Also,now thanks to the government,up to 70% of the cow can be choice.
A lot of it should be select.
Ribdog,cooked a prime tenderloin from a Sam's Club test market store, for the team and friends ,at this weekend's cook and it was fabulous.
The diners were some of the nation's top cooks and several certified Master judges.
We all agreed!
Keep in mind that butchers are hard working ,skilled laborers that can disassemble a whole chuck roll,as a good mechanic could do a brake job.
He can skillfully run a band saw thru a whole porkloin,to meet the stores needs.
I won't leave out a rough carpenter,a journeyman plumber,or a concrete block mason,either.
But,few of them ,do I call up and ask how to cook something.
Ask a butcher more cooking questions and see where you get.
Now he and friends might like well done,with plenty of ketchup and 57 sauce.
Have a few smokes and a few bourbon and cokes ,and assume you do the same.
He might be correct that choice,or even select might be the good choice.
Spend the bucks on a case of Pabst.
Now, you ask a cookteam that drives 1500 miles round trip ,pulling a 36 ft trailer with today's tolls and fuel prices,toting 50 grand in gear,staying in motels,feeding the team for five days,paying $400-$500 sometimes in entries,using up $250 in meat and supplies,all behind their $40-$50 k truck.
They'll cook against the best supplied cooks out there,where 1/100th of a point in score makes a difference of a few thousand dollars.
Ask if they'd rather have prime beef,or stop by wallyworld and pick up a piece of choice.
You'd be lucky to even get an answer.
You age,prep,cook,and serve them like Smokin' does,and you have a whole different answer.
Just my $0.02