Buying high quality meats

[msommers]

Wondering where everyone buys their meats. I hit the Farmer's Market normally but I'd like to know other reputable options - in Calgary preferably or at least fairly close (<30min...not just for eggs obviously!)

I'm really wanting to start buying more deer, elk and bison meat (would love moose but I don't think it's commercially available) but I've only seem one elk guy at the heritage place and one bison guy at the crossroads. Again, just wanting to see what's out there.

Ideally I'd be looking for grass fed/finished, no hormones, (actual) free ranged animals. Where do you like getting your eggs and skinless chicken breast?

I'm aiming for this thread to turn into a large reference of places to shop.

For me I do:

Calgary Farmer's Market
Beef/lamb: Silver Sage
Chicken breasts: Bowden Farms
Eggs: Sylvan Star Cheese
Elk: Wapiti Ways

Crossroads Farmer's Market
Buffalo: Buffalo Cuts
*Pastries: The Ukranian Bakery has amazing apple and peach turnovers!

Looking into Sunterra, Bon Ton Meat Market, Second to None Meats, and Community Foods as well.

I think Billingsgate is the standard for most seafood so I wasn't going to bother asking.

[sxtasy]

Sunterra is pretty decent. They regularly stock Bison

[Darell_n]

You could be eating anything when it comes from Sunterra, and I mean literally.

[speedog]

Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch at the Grassroots Farmers' Market at Northland Mall on Tuesdays - elk and buffalo (bison) are their specialty.

Also there every other Tuesday is Highwood Valley Ranch - red and black angus cattle.

[Kritafo]

I had no idea that Rocky Mountain Ranch was at the market...good news. We have been buying from them for a long time, love elk and bison. We were just going to make a trip out next weekend. We make a day out of it, Saskatoon Farm, Chinook Honey, and Rocky Mountain Ranch.

[nzwasp]

Usually we buy a half cow from a place just outside of Calgary, I think it comes to about 1k all up but theres about 200lbs of meat, of which you choose the cuts.

We are thinking of getting some whole pigs eventually too.

[msommers]

Originally posted by speedog
Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch at the Grassroots Farmers' Market at Northland Mall on Tuesdays - elk and buffalo (bison) are their specialty.

Also there every other Tuesday is Highwood Valley Ranch - red and black angus cattle.

Thanks! I'll definitely be checking this out.

[spikerS]

Don't bother with Bon Ton. They are so far overpriced for what you are getting.

I LOVE Reginas at Crossroads. Has some of the best quality meats, and very reasonable prices.

Once she gets to know you, and sees you all regular like, she will sometimes toss in a few extras. Her Jerky and stuff is great!

[Tania99]

Originally posted by speedog
Canadian Rocky Mountain Ranch at the Grassroots Farmers' Market at Northland Mall on Tuesdays - elk and buffalo (bison) are their specialty.

Also there every other Tuesday is Highwood Valley Ranch - red and black angus cattle.

Thanks. I will buy some elk meat tomorrow.

[timdog]

I highly recommend Bowden Farm Fresh Chicken. Very reasonable pricing considering some of the organic/free range alternatives around this city. Second to None Meats is double the price. They are way out of the city but you can order online and they will deliver if you spend more than $75 I believe.

I'll usually buy 10 lbs of boneless skinless breast ($85) and maybe some thigh, eggs and a few other things. It all comes frozen but is very high quality and you can taste the difference.

[bspot]

Bowden chickens are amazing.

For sausage and cold cuts, Rocky's Sausage Haus.

[Dave P]

Anyone ever order from Red Deer Lake Meats?

There freezer packs and variety packs look pretty good.

[Waldi]

we have been buying directly from ranching family we know, meat quality is great, order twice a year and they deliver to your dor flash frozen, packaged meat. PM if you uterested in details

[r3ccOs]

buying directly from a rancher doesn't beneft 2 things... even if you have a good butcher, you won't have meat lockers that are at the perfect humdiity and temps just above freezing to allow for the aging process to occur properly.

As such, I buy mine from http://hirschemeats.com/

[JRSC00LUDE]

Originally posted by r3ccOs
buying directly from a rancher doesn't beneft 2 things... even if you have a good butcher, you won't have meat lockers that are at the perfect humdiity and temps just above freezing to allow for the aging process to occur properly.

Ummmm, I buy from a Rancher who takes it to a butcher who is equipped with all these things. How many actual butcher shops aren't? :confused:

(not arguing, I justy assumed any butcher would have these things standard)

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by JRSC00LUDE


Ummmm, I buy from a Rancher who takes it to a butcher who is equipped with all these things. How many actual butcher shops aren't? :confused:

(not arguing, I justy assumed any butcher would have these things standard)

getting a cow dressed by a butcher is not the same as having the carcas dry aged for xx number of days...

