SlickRockStones
Take a breath!
I think they are a waste of rub cause they are pumped up with solution. We prefer our hogs as they are in the sty. Natural.
Funny you mention that, because I had also noticed right away that the juice in these ribs - while not excessive in quanity to inflate weight - is oddly light in color. Definitely unusual. It made me wonder whether they were enhanced, and I searched the packaging for that, but there was no mention of it . The meat color.. tough for me to say whether it is atypical, without a direct comparison.
I assume these ribs did not make the grade for premium, etc. Possibly worse, for any label. Or there is something else going on - maybe Sams wants to not be associated so closely with any one rib vendor (which is consistent with Jim's comment).
Unlabeled cryos are unacceptable and the ribs are going back.
I assume you must have an inside source for that info. Odd that the guys would tell me the box is Smithfield.
I grilled lamb chops today and we had gyros. They were great.
I have had poor experiences with pale looking meats. I have discovered that the things I have learned to associate with poor results frequently are labeled Smithfield. I have nothing against the farmers, unless they are responsible for the lack of quality.I'm not on the Smithfield dole, but they are simply owned by a Chinese company. Look, local farmers still produce for Smithfield. Those farmers are the guys down the road with families that have kids that go to your kid's school. The hogs still get slaughtered here by Americans...well, in America by workers who live in America.
I know many farmers who produce for Smithfield.
Small stores don't have the turnover the larger chains have. You just need to pay attention to the expiration dates and the seal on the cryovac.Discussions like this are one of the many reasons I love this forum/website. Over the last several years, I too, have noticed a change in the quality of ribs I can buy in my area, both baby backs and spares. I too have stopped buying at Sam's Club due to price increases and an overall decline in quality--IMO.
There is a local grocery store that is known for their meat department. I have been buying most of my ribs from them, usually spares that I trim to St Louis cut. However, the last 2 racks I bought had a very "odd" smell to them. The 1st time I thought it might just be the 2nd plastic bag they had been wrapped in. The 2nd time, it was definitely the ribs. It's hard to explain the smell. They weren't bad/rotten, it was almost like a chemical smell. They weren't frozen/thawed because this store doesn't sell like that. Anyway, I haven't been back in a few weeks to talk to them about it.
Moral of my meandering story is that I'm not cooking ribs as much anymore for the reasons I mentioned, as well as the overall theme of this thread.
I have had poor experiences with pale looking meats. I have discovered that the things I have learned to associate with poor results frequently are labeled Smithfield. I have nothing against the farmers, unless they are responsible for the lack of quality.
Small stores don't have the turnover the larger chains have. You just need to pay attention to the expiration dates and the seal on the cryovac.
Those "Extra Tender" ribs are gross and mushy.
There was a huge thread in the Competition section about them.
I've read that thread front to back several times and still can't tell if guys seriously compete with those or are just trolling us plebs.
Stopped at Costco today. Their back ribs were the Premium Smithfields. My hankerin' is still unsatisfied, so I picked up a pack.
If I leave a comment card at Costco asking for an alternative, what should I ask for? IBP? Something else?
I don't know why I always want to smoke when the temps get down bitterly cold. This weekend will be the coldest yet this season. A low of 5F tonight, 8 at 11AM, high of 13 tomorrow. And a high of 7 on sunday. Hmpf.
A nice surprise during the visit, the prime ribeyes were on sale, $10 off a package at checkout. The price was $14.99/lbs, so that worked out to about $10/lbs for what I bought. Got a couple packages of cap/deckel.
Probably should have just made chili.
A bit late on my update. The Premium Smithfield back ribs (from Costco) were excellent. Very nice flavor and texture. I'll keep buying them from Costco.
Unfortunately, the snow the in the yard is knee deep and it is a long way to retrieve the smoker from the back shed. Last time, the snow was only a few inches and I was able to bring it up on a hand cart. I don't have a sled, or a team of dogs. The offset box smoker is hibernating for winter, well oiled and covered. That mostly leaves smoking on the gas grill, with pellets or chips for smoke, which is okay.
I had occassion to call Smithfield customer support with some questions. They were extremely helpful and friendly, and right here in the USA. I couldn't ask for better customer support from a company. With so many companies using generic overseas call centers, with mindless non-native speaking call-takers who know nothing of the product and who just read scripts and type feedback, it was a nice surprise. I'll admit to some concerns when I heard that Smithfield was bought by a Chinese company, but it is no longer a present concern for me.
Fwiw, I was at Sams a week ago and they still only had the unbranded Smithfield's. The price is roughly the same that Costco sells Premium. Seems like Sams is trying to increase their margins by selling a lower grade product at the same price. They're under a lot of pressure since Costco came to town. There has been an obvious decrease in traffic at the store and most of the checkout lanes have converted to self-checkout.
Same here. Costco is 8 miles down the road with a better product all around. Don't think I'll be renewing my Sam's membership.