Zier's Prime Meats - Wilmette, IL

[molto e]

YT,

I am in for tailgating at Ronnie S's waiting for some of that goodness to be ready.

Molto E

[ronnie_suburban]

YT,

      I am in for tailgating at Ronnie S's waiting for some of that goodness to be ready.

Molto E

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LOL! Come one, come all!

Seriously though, I feel lucky to have learned about Zier's. I think that it's becoming harder and harder to find odd cuts because of how much meat processing is being done before the meat makes it to butcher shops these days.

I can understand a shop not stocking pork bellies but I've encountered some "Prime" shops on the north shore where even whole briskets were "special order" only and marrow bones were actually not available To me, that's just not right . . . and those experiences were a big part of why I made it a point of finding a new butcher. Right now Zier's is #1 in my book with Reagan Meats a very close second.

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[Tracy K.]

Another nice thing that Zier's does is a spiral-sliced ham that is truly delicious--and if you go in and ask for a ham hock or ham bone for soup, that is what you get...the end of a spiral sliced ham.

The Ziers used to live right upstairs from the shop, then finally moved into a house just down the road.

[ronnie_suburban]

I made my weekly Thursday stop at Zier's earlier today and was delighted to see Dave's house-cured corned beef briskets for sale. I picked up a large, 8#, cryovacked flat which I will make tomorrow or over the weekend sometime.

Last time in I tried the cooked Brats which I thought were the best ones I've had outside of WI.

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[ronnie_suburban]

Zier's continues to be my source for all sorts of great products. I go there weekly and the service is, possibly, even better than the goods. I stopped in for a couple of things on Thursday and I asked Dave if the roast I was buying would keep until Sunday. Based on previous experience, I figured that it would but asked anyway. Dave made the issue moot by offering to cryovack it for me. It's in the oven right now.

While I was there, I noticed some great looking Wagyu Beef in the case. I decided to pick up a couple of of strip steaks . . .

When I saw this meat in the case, I had to try it.

A closer look at the fantastic marbling (sorry for the hotspot).

I hit them with a tiny bit of neutral olive oil, some kosher salt, black pepper and cooked them over lump charcoal.

Just a few minutes on each side because I did not want to overcook them.

The flavor was really interesting. It was tangy and minerally with a depth that lasted throughout the chew. I imagine, given the intensity of flavor, that the beef was aged but I'm not sure about the details. The texture was very nice. It was very moist and juicey with a slightly al dente (for lack of a better description) tenderness. I'm glad I tried them but the standard issue prime aged beef at Zier's is good enough that I won't be Wagyu-ing it very often.

And speaking of premium items, in response to a question asked either here or on another thread, I checked with Dave and Zier's can get Berkshire Pork, Black pork, etc. with just a day or 2 advance notice.

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[ulterior epicure]

ronnie.

i'm totally drooling over them steaks while eating my steamed broccoli and cauliflower.... how much did those puppies run per pound (if you don't mind me asking)? i've never bought wagyu before in a store.

u.e.

Edited April 23, 2006 by ulterior epicure (log)

[ronnie_suburban]

Not cheap, that is for sure. Around $60/pound, so not exactly an everyday cut. My wife and I both agreed that it was worth it as far as being able to try something of this quality but not worth it in the sense that Zier's also carries awesome non-Wagyu, Prime, dry-aged beef -- and some of those cuts cost less than 25% of what the Wagyu costs. He also carries pork from Prairie Grove Farms at prices that are obviously, even lower. Still, the Wagyu really tasted distinctive and I'm glad I got to try it -- and more importantly -- cook it for myself.

There was some sales literature about the processor in the shop. I'll try to actually read it next time I'm in and report back. This is best looking American-raised Wagyu I've seen, but I'll admit that I haven't seen very much of it.

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[budrichard]

Thanks for the Waygu pic from Zier's!

I have never been able to get my hands on real Kobe beef from Japan. I have seen on some sites and on Iron Checf Kobe beef that looks like high grade Toro i.e you can only see marbling and not flesh. I have tried various suppliers of Waygu including Lobel's Autralian Waygu and Post Australian Waygu.and have found the lessor cuts to be outstanding compred to US Prime. The cuts such as Tenderloin are not as outstanding compared to US Prime.

I would doubt that Waygu is dry aged from the waste/cost standpoint and none that i have had, exhibited dry aging. So for now, it's US Prime dry aged from Zier's for me. Waygu briskets on the other hand have been superb.

A few years ago, an article in Vogue about real Kobe beef was very informative. the writer somehow obtained some real kobe beef and cooked it the Normal way and found it to be tough. Upon going to a Japanese restaurant, she was fed kobe that was thin sliced and lightly seared just before serving. Made sense. Superb beef was the conclusion! -Dick

[ronnie_suburban]

I would doubt that Waygu is dry aged from the waste/cost standpoint and none that i have had, exhibited dry aging. . .