I'd say 21 days are minimum for the enzymes in the blood to appropriately break down the tougher connective tissues and flavor

I recall a couple of ranchers who were selling these "cow" packages and they basically were dressed, sliced up into the loins, steaks and round cuts and then the rest ground... then pretty much all frozen and handed over.

no way the meat was well aged

[ExtraSlow]

Yeah, wonder what the standard is for aging of the meat that comes from those "direct" packages. I've bought those from Red Deer lake as well as through balzac meats, and I thought they were fine, but since they all come frozen, it's hard to compare them to fresh meat. For steaks, I always prefer fresh over frozen, but have not done much of a comparison on the aging.

[JRSC00LUDE]

Originally posted by r3ccOs
[B] ]

Honestly, I've used the same butcher that we've used since I was a kid and he does hang and age the sides. I just assumed that was typical but I've never used anyone else. :)

[speedog]

Highwood Valley Ranch (http://www.highwoodvalleyranch.com/index.htm)'s article on the dry hanging process and what it all means - link (http://www.highwoodvalleyranch.com/documents/DRYHanging.pdf).

I am by no means a connoisseur of beef but I can honestly say I have never tasted better beef than what we've had from Highwood Valley Ranch - we now buy our beef from them by the quarter.

[TL911]

Anyone know where I can buy goats?

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by speedog
Highwood Valley Ranch (http://www.highwoodvalleyranch.com/index.htm)'s article on the dry hanging process and what it all means - link (http://www.highwoodvalleyranch.com/documents/DRYHanging.pdf).

I am by no means a connoisseur of beef but I can honestly say I have never tasted better beef than what we've had from Highwood Valley Ranch - we now buy our beef from them by the quarter.

most meat I think, by the time they reach the big-box, are dry aged at least 14 days.

Some, like Sterling, I think is around 21...

Good steakhouses have their own meat coolers and can age their beef onwards of 40 days

The difference is huge... the texture, but more imporantly is the flavor. A piece of well aged (of course a proper marbled) striploin vs a 14 day aged equivillent from a big box is HUGE

I think that's why people find striploins at a Cesars, Hys or heck even the Keg to taste better than those they bought from Sobey's.

That being said, "Safeway" still may carry better cuts than the rest...
I'm not certain if all their beef is AAA (where as costco does sell only that I think)

but Safeway has a longstanding arrangement, honered in perpetuity with Canada Packers, now Maple Leaf, to have the pick of the premium cuts.

I like buying the tri-tips whole from Safeway. Also top sirloin cap...

Tri-tips are getting more popular, but the top sirloin cap is the cut butchers bring home. Its super cheap (same price as top sirloin) yet has the flavor of at least a strip and better texture.

[Pacman]

I used to buy from Horizon meats, but they have shut down.

Can any of the above mentioned places do thinly cut, beef short ribs?

[A|pine]

I hate that I'm going to share this but I typically get most of my meat from better butcher. I always buy their whole chicken (they're hutterite chickens so real deal free range) and butcher it at home (10 - 11 bucks for the whole thing yielding 2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 wings and 2 winglets, and a carcass for making chicken stock).

They have everything there, boneless skinless breast, skin on breast, skin on and bone breast. Ox tail, bacon (old fashioned way with nitrates). They typically sell out by 2 or 3 pm on saturdays for whole chickens. They have whole lamb legs. I'm sure if you want bone for bone marrow or tendons give them a ring and they'll get them for you. It's an eastern european style butcher so a lot of their in house sausages reflect that. They have organic free range eggs too (5 bucks for 12) and an assortment of deli meat.

Second to None butcher has bacon both the old fashioned way and the 'new wave' no nitrate way too. I used to go here until I found better butcher since it is close to my house. I don't really look to see if they carry any wild game but I'll be sure to ask next time I'm in.

[KRyn]

Originally posted by Pacman
I used to buy from Horizon meats, but they have shut down.

Can any of the above mentioned places do thinly cut, beef short ribs?


I get mine from the COOP on Macleod trail near Heritage. Call the butcher in advance, he will throw the ribs in the freezer for a few hours after which he can cut them as thin as you like.

[Pacman]

Originally posted by KRyn



I get mine from the COOP on Macleod trail near Heritage. Call the butcher in advance, he will throw the ribs in the freezer for a few hours after which he can cut them as thin as you like.

