Vacuum Packed Steaks... Where to buy?

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thecactuswill

Senior Cook
Joined
Aug 9, 2006
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115
I remember my dad bought these steaks from this guy with a freezer truck back in the day when I lived at home, prolly junior high school time frame. I think he just felt sorry for the guy trying to sell stuff. They sat in the freezer for years, noone would touch them.

Then, when I moved out after high school I pretty much just packed up all the food noone eats and took it with me. I lived with my girlfriend at the time that we were so broke the day before payday and staring at these steaks in the freezer because thats practically all we had. These were probably like 5-6 years old by this time. We decided to give it a shot so I took them and pan fried in worchestire sauce.

The best steak I ever had. Wish I knew exactly what kind they were or where they came from. My girlfriend was making moaning sounds when she ate hers like it was the best sex she ever had. It kind of pissed me off at the time! :LOL:

Since then I have paid some outrageous prices for vacuum packed steaks. Omaha steaks, for ex. Crazy prices. I am not about to spend 20-40$ a pound on meat again. Walmart has these vacuum packed tenderloin steaks that are supercheap at about 1.00 each, but they are in a solution heavy with additives and also high in fat.

Anyone know where to get good vacuum packed meats at reasonable prices?
 
Well I got scolded for using similar terms once...but, cryovaced steaks are rather common. If you like 'em that much, get a food sealer(vacum). You can take whatever cut you like, place in a pouch, insert marinade, and seal. As for the years, can't help ya there...unless you install the optional flux capacitor on the food vacum:)
 
There's no guarantee that a steak is going to be great simply because it's been vacuum packed. However, if good steaks are vacuum packed, they will hold up better in the freezer that steaks that are not.

Short of buying them from a specialty vendor, I haven't seen them.
 
Andy M. said:
Short of buying them from a specialty vendor, I haven't seen them.

Yeah thats too bad. With the old ones I had that were so good, is there any chance that they improved with age, so they were even better than fresh?
 
My son always sends Mr HB Omaha Steaks for Christmas/birthday etc. I find them very inconsistant. Some of the filets are excellent and others are just so so.

I agree thecactuswill, I would never spend that much on steaks. I think it's ridiculous. :dry:
 
I like that, LOL, after what? 6 years in the freezer they were as good as a steak can get, just goes to show how long you can keep them.
I'm on the other side of the world so can't help you here. I buy my rideye's [cube roll or scotch fillet to us] cryovaced whole and store them in the fridge for a couple of months before I cut them, not allways super tender but better than average.
Do you have a local butcher who could age beef for you?
 
attie said:
Do you have a local butcher who could age beef for you?

You can't hardly find anything 'local' here anymore. Everything is big business now, walmart, a few big grocery store chains.
 
Half Baked said:
My son always sends Mr HB Omaha Steaks for Christmas/birthday etc. I find them very inconsistant. Some of the filets are excellent and others are just so so.

I agree thecactuswill, I would never spend that much on steaks. I think it's ridiculous. :dry:

Yeah, I didn't think they were worth the money. For their price, I good just goto Ruth Chris or something. I bought a big package from them one, that included a sample of every item on their menu list... And I don't remember any one thing that was that great.
 
thecactuswill said:
You can't hardly find anything 'local' here anymore. Everything is big business now, walmart, a few big grocery store chains.
That is a shame, we're going the same way here but we still have several butcher shops and green grocers who are cheaper than the big guys and give better service. Woolworths and Coles are our two leading supermarkets and have 85% of the retail trade, they are ruthless people. A US consortiam is looking at buying Coles at the moment but I don't know who it is. I understand that Walmart is an absolute huge operation.
 
If you're set on vacuum packed then you should invest in a FoodSaver or similar machine. Like Andy said, vacuum packed does not guarantee anything except for the possibility that the steak will be a better quality AFTER being frozen. You can then buy good quality beef, portion it out, then freeze what you're not going to eat within 2-3 days using the FoodSaver.
 
I buy the whole tenderloin at Costco and cut it up. Good Eats, AB, had a show on how to cut it, so I turn the tape on and cut away. Get several fillets, tenderloin roast and use the small pieces for strogganoff. It is around $10 per pound, but we think, well worth it. Sam's also has it.
 
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