What is good meat?

[Jeudrietr]

I was reading in another thread about people who refuse to buy meat from places such as Walmart because the meat is so bad. I've only ever had meat from large grocery chains. I've never seen any small markets or any other place where I could possibly get 'better' meat in my area. I don't know what I'm missing out on.

Is Walmart meat really -that- bad?
Is the other meat really -that much- better?
What am I missing out on?
Where should I go?

Thanks for any replies.

[ladyinred]

Re: What is good meat?

A lot of my friends buy their meat from independent butchers and say that it's the best. We don't have one in our neighbourhood so we buy it from a particular chain grocery store that's in our neighbourhood. There are a couple of other stores in our neighbourhood where we don't buy meat - ever. The meat is always tough, stringy, grisly, etc. However, those same stores in a different town have great meat. So I wouldn't avoid an entire chain. It depends on who they have cutting/buying the meat for each store. If you are enjoying the meat you are getting from your grocery store then that's all that matters. I don't think you're missing out on anything.

[big_bad_john]

Re: What is good meat?

If you ask me good meat is any meat that tastes good and stays down.

Bad meat tastes bad and wont stay down.

scientific John

[AudreyM]

Re: What is good meat?

Maybe it just depends on the individual place? Because my Walmart has a nice grocery store built on it! I've never had a problem with the food there and the prices are something to behold. Normally I buy my meats from Aldi because I am ghetto like that. I buy chicken all the time and it tastes fine. If I get a "bad batch", IE too much fat on the chicken, I just cut it up and eat it that way. o_o The only thing I won't buy from my Aldi is pork because i've had two people tell me it's horrible.

[killerbombshell]

Re: What is good meat?

Honestly, I buy what's cheapest and I've never had a problem. I can't taste the difference between Food Lion brand hamburger or Wegman's brand hamburger and I'm not going to pay the extra $1.50 per pound to try to figure it out.

[ladyinred]

Re: What is good meat?

Not to be too gross, but if you consistently bought ground beef that had bits of bone in it (yucky!!!) and it was always from the same place, you would stop buying it from there (as I did). Oooooh, I shudder just thinking about it. Cheap is good but disgusting is disgusting. Blech!!

[Heidi3]

Re: What is good meat?

if you like what you are buying then you are doing fine....I think it is a matter of taste ...i buy from a local butcher who supposidly buys hormone free meat..do I think it is really all hormone free? nope...but the price is good and they cut it exactly the way I like to have it cut and the ground beef has no disgusting crunchy things in it ...so for me that is "good meat"

that is all I think it needs to be ..is for you to be happy with what you are buying

PS I have been in three Walmarts in my life and all under sedation ..I can tell you one thing ..it did appear to me Walmart had good produce ..but honestly I did not get far enough back in the store before I had to get out of there ..to check out the meat....

I do not know how you do the Walmart or any mart thing ..politics side.. ..that place is way over stimulating ..starting with those greeters at the door ..there is wayyyy tooo much stuff in there for me

[Heidi3]

Re: What is good meat?

If you ask me good meat is any meat that tastes good and stays down.

Bad meat tastes bad and wont stay down.

scientific John

there you go!!! plain and simple!!!

[killerbombshell]

Re: What is good meat?

I do not know how you do the Walmart or any mart thing ..politics side.. ..that place is way over stimulating ..starting with those greeters at the door ..there is wayyyy tooo much stuff in there for me

Oh my god I hear you! I always go in for one thing and end up with like all these others things I didn't know I needed/existed at all. The other night I went in there and bought an Ab Lounge, an auto-shower cleaner, some tanning moisturizer, and a block of cheddar cheese. Talk about random!

[Heidi3]

Re: What is good meat?

Oh my god I hear you! I always go in for one thing and end up with like all these others things I didn't know I needed/existed at all. The other night I went in there and bought an Ab Lounge, an auto-shower cleaner, some tanning moisturizer, and a block of cheddar cheese. Talk about random!

that is what those stores count on is the fact you shop like that I think..for me it works the reverse ..the minute some one greets me I want to run like helll out the door....

do not even ask me to tell my Ikea story

[fawn]

Re: What is good meat?

I am an organic, free range, grass fed, meat freak.

The reason I refuse to purchase meats at chain grocery stores (costco included) is because I don't believe in the feed lots. They are dirty, disease ridden pools of toxicity. Anyone read fast food nation?

Whole foods is one of my choices as well as a fresh local butcher. Though I am fortunate because I live in a rural part of Northern California where well.........us low carb granola hippies are residing!

Sustainability, hormone free, free range, grass fed and organic are first nature in my hood.

It's funny....my oldest daughter swears she can identify the taste of pesticides now!

The feed lots are more abundant and corporate than ever. the small farmer does not have a chance anymore. so peeps...get on line and support your local farmer because this big corporate crap of naming prices and pushing the small farmer out of business sucks!!

[Kent]

Re: What is good meat?

I am not especially picky with where I buy, except Wal-mart. We used to buy our meat there -- at a couple different ones, and it just never tasted right. I simply make sure I buy at least Choice graded beef (Walmart almost strictly sold Select or less graded beef when I looked). In the end, it is a matter of taste, but at least in my area, Target and Fareway is the best. While normally expensive, Target has the crazy $2-3 off specials on $3-5 packages of meat.

[ciaobella]

Re: What is good meat?

I'll save my DON'T GO TO WALMART EVER speech for another time but needless to say i don't ever go into that place.....
but i do buy my meat from a grocery store chain and not at fancy food stores like whole foods or balducis because its sooo much cheaper. I always go for the non organic meat too b/c of the cost!! If you take good care of it once u buy it..ie store it properly and cook it well...then you should be fine

[Jeudrietr]

Re: What is good meat?

Since no one is willing to give a reason, it almost sounds to me like people don't shop at Walmart because it's too popular and they're trying to be different. I'm having flashbacks to highschool... lol.

[Analog6]

Re: What is good meat?

As someone who up until a few years ago raised and had our own beef (and lamb) butchered, I too like the taste of grass fed beef. However, it is fairly easy to pick it, even in the supermarket. Grain fed beef has yellower coloured fat, whereas the fat on grass fed beef is very white. The taste to me is less 'rancid' - which is not to say the meat is off, just that the fat from grain fed beef tastes really on the turn to me.
I was surprised to see someone say they got 'crunchy bits' in their mince (ground beef). That is just appalling and should never, ever occur! Very bad butcher pratices!