How thin do you normally get them? I've used the term "Hawaii Style" before but get inconsistent thickness.

[KRyn]

Originally posted by Pacman


How thin do you normally get them? I've used the term &quot;Hawaii Style&quot; before but get inconsistent thickness.

I usually get them cut 1/2 to 3/8 of an inch to serve Korean style. When frozen I think the butcher could cut them even thinner if desired. Call them on say a Friday, show up on Saturday and see if they can cut them thin enough for you.

Don't forget to buy some beautifully aged prime rib or rib eyes. They have a dry ager at that particular location, I think that COOP has some of the best meat in Calgary for a chain store.

[A|pine]

If you're looking for korean style cuts in the thinly cut beef ribs or korean style pork belly, should check this place out

https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=butcher+calgary&hl=en&ll=51.038544,-114.062532&spn=0.00283,0.004823&hq=butcher&hnear=Calgary,+Division+No.+6,+Alberta&t=h&fll=51.038847,-114.063862&fspn=0.00283,0.004823&z=18&layer=c&cbll=51.038542,-114.062391&panoid=u1SEKjy54f1k4GftiKjG2Q&cbp=12,202.07,,0,0.63

It is called deli oriental meats, ran by koreans of course.

[r3ccOs]

as for pork belly... it really doesn't matter where you get it from

its how you cure it that gives it its taste... you always need nitrates in one form or another, and there are very nice ways to make delicious savory bacon, and I cold smoke mine with maple.

[heavyfuel]

Originally posted by spikers
Don't bother with Bon Ton. They are so far overpriced for what you are getting.



Learned this the hard way today. Stopped in looking for tendon bones, I'm a sucker for a nice striploin so I picked up 2. Coulda got 4 for the same $24 at Safeway, these better be the best damn striploins I've had all summer.

[msommers]

Even dry-aged meat at the Co-op downtown is expensive. Quality meat isn't cheap.

Picked up some Bison steaks from Second to None in Mission today since I forgot about the farmer's market at Northland yesterday. Pretty damn good! But at ~20/ea, they better be!

[98type_r]

I just saw that bison steaks now available online @ costco.ca

$14/steak, the only problem is you have to buy 10 of them.

http://www.costco.ca/Northfork-Meats-%E2%80%93-Bison-Rib-Eye-Steaks.product.10352533.html

[msommers]

I'd split a case or get 3 of the striploins if a couple people wanted to. Doesn't say if they're flash frozen or not. I'd kinda prefer it if they were then I'd just get a case myself.

[dirtsniffer]

Taking r3cc0's advice I picked up two top sirloin cap steaks tonight for dinner. Cooked them up in my skillet and they turned out awesome. Well worth the 5.50. I don't think it's too common though, there was only 1 other package in the entire place. Just happened to come across it cause ribs were on sale, but I'll definitely be buying it again. Cheers.

[GQBalla]

Just looked at costco.ca

anyone know how their prices compare to other butchers that sell Canadian Wagyu?

http://www.costco.ca/.product.10330438.html?cm_sp=RichRelevance-_-categorypageHorizontalTop-_-PopularProductsInCategory&cm_vc=categorypageHorizontalTop|PopularProductsInCategory

its frozen but damn, i would like to buy some and cook it myself.

I had a Wagyu steak in Vegas for 75 bucks but i don't think it was the authentic wagyu.

[Kavy]

Originally posted by 98type_r
I just saw that bison steaks now available online @ costco.ca

$14/steak, the only problem is you have to buy 10 of them.

http://www.costco.ca/Northfork-Meats-%E2%80%93-Bison-Rib-Eye-Steaks.product.10352533.html

Title of the thread is "Buying high quality meats" not "quickest way to E coli". I love Bison but the last place I would buy meat from is Costco.

[dirtsniffer]

why not? seems to be pretty popular..

[Gart]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
why not? seems to be pretty popular..

If I had to guess, I'd say he was referring to this:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/10/25/marketplace-ecoli-meat-mechanical-tenderizer.html

if you've been to Costco lately, you'll notice the new labeling on the packages.

[Kavy]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
why not? seems to be pretty popular..

I was referring to Costco's "tenderizing" methods of needling their meat (or blade tenderizing as they call it)

Having surface bacteria pushed into the center of the meat means you need to cook the meat to a higher temp. Technically according to the labels cooking a tenderized steak any less then well puts you at risk (they want it cooked to 160 which is well done)

I personally like my steaks rare to medium rare so Costco steaks are a no go for me, if you like well done steaks then you should have no issues.

