EA-0072-4C05-A6D7-46FD3537E479.jpeg

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Guest Lobo

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On 2/18/2022 at 12:08 PM, Texzilla58 said:


That is a roast, not steaks. The popularity of how primals are cut and what restaurants serve changes all the time. Twenty years ago no one knew what hanger steaks, flatiron steaks, and rib caps were. I remember as a kid we’d have folks over and they had never had a ribeye and were usually blown away. Medium rare for a lot of folks was gross, they’d want it medium well or worse. Most Texans until the 80’s usually wanted a steak well done. It was awful having steaks at other folks house as you’d get a stringy well done under seasoned piece of sirloin.

I don't know about 20 years ago, but I do know that when brisket and fajitas (skirt/flank) for $25/person took off in Texas back when, my mother was shocked when she'd come back to visit and we'd go out to eat.  These were the cuts they ate when their parents had enough cash to actually buy beef, but could only splurge for the cheapest cuts.  They'd season the hell out of them to hide their inferior quality.  That people now wait in line for to eat those cuts is beyond her as an immigrant from a poor family.  

Also to this point, I remember everybody...and I mean everybody, eating steaks medium well.  I didn't even know there were other options, that were still safe, until I was in high school/college.  That I met my in-laws who "love" steak but only if it's been grilled, broiled, microwaved, gone to a leather tannery, roasted, and oven-cooked to 180 degrees.  

All that to say, if anybody knows what the trendy/hip cut of beef is gonna be in a few years, lemme know.  I'm helping my FiL sell off the last of his cattle in a few years.  Wanna make sure i keep the choicest cut.  Maybe that's why he likes his steak so damn above well done.  If you see them everyday, maybe a little red/pink makes it too personal.  Then again, if you're gonna eat your coworkers...does the temp really make a difference?  

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Texzilla58

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I don't know about 20 years ago, but I do know that when brisket and fajitas (skirt/flank) for $25/person took off in Texas back when, my mother was shocked when she'd come back to visit and we'd go out to eat.  These were the cuts they ate when their parents had enough cash to actually buy beef, but could only splurge for the cheapest cuts.  They'd season the hell out of them to hide their inferior quality.  That people now wait in line for to eat those cuts is beyond her as an immigrant from a poor family.  
Also to this point, I remember everybody...and I mean everybody, eating steaks medium well.  I didn't even know there were other options, that were still safe, until I was in high school/college.  That I met my in-laws who "love" steak but only if it's been grilled, broiled, microwaved, gone to a leather tannery, roasted, and oven-cooked to 180 degrees.  
All that to say, if anybody knows what the trendy/hip cut of beef is gonna be in a few years, lemme know.  I'm helping my FiL sell off the last of his cattle in a few years.  Wanna make sure i keep the choicest cut.  Maybe that's why he likes his steak so damn above well done.  If you see them everyday, maybe a little red/pink makes it too personal.  Then again, if you're gonna eat your coworkers...does the temp really make a difference?  

You are correct. Texas barbecue is rooted in butchers and vaqueros and ranchers making generally stringy beef and lesser cuts into something edible. The good beefs were put on rail cars for KC and Chicago feed lots. It’s why most steaks we ate were bested to death then fried and then drowned in gravy. And it’s my issue with these craft pitmasters using prime briskets for their barbecue. Prime is less than 2% of American beef. Conversely I have no use for grass fed beef; I want mine fattened on corn.

So as we ‘ll likely see prime briskets at these places hitting $40 a pound, (and additionally pork and sausage flying over $20 a pound, and fucking sides hitting $12 a pint) I’ll say nope and continue to head to the old time purveyors of barbecue, who know who’s to make flavorful barbecue with lesser grades and deliver value. Around here that would be David’s in Arlington, Railhead and Angelo’s in Ft Worth and others.
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dcbc

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On 2/18/2022 at 12:08 PM, Texzilla58 said:

they’d want it medium well or worse.

That may have been part of the popularity of strips back then.  Less fat, more muscle.  Isn't the idea that you can cook strips to medium and, while this is not my preference, they're still pretty tender because of the nature of the muscle from which the strip is cut?  I don't know.  I was reading about all of this earlier this week.  Maybe Franklin talks about this in the Steak book.

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Texzilla58

Texzilla58 4735

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That may have been part of the popularity of strips back then.  Less fat, more muscle.  Isn't the idea that you can cook strips to medium and, while this is not my preference, they're still pretty tender because of the nature of the muscle from which the strip is cut?  I don't know.  I was reading about all of this earlier this week.  Maybe Franklin talks about this in the Steak book.

I don’t know. I think butchers took the ribeyes home. At least in my parents circles in the 60s they cooked sirloins, t bones, and filets. My old man never cooked strips. If we didn’t have ribeyes we had filets or t bones. I always thought strips had more chew than ribeyes and certainly filets. You don’t see them much but what I really like are rib caps which is just that flap on top of the rib steak. So tender and flavorful.
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Rimbo

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3 hours ago, Texzilla58 said:


You are correct. Texas barbecue is rooted in butchers and vaqueros and ranchers making generally stringy beef and lesser cuts into something edible. The good beefs were put on rail cars for KC and Chicago feed lots. It’s why most steaks we ate were bested to death then fried and then drowned in gravy. And it’s my issue with these craft pitmasters using prime briskets for their barbecue. Prime is less than 2% of American beef. Conversely I have no use for grass fed beef; I want mine fattened on corn.

So as we ‘ll likely see prime briskets at these places hitting $40 a pound, (and additionally pork and sausage flying over $20 a pound, and fucking sides hitting $12 a pint) I’ll say nope and continue to head to the old time purveyors of barbecue, who know who’s to make flavorful barbecue with lesser grades and deliver value. Around here that would be David’s in Arlington, Railhead and Angelo’s in Ft Worth and others.

Oh Lord. Can't stand the acrid, sour tang of grain-feed beef. I don't mind finishing it off with grains, but cows can't even digest it properly. Not that this affects the flavor, but the grass DOES. Especially if they're out there devouring all the aromatic herbs and shit that you find in a Texas field... that flavor gets in there, and it's perfection.

Edited by Rimbo
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CHIEF

CHIEF 5084

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4 hours ago, Texzilla58 said:


I don’t know. I think butchers took the ribeyes home. At least in my parents circles in the 60s they cooked sirloins, t bones, and filets. My old man never cooked strips. If we didn’t have ribeyes we had filets or t bones. I always thought strips had more chew than ribeyes and certainly filets. You don’t see them much but what I really like are rib caps which is just that flap on top of the rib steak. So tender and flavorful.

My Ol' Man was a machinist for Santa Fe Railroad when I was a kid. There were two steaks he would buy, a T-Bone or a Sirloin. Always cooked medium.

I worked as butcher for 9 months at HEB, when I first moved to Austin. The market manager didn't believe in discounting steaks. I worked the evening shift, so Mrs. CHIEF would bring CHIEF Jr. by, every night, as he would be asleep when I got home. The rule was to grind anything and everything if it didn't sell. Every night, I would go back and turn the grinder on as I wrapped 2-3 Choice filets,  in butcher paper and handed them to my wife for $1.69/lb. It was usually two pounds, and at the time it was usually $10-11/lb.

We were poor as church mice, but fuck, did we eat good. We ate filets for the next year. It wasn't until I had to pay "honest" prices that we had to start eating ribeyes. Cooking filets for at least three nights per week really honed my skills. I make money in the holiday season by doing a Sous Vide prime rib roast to 130 degrees and cold smoking it for 5 hours. I usually do a couple of dozen that get eaten for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It's very enjoyable.

CHIEF

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