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Dick, you are correct about this, at least as it applies to the Wagyu at Zier's. Dave chuckled when I asked if it had been aged. At ~3% loss per day, that would be a very costly step. The tangy, minerally and intense flavor of the beef is simply innate to the variety.

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[scordelia]

Does Zier's carry hanger steaks?

[ronnie_suburban]

Does Zier's carry hanger steaks?

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Yes, definitely, with 1-day advance notice.

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[ronnie_suburban]

Had the good fortune to hit Zier's after some Wagyu briskets came in . . .

Compared to the briskets I normally get, this looked almost alien with all the marbling.

A closer look.

I was really pleased with this brisket, which was priced under $7/pound before trimming. While brisket is normally a fatty cut to begin with, having the fat within the tissue of the meat -- especially the flat -- instead of primarily on the exterior, made for a great eating experience. The brisket was totally delicious and even the meat from the flat was terrific. After a 4 hour braise, it was moist, succulent, and tender but still had enough integrity to be sliced into unbroken pieces.

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[molto e]

Ronnie S,

That is the nicest brisket that I have ever seen. I wonder if that rivals my Father's famous brisket.

Molto E

[ExtraMSG]

Ronnie, if you ever get a chance, I'd love to see a cross-section.

[budrichard]

Great pics!

I ordered a couple of whole Waygu briskets and tenderloins from http://www.gamemeat.com/kobe.html . If you do order from this source, call your order in and ask for the best price. A large order gets free shipping also.

A whole brisket is over 15#'s. We horizontally sliced the whole brisket and then smoked half for a party of 20 people. We had done the same last year and NO ONE wanted to miss this years Waygu brisket. The Waygu definately will enhance your brisket.

I am on the last step of my quest to determine where to get the best Waygu loin in the US. I need to get to Zier's and get some of thier Waygu as the last step and then I will post results. So far I figure I am out A LOT of money but it has been very interesting as well as satisfying! -Dick

[ronnie_suburban]

I am on the last step of my quest to determine where to get the best Waygu loin in the US. I need to get to Zier's and get some of thier Waygu as the last step and then I will post results. So far I figure I am out A LOT of money but it has been very interesting as well as satisfying! -Dick

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I really hope this is something you can document or at least synopsize; maybe in the cooking forum.

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[ronnie_suburban]

It was nice to see Dave Zier get a mention in the November issue of Bon Appetit. His comments were included in David Leite's Turkey Buying Guide.

"Heritage turkeys are delicious," says Dave Zier, owner of Zier's Prime Meats and Poultry in Wilmette, Illinois.  "They're like wild turkeys but not gamy or dry."

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[David Leite]

It was nice to see Dave Zier get a mention in the November issue of Bon Appetit.  His comments were included in David Leite's Turkey Buying Guide.

And kudos to you, Ronnie, for helping me get in touch with Zier. It's much appreciated.

David

[budrichard]

Well I finally stopped in again at Zier's to get some Waygu. All Dave had was frozen from Snake River Farms, no sale. I did take home a whole Prime Tenderloin, dry aged, it was sublime. I really believe Zier's aged Prime beef is better than any other Waygu i have had except for one.

I guess it's about time to tell my quest for Kobe beef tale!

First tasted was Lobel's when it was fresh from Australia. Ordered Tenderloin and briskets, again, a lot when they had a two for one sale. The tenderloin was dry aged and excellent. The briskets made great corned beef and BBQ. Went back to order and source was now US, not a bad thing but not as dry aged.

Next source was Mitsuwa. Tried to purchase whole rib section but could only get about 4#'s as the butcher needed the rest for customers for the weekend. About $20/#. In conversation with butcher who was not Japanese (does Cook County still have restrictions that require a Union butcher on site?), the Waygu available to him ranged from $20 to $50/#. He chose to only order the lower price because that was what he could sell best. Not any better than any other beef and certainly not as good a Zier Prime.

Next source was http://www.gamemeat.com/kobe.html. Purchased Tenderloins and Briskets, free shipping if over a few $$, so big orders. Briskets were great and the Tenderloins very good. May still have a Brisket somewhere in the freezer. But not any better than Zier's.

