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Mail order steaks


bvus

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I agree, they suck. I tried them for the first (and last) time a few years ago -bought their filet mignons locally. Cooked them as per usual, medium rare on the rare side, and they were TOUGH! I went back to the store and complained and they actually gave me a refund. I rarely eat red meat, but when I do, I expect it to be excellent.

Omaha steak's has a satisfaction guarantee. They had to give you a refund.

I like Omaha steaks, but they are certainly not dry aged. They are, however, tender, flavorful wet aged prime beef, superior to that served in all but the very best steakhouses. I would put them on a par with the steak served at the "Morton's" chain.

If money was no object I would go with Loebel's, but I usually end up buying prime beef from either Fairway or Omaha steaks.

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omaha beef is the single largest purchaser of usda select beef in the world. they also quietly lay claim to inventing a macine that compresses small bis of meat into a log and then cuts them into perfect little "filets". i will give them a kudo for an excellent job of marketing. try somewhere else. in the meat business you most definebntly getwhat you pay for.

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omaha beef is the single largest purchaser of usda select beef in the world. they also quietly lay claim to inventing a macine that compresses small bis of meat

Omaha beef is a Football team. I was referring to the "Omaha Steaks" company, which sells USDA PRIME wet aged steaks. Best in the world ? No. Very tender and flavorful? Yes.

I wouldn't pay full price for them, though. At 50% off of list they are a bargain IMHO. I would try to get larger steaks, if possible. I find that he 4 or 5 oz. filets are a little too small to cook properly.

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sir i may have said omaha beef but i was refering to omaha steaks and if you study the website closely i would love for you to show me where it says usda prime. to use those letters it must be prime and what they serve is not. i stand on what i said. i speak from inside the industry and am trying to help you folks out, you are being hoodwinked

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Flapjack,

I stand corrected. The website only says "premium", so it has not necessarily been graded prime by an inspector. Probably their beef graded "in house".

I do find that their steaks are, on average, of better quality than the graded prime beef I buy at "Fairway" in NYC. It is also better than beef that passes as prime at some of New York's better steakhouses. I wouldn't bother grilling a choice or select steak.

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I, like the Fat Guy, have had extensive experience ordering from Lobel's and agree that their steaks, although pricey, are far superior to anything else available via mail order. Lobel's Wagyu Beef is unforgettable, melt-in-your-mouth delicious and well worth the expense if you are looking for something for a special occasion.

"Some ladies smoke too much and some ladies drink too much and some ladies pray too much, but all ladies think that they weigh too much."

From a poem by Ogden Nash - Curl Up and Diet

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Hello, all. I found eGullet while Googling for info on mail order steaks, and I'd like to add a small bit to this topic.

I called Omaha Steaks and the customer service rep informed me that most of their steaks are "choice", with the private reserve steaks being "prime".

Occasionally I get gift certificates for OS as a performance incentive at work. I find them to be decent enough, better than most supermarket steaks but not as good as a good restaurant steak. I don't think I would spend my own money there, but as a gift I don't turn them down, either.

Tom

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  • 1 month later...

Thinking about Thanksgiving. Family get together for my father-in-law's (probably) last Thanksgiving. Asked him what he wanted - and he said steak. Haven't made a decision whether to do this yet (does sweet potato pie go with steak?) - but I have a question. If I order steaks from Lobel's - can I freeze them and not lose a lot in terms of quality? I just think I'd get very nervous with a mail order main course arriving the day before a big deal meal. If I'm going to freeze steaks for a while - would I be just as well off buying decent steaks at the supermarket? As you can tell - I'm not a big beef eater/cooker - I'm just considering menu options. Robyn

P.S. We're still pretty warm in November - so I'd be grilling the steaks outside.

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Thinking about Thanksgiving.  Family get together for my father-in-law's (probably) last Thanksgiving.  Asked him what he wanted - and he said steak.  Haven't made a decision whether to do this yet (does sweet potato pie go with steak?) - but I have a question.  If I order steaks from Lobel's - can I freeze them and not lose a lot in terms of quality?  I just think I'd get very nervous with a mail order main course arriving the day before a big deal meal.  If I'm going to freeze steaks for a while - would I be just as well off buying decent steaks at the supermarket?  As you can tell - I'm not a big beef eater/cooker - I'm just considering menu options.  Robyn

P.S.  We're still pretty warm in November - so I'd be grilling the steaks outside.

I wouldn't worry about the steaks coming in a day ahead of time. Heck, I wouldn't worry about steaks a week ahead of time. And I definately wouldn't ever freeze them.

I wouldn't compare Lobel's and a supermarket steak. They are completely different animals. If you are nervous about mail order steaks coming a little early, don't be. The only thing I would be nervous about with Lobel's steaks is which kidney I would sell to pay for them.. :biggrin:

"It's better to burn out than to fade away"-Neil Young

"I think I hear a dingo eating your baby"-Bart Simpson

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I wouldn't worry about the steaks coming in a day ahead of time. Heck, I wouldn't worry about steaks a week ahead of time. And I definately wouldn't ever freeze them.

I wouldn't compare Lobel's and a supermarket steak. They are completely different animals. If you are nervous about mail order steaks coming a little early, don't be. The only thing I would be nervous about with Lobel's steaks is which kidney I would sell to pay for them.. :biggrin:

Some of the stuff on the website seemed extremely expensive - but I was looking at the 8 ounce rib eyes which cost - in bulk - about $16/each. Certainly not cheap - but not mind-blowingly expensive either.

It was mentioned in this thread that perhaps one wouldn't notice a huge difference between a naturally marbled (read lots of fat) cut of beef like a prime rib eye from Lobel's as compared to a choice supermarket rib eye. Is that correct? Is there even a noticeable difference? I'd hate to spend $32/pound versus the $5 or $6 a pound that I would pay at Harris Teeter when their more expensive Angus rib-eyes are on sale. Especially since my audience won't be the most discerning. Robyn

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I was lucky enough to win a few Lobel's steaks when Evan did the Q&A. Regarding marbling in a Lobel's steak versus a supermarket steak, this is the prime porterhouse (not Wagyu) that came in the sampler package for your reference. I only did auto-contrast in PhotoShop to get it closer to the color I remember. Between trimming and whatnot, it's on the smaller side of things, but it ranks highly on my quality scale. FWIW, it's one of the best steaks I've ever had, but the aged taste was fairly subtle - more of a well-balanced beef flavor. It's texture was excellent - dense, but tender.

I froze one of the cheaper cuts and it didn't compare as well, so I'm not sure if it was the freezing or the difference in cut that was the difference.

rawporterhouse.jpg

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