What To Consider When Buying Prime Rib At The Grocery Store

Some cuts of beef don't require a lot of forethought before purchasing them, but prime rib isn't like other parts of the cow, nor is it the most affordable cut. A full-sized prime rib roast will generally weigh between 20 and 30 pounds, and you shell out good money for every ounce. If you want your money to be well-spent, there are a few factors you want to keep in mind.

The first thing to consider is how many people you intend to feed with your prime rib. As a rule of thumb, you want to shoot for 1 pound of beef per person. This ensures you have enough to serve everyone a generous portion of meat. However, this assumes you are buying a bone-in prime rib, which is the next choice you have to make.

Many folks swear that bone-in meat is more flavorful than its boneless counterparts. This can be true, but the difference can often be subtle. A more important aspect to contemplate is the grade of beef you are buying in the grocery store. Although prime rib has "prime" right in its name, not all standing rib roasts embody the "prime" echelon of quality.

The word "prime" in prime rib refers to the cut, not the grade of the beef itself. The grade that beef receives from the USDA signals how old the animal was when it was slaughtered and how much marbling it contains — both of which will affect the overall flavor of your prime rib. Prime-graded meat will have the most marbling and flavor, but you will pay for it. That is why wagyu beef is typically so expensive as well. Generally, prime-grade beef costs 25% more per pound than the next best cut, choice. That is, if you can even find it in a grocery store, as most prime cuts are sold directly to restaurants and butchers.

Choice-grade beef is probably the best you can hope to find without visiting a local butcher. If you want to purchase something a little bit less expensive than choice, select is the next best thing. Stores like Aldi have cheaper meat options like this that shouldn't be too hard to locate.

When you finally bring your prized slab of meat home, make sure you follow all the necessary steps when cooking it to tease out the best possible flavor. Even if you opted for a boneless select cut of prime rib at the grocery store, you can still apply a tasty prime rib seasoning and cook it low and slow to get a tender, juicy roast.