[heavyfuel]

Originally posted by heavyfuel


Learned this the hard way today. Stopped in looking for tendon bones, I'm a sucker for a nice striploin so I picked up 2. Coulda got 4 for the same $24 at Safeway, these better be the best damn striploins I've had all summer.

Those striploins were nothing special at all, had better from Safeway for 1/2 the price.

[C_Dave45]

Ive always had really good meat from Costco. I only buy prime rib, standing rib and ribeye and tenderloin for steaks. I love my steaks blue rare. Not even sure if they use that "tenderizing" method for the higher priced cuts. Still doesn't worry me. That's like not buying Alberta beef becaus they once had an issue with the mad cow disease. :dunno:
Then again I only buy there if they've got "Prime" grade steaks.
Otherwise I always buy from Co Op. I dont bother with the packaged "AA" cuts...I always buy the "AAA" cuts from behind the glass.

[Kavy]

^
The primes are blade tenderized. Why Costco feels they need to tenderize primes still makes no sense to me.
Not buying Alberta steaks isn't a fair comparison as it wasn't a process that caused the outbreak of E Coli from that plant (however the process of tenderizing was blamed for the spread of it through Costco)

I used to buy Costco meats all the time and the possibility of of getting E Coli is in reality low. Tenderizing increases that possibility and I figure im not going to roll the dice on some steaks for my pregnant wife :).

[spikerS]

I think I am about the only one who does not like Costco beef. I find the cuts to be horrible, and too thick, thus causing portion sizes to be too large.

I actually prefer Sobeys or co-op meat counter, and choose my cuts. I might pay $2-3 more at the till, I waste less, and I find the cuts to be better, in size, taste and marbling.

[lilmira]

From what I saw last time, other than the uncut ones, they all have the tenderized beef stickers on at Costco. I think they have been tenderizing their beef for quite some time until they got questioned for it. I have never gotten sick from eating costco steaks rare-medium so the chance of getting anything is probably not too high. Regardless, why take the chance if you don't have to?

All this talk about steaks is making me :drool:

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by Kavy
^
The primes are blade tenderized. Why Costco feels they need to tenderize primes still makes no sense to me.

I used to buy Costco meats all the time and the possibility of of getting E Coli is in reality low. Tenderizing increases that possibility and I figure im not going to roll the dice on some steaks for my pregnant wife :).

Are they? Huh. Did not know that. Is ALL the prime grade blade tenderized? How can you tell? Does it say somewhere that all of it is done using that machine? I thought you could tell by seeing the little pinholes in the meat. And I thought they had to say on the package, like this:

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o312/CalgaryDave/Consumer_Reports_Mechanically_Tenderized_Beef_Steak_Costco_6-13.jpg

Are these ones blade tenderized?:

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o312/CalgaryDave/IMG_1952.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o312/CalgaryDave/IMG_1954.jpg




Originally posted by spikers
I think I am about the only one who does not like Costco beef. I find the cuts to be horrible, and too thick, thus causing portion sizes to be too large.


WHAT??
:eek:

"This steak is too thick" said no man EVER!! I'm sorry Chris, you'll have to hand over that man-card of yours.

[lilmira]

There should be a separate sticker stating safe cooking temperature for tenderized beef on every package, pretty easy to spot.

Where did you get the canadian prime? I haven't seen them for years at Beacon Hill.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by lilmira
There should be a separate sticker stating safe cooking temperature for tenderized beef on every package, pretty easy to spot.

Where did you get the canadian prime? I haven't seen them for years at Beacon Hill.
The South store.

[spikerS]

Originally posted by C_Dave45


WHAT??
:eek:

&quot;This steak is too thick&quot; said no man EVER!! I'm sorry Chris, you'll have to hand over that man-card of yours.

for me, no, I don't mind the thick cut. But when it comes to Baygirl, she would only eat 1/3rd of one. Also, being a little price conscious, a 3 pack of rib eyes is $35-40, when I can get 2 elsewhere, at a better cut for $20-$25.

[sputnik]

Originally posted by C_Dave45
Ive always had really good meat from Costco. I only buy prime rib, standing rib and ribeye and tenderloin for steaks. I love my steaks blue rare. Not even sure if they use that &quot;tenderizing&quot; method for the higher priced cuts. Still doesn't worry me. That's like not buying Alberta beef becaus they once had an issue with the mad cow disease.

It isn't mad cow disease you have to worry about, but rather e coli.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by sputnik


It isn't mad cow disease you have to worry about, but rather e coli. To be honest, I'm not worried about either.
But you miss my point. To say that you wouldn't buy beef from Costco because they once had an E coli problem is like saying you won't buy Alberta Beef because it once had a problem. (I just used the general term "Mad Cow" as that's what the US loosely attributed it to).

