The 8 best cuts of meat to buy at Costco, according to butchers and chefs

From brisket to an overlooked butcher’s pick, here’s what the pros always toss in their cart.

Key Points

• Costco’s meat department offers high-quality cuts at competitive prices, making it a favorite for families and home cooks.
• Expert-recommended cuts like flank steak, chuck roll, and brisket deliver great flavor and value for everyday meals.
• Buying larger cuts and portioning them at home saves money and ensures you always have meat ready to cook.

Costco’s meat department has built a reputation among butchers, chefs, and serious home cooks as one of the best places to buy meat—if you know which cuts to grab. “Costco does a very good job of offering quality beef at competitive prices because of its buying power,” says Rosangela Teodoro, owner and butcher at Teodora’s Boucherie Gourmande in Massachusetts. “It’s especially attractive for families or anyone with freezer space. Their selection of USDA Prime beef is often an excellent value.”

“As a thrifty grocery shopper, you cannot beat the prices at Costco, particularly in the meat department,” says chef Clara Peck, founder of the culinary school Eat Cetera Philly and a Chopped champion.

We asked meat and culinary experts which cuts they reach for every time at Costco and why some of the warehouse’s least glamorous packages are its best deals.

Meet Our Expert

• Rosangela Teodoro, owner and butcher at Teodora’s Boucherie Gourmande in Massachusetts
• Clara Peck, chef, founder of culinary school Eat Cetera Philly, and a Chopped champion
• Steve Sabicer, former co-owner of the award-winning Electric City Butcher in Southern California and writer of the newsletter Enlightened Omnivore

Related: Home Cooks Are Buying Whole Cows and Saving Big—Here's How to Do It

Flank Steak

For a quick dinner, Peck turns to flank steak. “It’s one of my favorite cuts of beef,” she says. “Packed with flavor and surprisingly tender when cut across the grain, I love flank steak with chimichurri, homemade steak sauce, or simply Worcestershire sauce and Jersey tomatoes.”

Chuck Roll

Ask a professional butcher what’s overlooked in the meat case, and chances are they’ll point to the chuck. “Chuck roll is one of the best values at Costco,” says Teodoro. “Most home cooks overlook it because it’s a larger cut, but it’s incredibly versatile.” That versatility comes down to its marbling and connective tissue, which break down during slow, moist cooking, adding richness and tenderness.

The chuck also hides some of the best cuts on the animal, according to Teodoro. Its shoulder section yields flat iron and ranch steaks, while its blade section contains the teres major, or petite tender—the third most tender muscle on the animal. Broken down further, a whole chuck roll can be cut into Denver steaks, chuck eye steaks, top blade steaks, and flat iron, with the remaining trim perfect for pot roast, stew, or exceptional homemade ground beef.

“If you’re comfortable breaking down a chuck roll, you’ll discover it’s much more than pot roast or ground beef,” Teodoro says. “It yields several economical steaks that are packed with flavor.”

Whole Beef Tenderloin

For special occasions, Teodoro recommends buying a whole beef tenderloin and trimming it at home. “It is the most tender cut of beef, but be careful when trimming because every ounce you remove is expensive,” she says. “I recommend starting at the small end and using a very sharp knife, which helps preserve as much lean meat as possible.” Removing the silver skin is essential, she notes, since it doesn’t break down during cooking and can cause steaks to curl. Once trimmed, a whole tenderloin yields filet mignon, grilling steaks, and trim for stir-fries or ground beef.

Whole Brisket

Both Teodoro and Steve Sabicer, former co-owner of the award-winning Electric City Butcher in Southern California, point to whole brisket as one of the best values at Costco. “It may look intimidating, but it’s one of the best values in the meat case,” says Teodoro. “A whole brisket is fantastic when it’s smoked low and slow. Because it has both the point and the flat, you get two different textures and flavors from one cut.”

Short Ribs

Not everyone agrees on the short ribs—Teodoro cautions that the large, bone-in packages can be tough to portion at home without a meat saw. But Sabicer considers Costco’s short ribs one of the brand’s most underrated buys—especially for shoppers near a Costco Business Center, which stocks restaurant-quality, often grass-finished meat aimed at professional buyers. “Short rib is fantastic braising beef for beef bourguignon, birria, or chili,” he says.

Pork Belly

Sabicer also points to pork belly as an overlooked cut worth seeking out. “Pork belly is where we get bacon, which is great if you’re making your own,” he says. He also recommends it for adobo or cassoulet or even sausage making in a pinch.

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs

“Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are much more affordable than chicken breasts and have much more flavor,” says Peck. “They freeze beautifully. They are also more forgiving and won’t dry out as easily as chicken breasts.” She reaches for them for braises, fried chicken, and sheet-pan dinners.

Ground Turkey

Peck also stocks up on ground turkey at Costco. “Ground turkey is a good all-around low-fat cut which packs a ton of protein,” she says. She likes it in Thai basil meatballs, chile verde with tomatillos, or her take on traditional turkey chile, which she makes with chickpeas, cumin, and paprika, for a lighter swap in tacos.

How to Buy—and Store—Meat in Bulk

When shopping the butcher case, Sabicer looks for vacuum-sealed packages over foam trays. “The real deals are in the vacuum-sealed products,” he says. “They can be used immediately or stored as-is in my freezer. Many are grass-finished, organic, or even halal.” He also suggests checking the shipping boxes the trays are pulled from, which sometimes list details like feed and ranch of origin that aren’t on the individual package.

Teodoro recommends looking for bright color, firm texture, and tight, undamaged packaging, and when possible, opt for the highest grade available. “I always recommend USDA Prime because it has the highest amount of intramuscular fat, which gives beef its tenderness, juiciness, and rich flavor,” she says.

Buying larger cuts pays off, our experts say, but only if you portion and freeze correctly. All three recommend labeling everything with the cut and date before it goes in the freezer. Peck divides proteins into one-pound portions in freezer bags, pressing out excess air before sealing. She pulls out a bag out the day before she wants to use it and places it in the refrigerator so it’s ready to go when she needs it.

For anyone nervous about breaking down a larger cut themselves, Sabicer says the learning curve is smaller than it looks: “You just need a sharp knife, a good-sized cutting board, some aluminum foil, and enough room in the freezer. Cut with straight, smooth strokes, keep your fingers out of the way, and double wrap with foil.”

Read the original article on Martha Stewart