Rib Eye, 2024

The Rib Eye deal!

Question: What’s your absolute best secret for saving money on steak at the grocery store?

Answer: Cut your own rib eye!

That’s right, this was my favorite deal last year when I made my video on cutting your own rib eyes at home.  To date, that video has had 2.8 million views on YouTube (I’m excited about that).

But it is as good a deal as we head into 2024?  Some of my viewers have commented that they can’t find the same deals anymore.  I’ve got good news: there is still plenty of money to save!

My price comparison was at my local Publix grocery store.  If you’re not familiar with Publix, it’s a good, mid-range grocery store in our region.  On the day I went, I found a two-steak package on sale for $17.99.  That price works out to $21.99 a pound.  Sound good?  I’m not impressed, especially considering the quality of the cuts.

Next stop, my home-away-from-home, Costco.  I wasn’t disappointed.  I was able to buy a whole ribeye for $13.39 a pound.  Boom!  We could stop right there.

But wait, you might be thinking.  I don’t know what to do with an enormous slab of meat.  Never fear, the Butcher Wizard is here!

The key to saving huge amounts of money on meat is to cut the pieces yourself.  It’s not hard, but you do need the right tool.  And the right tool for meat this size is what’s called a “breaking knife.”

Don’t have one?  Not to fear.  I’ve been looking for a dependable, affordable 10-inch breaking knife, and I found one that will soon be sold on our website.  They’re scheduled to come in late November, so hold tight—there’s going to be one available in plenty of time for Christmas!  I’ll send out an email in about a month when they are available for sale.

Let’s have a little orientation to butchery.  When a cow is broken down for meat, it is cut into eight sectons of what are called the “Primal cuts.”  These are the shank, brisket, rib, short plate, flank, round, chuck, and loin.  These Primal cuts are then cut into smaller sections, the Subprimal cuts.  The steaks we’re discussing today come from the rib section Primal cut, and the Subprimal cut is the rib eye.  We’re now going to take that rib eye and cut it into individual rib eye steaks.

I bought the rib eye for my video from Costco.  You can also find these at Sam’s Club and other warehouse clubs.  Another great source, if you have one in your area, is the Chef Store.  You can also ask for a Subprimal cut at your local butchery or even your grocery local grocery store.