Thursday, February 21, 2008
What a line of bull
I have started watching the grocery store ads to see if there are any bargains in fruits, fish or beef. I look for bargains in beef since I have started grilling using my cheap charcoal grill. I believe that meat cooked over charcoal has much better flavor than cooking with propane grills. I usually throw in a piece of pecan on the coals to give the meat some smoke flavor. The important point here is that Sharon agrees.
Last week, Kroger had Angus sirloin steaks, choice grade, advertised for $4.99 a pound. I thought that sounded like a pretty good price for choice beef. I have decided that select is too tough and that I shouldn't eat prime because of my cholesterol problem, so I look for choice. I stopped by Kroger's and went to the meat department. The regular butcher wasn't there but there was a guy in an apron behind the counter. I saw the sirloin in the meat case at the advertised price, but the label only said it was Angus beef. I asked him to help me pick out the best piece of meat since he should have a lot more knowledge that me in that area. He selected a piece and began wrapping it when I asked him, "now that is choice isn't it?". He replied "no, it's Angus." I said, I didn't ask you the breed of cow, I asked you about the grade of the meat. He went on to tell me that Angus was a grade and the federal meat inspectors in the packing plant would specific that cow as Angus and another cow a select, thus the grade. This is totally contrary to my understanding. I am pretty sure that the inspectors look at the beef AFTER it has been butchered and label it as select, choice or prime depending on the amount of marbling in the meat. The amount of marbling is the best indicator of how tender a piece of meat will be.
Well, I didn't want to tell him he was an idiot and should not be allowed behind the counter. I guess I could have softened it a bit by saying, " don't take this the wrong way, but your a moron". So after a minute of carefully selecting my words, I told him that I spent a lot of time on My Aunt and Uncle's farm as a child. We had both dairy and beef cattle. I have been with my Uncle to several cattle auctions. I never heard of one select cow being auctioned off, nor did I know of any farmer who had a herd of select cows.
I did, however, buy the steaks and leave.
Last week, Kroger had Angus sirloin steaks, choice grade, advertised for $4.99 a pound. I thought that sounded like a pretty good price for choice beef. I have decided that select is too tough and that I shouldn't eat prime because of my cholesterol problem, so I look for choice. I stopped by Kroger's and went to the meat department. The regular butcher wasn't there but there was a guy in an apron behind the counter. I saw the sirloin in the meat case at the advertised price, but the label only said it was Angus beef. I asked him to help me pick out the best piece of meat since he should have a lot more knowledge that me in that area. He selected a piece and began wrapping it when I asked him, "now that is choice isn't it?". He replied "no, it's Angus." I said, I didn't ask you the breed of cow, I asked you about the grade of the meat. He went on to tell me that Angus was a grade and the federal meat inspectors in the packing plant would specific that cow as Angus and another cow a select, thus the grade. This is totally contrary to my understanding. I am pretty sure that the inspectors look at the beef AFTER it has been butchered and label it as select, choice or prime depending on the amount of marbling in the meat. The amount of marbling is the best indicator of how tender a piece of meat will be.
Well, I didn't want to tell him he was an idiot and should not be allowed behind the counter. I guess I could have softened it a bit by saying, " don't take this the wrong way, but your a moron". So after a minute of carefully selecting my words, I told him that I spent a lot of time on My Aunt and Uncle's farm as a child. We had both dairy and beef cattle. I have been with my Uncle to several cattle auctions. I never heard of one select cow being auctioned off, nor did I know of any farmer who had a herd of select cows.
I did, however, buy the steaks and leave.