There have been more E Coli cases from XL foods, which produces pretty much all our beef, than there has been from Costco, which AFAIK, was never confirmed that it was their tenderizing machine, but merely suspected. The tainted Costco beef also originated out of XL foods.

[Kavy]

Originally posted by C_Dave45
To be honest, I'm not worried about either.
But you miss my point. To say that you wouldn't buy beef from Costco because they once had an E coli problem is like saying you won't buy Alberta Beef because it once had a problem. (I just used the general term &quot;Mad Cow&quot; as that's what the US loosely attributed it to).

There have been more E Coli cases from XL foods, which produces pretty much all our beef, than there has been from Costco, which AFAIK, was never confirmed that it was their tenderizing machine, but merely suspected. The tainted Costco beef also originated out of XL foods.

Sorry for the late reply Dave, to be clear not all Costco steaks are tenderized, especially after the new regulations, those pictures you posted include a USDA steak with the blade tenderized warning which was mandated over a year previous to the Alberta Mandate. It is also difficult to eyeball a tenderized steak as the process is no longer brute force and large needles but thousands of small needles. The majority of steaks are blade tenderized which is done in house locally at Costco.

I would say your example is an extreme one as the the issue with XL foods was tainted meat from the distributor due to improper conditions and handling. Costco on the other hand uses a process which is proven to greatly increase the possibility of bacteria transfer between products as well as increase the possibility of bacteria moving to the center of the meat.

I would hazard a guess that the Health Board did not make Costco put the "cook to 145/160" warning labels on their tenderized meat because they felt the risk was the same as non tenderized meat which does not require the warning stickers.

*To go the other way in an extreme example:
Since the majority of beef comes from XL and that tainted meat went to hundreds of retailers and hundreds of people consumed the meat from other retailers without suffering from the E Coli poisoning (prior to the recall) what could one attribute the Costco cases to? One could say that since the majority of reported incidents of E Coli poisoning during the XL scare came from Costco maybe the tenderizing process pushed the E Coli deeper into the meat and that is the reason consumers were not able to kill the bacteria with regular cooking methods.

*Just being a devils advocate, this is merely and extreme example of the other side of the argument and has not been confirmed or refuted to be the cause of the larger number of reported Costco E Coli vs other retailers. The reasoning could be that Costco sells a larger volume of meat or that Costco was mentioned in the press release so customers who shopped at Costco were more aware of the situation.

[Strider]

I picked up and tried some grass-fed, organic Striploin steaks (they didn't have Ribeyes) from Top of the Mountain Beef (http://www.topofthemountainbeef.com/) at Crossroads Market this weekend. They were wrapped in butcher paper in the meat case.

I bought 3 steaks at ~$15/lb, which ended up being almost exactly $30.

When I unwrapped them, they were partially frozen with lots of liquid oozing out, weird sizes/shapes, and poorly trimmed. By the time I cleaned them up, I probably threw away 1/5 of the weight. One of the steaks was a 1.5"x1.5"x6" stick and the others (which more closely resembled steak) were uneven in thickness.

They recommended cooking on the grill over medium heat instead of high, so after waiting for the steaks to fully defrost, I started them on low-med heat until they reached 110 degrees, then seared them on my infrared burner to 130 degrees for a perfect medium rare (after resting).

We let the meat rest for about 10 minutes and started eating.

The meat had a nice flavor to it, but it was also extremely tough and had a lot of sinew/gristle running through it.

Terribly disappointed... stay away.

TL;DR
Top of the Mountain Beef at Crossroads Market has terrible steaks. Buy your premium steaks elsewhere.

[Strider]

Anyone tried using this method for grilling steaks?
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/05/the-food-labs-perfect-grilled-ribeye-steaks.html


I tried it last week with some rib steaks from Superstore and it turned out to be the best steak I've ever had.

[ExtraSlow]

I like to use the one-flip method for most things that go on the grill. The method Strider posted sounds finicky.

Anyone using Country Lane Farms for chicken? These are the guys where you pre-order and then pick it up in a parking lot. No fixed location.
My in-laws rave about them, but I find the pick-up times inconveinient, so i haven't checked it out yet. I will one of these days.
They are affliated with beef and salmon producers too, so you can get it all at the same time. I'm most interested in the chickens though.

[msommers]

Originally posted by Strider
Top of the Mountain Beef at Crossroads Market has terrible steaks. Buy your premium steaks elsewhere.

