Niman Ranch at Fairway

[JosephB]

I bought 3 Niman Ranch bone-in Pork Rib Chops at Fairway at 74th and Broadway today. They averaged 10 oz. each, and cost $8.99 per pound.

I brined the chops for 2 hours and pan fried them to a pale pink. I deglazed the pan with little water. That's it.

I am very excited to report that the chops were outstanding. They were thick, tender, and juicy, with a delicious pork flavor. I can't wait to have these chops again!

[Suzanne F]

Ohh, ooh, I'll be up in that neighborhood this Thursday. Thanks for the heads-up!

[slkinsey]

They carry Niman Ranch pork at Oppenheimer Prime Meats (the full service butcher in my 'hood) as well. Chops cut to order, etc.

[Varmint]

Or you can just visit your local Niman Ranch pig farmer!!!

[Fat Guy]

They carry Niman Ranch pork at Oppenheimer Prime Meats (the full service butcher in my 'hood) as well.  Chops cut to order, etc.

I had the pleasure of sampling some of these the other week and can confirm that they are truly outstanding. They are not quite on par with the $18.98 per pound chops from Lobel's but they are so good that you'd have to be a really rich dude to be willing to pay twice as much for the small marginal difference.

[tommy]

does anyone have any experience with ordering from them directly via their website?

[jwagnerdsm]

Niman Ranch is an outstanding product. Living in Iowa, i often buy excess product from the farmers who raise pigs for them which lowers the price considerably. But I encourage everyone to patronize this fine company.

Those of you who follow the food industry know about the changes that have taken place in the pork industry in the past decade. Big hog factories, vertical integration, etc. But the happy news is that more and more farmers are finding ways to market directly to consumers which has been a boon to the farmer, the consumer, and to the small meat lockers that are finding new business this way. And the meat is so much better tasting. Today, I smoked two racks of baby back ribs that a farmer sold me at our local indoor farmers market. This meat has such a clean taste that you can actually taste the meat, smoke and marinade and not the chemical cocktail that larger farms use.

[JosephB]

does anyone have any experience with ordering from them directly via their website?

I have never ordered fresh food online. We usually plan our meals on a daily basis. In any event, I just looked at the Niman site and was surprised to see that the same chops that I bought at Fairway are apparently more expensive from Niman online. I didn't even get to the issue of shipping costs. Fairway must be getting quite a hefty discount from the the Ranch.

Hey Sam, does your butcher carry any of the other cuts available directly from the Ranch? I would love to try their bone-in shoulder.

Edited October 13, 2003 by JosephB (log)