The more i watched Japanese cooking shows and the more read, I was convinced that i was not getting anywhere near Kobe quality especially when no seller I used mentioned the difference bewteen the Japanese and USDA grading systems. I needed Grade 12 Waygu beef! I also had not oberved any Waygu beef with the fat content I saw on Japanese shows. The Kobe or other Japanese beef looked like Toro it was so fatty! My Internet search yielded only vendors selling Waygu or Kobe style beef with no Japanese grading applied except for one

Finally 1-800 Steak http://www.brentwoodtradinggroup.com/index.html and someone who knew what i was talking about. Anyway to get the price lower, i ordered a whole strip loin. They don't take AMEXO but I sure could have got a LOT of Rewards points for what the strip cost!

Strip was graded #12 and when it arrived it looked great, not as marbeled as what I have seen on TV but certainly the best I had obtained. Cut strip loin into 1.5# sections and parceled it out to 4 sets of relative/friends for opinions. The admonishment was to thinly slice and sear, searving rare. As for me and my son, we began by treating it as Sashimi, very much like hgih quality toro, we were onto something. sliced thin and seared, it was excellent, the best we had had!

Edited November 5, 2006 by budrichard (log)

[budrichard]

Continuing:

The reports were unanamous(sp?), at least those that not had coronaries, the best they had ever had.

As a short aside on beef preperation. High grade Waygu should not be cooked like conventional USDA Prime beef i.e the steaks of USDA are thick cut, seared, cooked and then allowed to rest for a nice internal rare. It is like Foie gras where if Grade 12 or so, you will cook the fat out of the Waygu. Slice then and seared briefly it is a treat, raw with seasonings ala Toro, sublime.

Never in my search did I find any vendor with actual Kobe beef or any other Japanese beef.

I realize that i am comparing tenderloin to strip but I finally realized that I needed the strip cut to get what I wanted. Well that's it. I am firmly convinced that we are not able to get Top #12 Kobe or any other beef from any other Japanese Prefecture. We can get some very very good Waygu beef at some very very high prices. Most Waygu marketed in the US is not as good as USDA true dry aged beef. It certainly is not any higher than #4 if that from some markets where i took one look and declined to purchase any. Cost is another factor, If you paying $20- $30/#, it aint like Kobe beef. If cooking steaks by US conventional methods, Zier's Prime dry aged is as good as it gets!

Now I will learn how to upload some pictures!-Dick

Edited November 5, 2006 by budrichard (log)

[budrichard]

Pics are from the #12 Strip loin purchased from 1-800 Steak. #12 is not always available, I don't know what a pound or so will cost you because I only dealt with the purchase of about 18#'s of it. Still have some packaged in the freezer. I expect that for most of my beef needs from now on, Zier's dry aged Prime will get my business. If Dave can order me some fresh briskets when I run out, i will be happy!

If you know of anyone coming from Japan and is willing to carry a cooler on JAL to O'Hare, count me in. That is the only way I can think of to get real Kobe beef. #12 Grade Waygu is available in the US but the price is HIGH! How does it compare to Kobe, I still honestly don't know. I suspect, it is close but that's not like horseshoes, it doesn't count. -Dick

Edited November 5, 2006 by budrichard (log)

[ronnie_suburban]

Great posts and pics, Dick. Thanks for taking the time. I appreciate you posting the results of your extensive 'research.'

I have to agree that I've only ever had one Kobe (and it was Australian) that was as good as Zier's standard dry-aged, Prime. But, I'd like to expand the breadth of my experience, too.

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[ronnie_suburban]

The Zier's media blitz continues. Dave will be appearing on NBC-5's (WMAQ) broadcast at 9:10 am CT on Saturday November 18, providing tips for sourcing and preparing Thanksgiving turkeys. Go, Dave!

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[ronnie_suburban]

Dave Zier, aka "The King of all Meat Media," continues his onslaught this week with piece by Robin Mather Jenkins in today's Chicago Tribune:

There has been a butcher shop where Dave and Denise Zier work since 1890. The Ziers have owned the market for 21 years. Dave's father was a meat inspector for the USDA, and he learned his trade as an apprentice at a supermarket. It didn't take the Iowa native long to figure out that he wanted to be in business for himself, he said.

What you should ask for: A USDA choice or prime rack of lamb, with the cap off, well trimmed, with chine removed and bones Frenched. Ask for the chine bones back to use as a roasting rack.

Where is the roast from? The rib section. "It's the prime rib of the lamb," Zier said.

Toast to the roast

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[budrichard]

Alas, no Prime Rib from Zier's this Xmas dinner! We are eating again at my daughter's and will be having a fresh goose which is a nice thing in it's own right but I will miss the Prime Rib. Of course my two granddaughters are there and that more than makes up for the lack of Prime Rib!

Merry XMAS to everyone whether or not you consider it politically correct!

Happy Whatever to everyone else. Me. I'm going to settle in for a long winter's night with the help of FedEx, DHL and UPS!-Dick