Thanks for the head's up. Silver Sage hasn't disappointed me yet but I'm still looking to find another quality place to try.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
I like to use the one-flip method for most things that go on the grill. The method Strider posted sounds finicky.

X1000. Neve heard of cooking steaks by flipping them multiple times. Criss cross grill marks on one side, flip, criss cross the other. Done.
And frozen steaks?!!! :eek: I've only frozen my steak a few times and that was out of necessity (Couldn't cook them day of purchase) and never have they tasted good. I've also never gotten a good steak from superstore. Mind you they only carry AA beef there. Maybe one in ten might be just "meh", but normally any AAA steak out of Co Op meat dept has been awesome.

It's funny that recipe calls it "Rib Eye" when they're actually using ribsteaks. Wonder if that guy is Australian.

[Strider]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
I like to use the one-flip method for most things that go on the grill. The method Strider posted sounds finicky.

I do agree that flipping it over multiple times is a bit much, but I think he's just making the point that it won't adversely affect the meat (contrary to popular belief).

But the real key is salting at least 40 minutes in advance, and the reverse sear which gives you the uniform temperature throughout and < 1mm thick crust, instead of the thick grey band around the outside of the steak.


Originally posted by C_Dave45

X1000. Neve heard of cooking steaks by flipping them multiple times. Criss cross grill marks on one side, flip, criss cross the other. Done.
And frozen steaks?!!! :eek: I've only frozen my steak a few times and that was out of necessity (Couldn't cook them day of purchase) and never have they tasted good. I've also never gotten a good steak from superstore. Mind you they only carry AA beef there. Maybe one in ten might be just &quot;meh&quot;, but normally any AAA steak out of Co Op meat dept has been awesome.

It's funny that recipe calls it &quot;Rib Eye&quot; when they're actually using ribsteaks. Wonder if that guy is Australian.

Criss cross grill marks? I prefer a nice uniform crust. Your grill isn't hot enough :poosie:

Never really did know the difference between a Ribeye and Rib Steak... Most people would say Ribeye is a Rib steak with the bone removed, but that would make the term "bone-in Ribeye" contradictory. :confused:

Will definitely try Downtown Co-op for my next steak.

[Strider]

dp

[ExtraSlow]

Maybe I'll try it with this reverse sear method next time, It certainly would produce a more uniform temperature profile, which could be interesting. Don't think I want to be pre-salting it, as that would draw a bunch of moisture out of it.

I eat my steaks with basically no seasoning though, I just like the taste of beef.

[Kritafo]

I am going to try the reverse sear tomorrow... Just bought some tenderloin at the no-no store (costco)

[R-Audi]

Originally posted by C_Dave45

I've also never gotten a good steak from superstore. Mind you they only carry AA beef there. n.

They do have a small section of Angus beef now.. its actually quite good.
I still havent found a good replacement for the AAA Gold that Costco used to carry...Cant justify the waygu that they have online.

\with all those WalMart steak commercials.. any tried them?

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by R-Audi


They do have a small section of Angus beef now.. its actually quite good.
I still havent found a good replacement for the AAA Gold that Costco used to carry...Cant justify the waygu that they have online.

\with all those WalMart steak commercials.. any tried them?

They have Angus but its still only AA Grade.
Ive never seen AAA wrapped in plastic. (Other than Costco's Prime)

[R-Audi]

Good to know! I didnt remember seeing the AA or AAA rating.

Costcos regular meat still says AAA, but its not the gold label AAA.

[asp integra]

"second to none meats" is the only place I buy my steaks, they are amazing

http://www.secondtononemeats.com/

[theken]

Second to non is really good. I get briskets and game hens from them. Weird enough blu seafood market had one of the best steaks I have ever had.

[msommers]

Checked out the Farmer's Market at Northland Mall today - it's setup by the Walmart. Actually a pretty decent venue given it's just pitched in the parking lot.

Rocky Mountain Meats was there with bison and elk so I loaded up. It's all frozen but I'm still excited to try this stuff.

There was an olive oil guy there which I'm pretty curious of trying.

[Strider]

Originally posted by msommers
There was an olive oil guy there which I'm pretty curious of trying.

If you're looking for special olive oils and vinegars, Soffritto in Canyon Meadows is excellent Gord there is very helpful.
It's just too bad it's so far south.

[speedog]

Originally posted by msommers
Checked out the Farmer's Market at Northland Mall today - it's setup by the Walmart. Actually a pretty decent venue given it's just pitched in the parking lot.

