OK, OK, I know this is supposed to be about life in and around San Francisco and Dollar Tree is a national chain, but there’s also a Dollar Tree in Colma, home of the dead people where we sometimes shop because, well, everything is a dollar. About a month ago I saw a $1 3.5oz rib-eye steak and bought one. It took be a while letting it sit in its frozen state, but last night I actually threw it on the grill and here’s what I found out about it.
First, it’s salty. It’s what foodies would call wet aged since it’s packed in a hermetically sealed plastic with a meat tenderizer mix of salt, ficin [meat tenderizer derived from figs] and bromelin [meat tenderizer derived from papaya that’s different than papin which also comes from papaya]. It was actually very tender after the five minutes it sat on the grill and only had a small area of gristly fat that had to be cut out.
3.5 oz is about the amount of protein that a person should have with each meal according to the medical community even though they also suggest 2 grams per kg of body weight so at 28.35 gms per oz I was a little under my daily intake per day. On first taste there was an obviously processed taste to it. I thought of what an army issued MRE steak would taste like. I’ve never had one, but this would probably come close to it. It was tender, very tender and compared to the top round steak I cooked with it, I actually like it better.
If you’re a person short on money, but love your meat I’d recommend you try it. It’s not anywhere near steak house quality and definitely not something you’d expect from the House of Prime Rib, but for people on a budget for a buck you could do a lot worse. Due to the high sodium content I’d suggest you have a baked potato with it or a salad with avocado so that you get more potassium to flush the excess sodium out. I think we’ll be picking up a few more of those steaks next time we travel down to the land of the dead just because they’re cheap and we can’t at the moment afford Snake River Kobe-styled beef. The $1 rib-eye’s don’t look pretty, but when you toss them on a grill for a couple minutes they’re pretty tasty.
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Ok the first thing that comes to mindis Meat Glue. Those that don’t know what meat glue is should Google it. I’m not spilling the beans on it.
Transglutaminase [meat glue] is an naturally occurring enzyme that is sometimes used to bind meat together. Yeah, I looked at the ingredients and was hoping it would just say Ingredients: Beef.
This was an actual cut though. It wasn’t glued together meat chunks. If you’re low on money and need meat it’s an option, maybe not the best option, but it’s out there.
Your a brave man Mr. Caution! If they added a little more Gamma it may have been shelf stable. Salt + Gamma radiation = 3 to 5 years on the shelf, no refers. necessary, cept maybe to choke it down.
Hmmm…That might explain why I’ve been glowing green at night when I turn the lights off.
The best use for this steak, and I do mean THE BEST, is for CFS – Chicken Fried Steak that is. Just thaw these baby’s out and then throw them in some buttermilk and let them chill over night in the fridge. Next morning coat them in your best dutifully seasoned flour/corn starch mix, let them sit for a few minutes and then deep fry till golden brown. You will get THE most TENDER and BEEFY CFS you have ever put in your mouth! Seriously! This steak prepared this way BLOWS THE DOORS OFF of any crappy old cube steak CFS and it only costs a buck! Now top these off with some gooood pepper country gravy and well, you will never eat another CFS from a diner again. Course you need the right recipe for the dredging mix and for the gravy but if I gave that to you what would be the fun in that? Happy cooking!