Rocky Mountain Meats was there with bison and elk so I loaded up. It's all frozen but I'm still excited to try this stuff.

There was an olive oil guy there which I'm pretty curious of trying.

Demetra Oil - they process and import their own olive oils from their family farm groves in Greece.

[msommers]

Originally posted by Strider


If you're looking for special olive oils and vinegars, Soffritto in Canyon Meadows is excellent Gord there is very helpful.
It's just too bad it's so far south.



Originally posted by speedog


Demetra Oil - they process and import their own olive oils from their family farm groves in Greece.

I'll have to ask about their oil next time. I'm not really into fancy oils, but I recently read that a lot of these things labelled as 100% extra virgin cold-pressed organic olive oil aren't actually that and sometimes can even be mixed with other stuff. I wonder if he sells fresh olives too. The only place I've actually enjoyed olives was in Greece from restaurants in the middle of no where.

[Kritafo]

rocky mountain has recipes online as well.

http://www.crmr.com/ranch/recipes/

We are going out to the ranch on Saturday to pick up an order.

Too bad they aren't part of the Harvest Festival anymore. They used to have a ride around the farm, and the first year grilled up bison burgers and smokies. Kayben's currant chutney is fantastic with meat.

http://kayben.com/uncategorized/annual-harvest-festival-foothills-highland-games/

[89s1]

Originally posted by spikers
I think I am about the only one who does not like Costco beef. I find the cuts to be horrible, and too thick, thus causing portion sizes to be too large.

I actually prefer Sobeys or co-op meat counter, and choose my cuts. I might pay $2-3 more at the till, I waste less, and I find the cuts to be better, in size, taste and marbling.

Got a couple ribeye's from co-op after reading this and I have to agree, those were some fantastic steaks.

Cooked them up rare and they were basically melt in your mouth tender. :drool:

[msommers]

Coop downtown?

[89s1]

Nope. 52st NE ( I assume, the wife got them)

[flipstah]

BUMP.

Anyone know a legit butcher that's near downtown? I'm asking because I want the second-tier stuff (marrow, offal, etc.)

I went to Silver Sage @ CFM and I got the oddest looks asking for intestine or beef tongue. :nut:

[R-Audi]

Second to None... but they are pricey there.

4th St and about 23rd? Beside Duckys.....

[nzwasp]

Im going through a ranch called trails end beef which is in Nanton but they are just about to deliver all their beef to customers in Calgary. I had an email conversation about the same thing with them today and they said that alot of their customers dont like the offal, tongue, etc and so they end up selling that stuff off seperately. You could give them an email and find out what they sell it for, they are making a delivery to the ikea car park in 3 weeks too.

[Mar]

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned in this thread already but there's an amazing meat shop by Spruce Meadows called Red Deer Meats. My girlfriend is allergic to pork so it's the only place we can buy sausages she can eat. Apparently most places consider their sausages to be 100% beef even when they're in pork casings. Doesn't make any sense.

[Waldi]

Originally posted by flipstah
BUMP.

Anyone know a legit butcher that's near downtown? I'm asking because I want the second-tier stuff (marrow, offal, etc.)

I went to Silver Sage @ CFM and I got the oddest looks asking for intestine or beef tongue. :nut:

Try Jan's Meats & Deli of Crowchild 2436 2 Ave NW, full butcher shop, can get custom cuts and meets.

[speedog]

flipstah - what you're looking for may be difficult to source unless you can get in contact with a very, very small processor. Most meat shops will have clean carcasses delivered to them with nothing that you're looking for - the problem is that for most processors, it is quite expensive to set up their facilities to take aside products such as you're looking for and there just isn't enough of a market demand to justify the cost of setting up that extra infrastructure.

I know this because we tried to find a source of elk pizzles for our shop - the only source we have is a Calgary area elk farmer who slaughters a few elk for his own personal use and we have sometimes managed to get dried elk pizzles from him. Any elk that is taken to a processor has all of it's offal, marrow, etc removed from the carcass and put into a bin that is collected by another company that will sell it to be used in cheaper dog food/treats or possibly even feed for chickens or what have you.

After speaking with these small processors, we found out that there just wasn't enough money to be made from processing products that weren't considered mainstream human-food items to justify the additional cost involved and the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) is very, very sticky with their rules with respect to how these facilities are built/run with respect to what goes into the human safe side of the plant and what does not.

Large processors like Cargill and such can justify the extra cost to pull the beef pizzles and intestines (casings), tripe (stomach) aside because they have enough volume to offset the extra machinery cost when compared to the monies they'll make on these sideline items. Cargill even processes bones, but all of their bone product goes into the pet industry because it's not as expensive for them to build/operate a pet-food grade side facility as it is to build a human-food grade facility - thus why bones are so difficult to source from a grocery store.

So for flipstah, the solution is to find a very, very small processor - even smaller then Pure Country Meats in Strathmore. Even Balzac Meats probably won't have what you're looking for - Red Deer Lake Meats appears to offer offal but it may only be for someone that is bringing a whole animal in for slaughter, not sure if you can just purchase offal. Call them at 403-256-4925 to inquire. Highwood Valley Ranch might be able to provide what you're looking for as well - call them at 403-601-389, their processor is Foothills Custom Meat Processors at 403-652-2204. Good luck in your hunt.

[speedog]

Originally posted by Waldi


Try Jan's Meats &amp; Deli of Crowchild 2436 2 Ave NW, full butcher shop, can get custom cuts and meets.

The new Beyond meet location? :D

[flipstah]

Originally posted by speedog
flipstah - what you're looking for may be difficult to source unless you can get in contact with a very, very small processor. Most meat shops will have clean carcasses delivered to them with nothing that you're looking for - the problem is that for most processors, it is quite expensive to set up their facilities to take aside products such as you're looking for and there just isn't enough of a market demand to justify the cost of setting up that extra infrastructure.

I know this because we tried to find a source of elk pizzles for our shop - the only source we have is a Calgary area elk farmer who slaughters a few elk for his own personal use and we have sometimes managed to get dried elk pizzles from him. Any elk that is taken to a processor has all of it's offal, marrow, etc removed from the carcass and put into a bin that is collected by another company that will sell it to be used in cheaper dog food/treats or possibly even feed for chickens or what have you.

After speaking with these small processors, we found out that there just wasn't enough money to be made from processing products that weren't considered mainstream human-food items to justify the additional cost involved and the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) is very, very sticky with their rules with respect to how these facilities are built/run with respect to what goes into the human safe side of the plant and what does not.

Large processors like Cargill and such can justify the extra cost to pull the beef pizzles and intestines (casings), tripe (stomach) aside because they have enough volume to offset the extra machinery cost when compared to the monies they'll make on these sideline items. Cargill even processes bones, but all of their bone product goes into the pet industry because it's not as expensive for them to build/operate a pet-food grade side facility as it is to build a human-food grade facility - thus why bones are so difficult to source from a grocery store.

So for flipstah, the solution is to find a very, very small processor - even smaller then Pure Country Meats in Strathmore. Even Balzac Meats probably won't have what you're looking for - Red Deer Lake Meats appears to offer offal but it may only be for someone that is bringing a whole animal in for slaughter, not sure if you can just purchase offal. Call them at 403-256-4925 to inquire. Highwood Valley Ranch might be able to provide what you're looking for as well - call them at 403-601-389, their processor is Foothills Custom Meat Processors at 403-652-2204. Good luck in your hunt.

Thanks for the information, speedog. I will ask around and see what I come up with.

[syscal]

Big fan of Balzac meets. Call a day in advance and they'll get you anything you want fresh. We had extra lean ground beef from them, special order, and had to actually add fat to the pan to cook it.

[AudiPWR]

Why not instead of being the bunch of soft ass city slickers y'all are and go hunt your own damned meat?

[flipstah]

Highwood sells them but it's so far!

http://www.highwoodvalleyranch.com/products_prices.htm

[speedog]

Originally posted by flipstah
Highwood sells them but it's so far!

http://www.highwoodvalleyranch.com/products_prices.htm
So come out to their stall at one of the local farmer's markets in Calgary - you could probably arrange for them to bring it in on their truck and hold it for you. They are at the Grassroots Northland Farmers' Market and they're also at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmers' Market - see their schedule here (http://www.highwoodvalleyranch.com/) (right side of web page).

[speedog]

Originally posted by AudiPWR
Why not instead of being the bunch of soft ass city slickers y'all are and go hunt your own damned meat?
Because some of us are quite okay with buying our meat in a shop, actually most of us probably are.

Got nothing against hunters but it just isn't my thing.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by speedog

So come out to their stall at one of the local farmer's markets in Calgary - you could probably arrange for them to bring it in on their truck and hold it for you. They are at the Grassroots Northland Farmers' Market and they're also at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmers' Market - see their schedule here (http://www.highwoodvalleyranch.com/) (right side of web page).

Yeah, I saw those and unfortunately, those times doesn't work with my schedule.

I might go to the Okotoks Farmers Market and do a massive haul but still checking out the other vendors you mentioned for a more localized approach.