Costco Meat Prices 2023 (Beef) - Eat Like No One Else (2024)

A guide to buying beef at Costco. We include all the prices at our local Costco and share with you some tips on buying and cooking each cut from USDA Prime Brisket to a great deal on Ribeye. And don't forget the flank steak or chuck roast for your next pot roast dinner!

Prices updated for 2023!

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For a while I was debating whether or not it's worth it to get a membership at Costco.

Then I realize a lot of you - my lovely blog readers - were Costco shoppers and thus interested in tips for shopping at Costco. So that was the final factor that got me to buy a membership.

One of the factors I was looking into before I got my membership was the cost of meat, particularly beef.

I did my research I collected all the prices and cuts of beef my Costco in Ann Arbor, Michigan had. And I said, hey I should share that info with my blog readers. So that is why you are here now.

Below you will find a list of what I found at the Costco location in Huntsville, Alabama (please note this list has been updated as of March 29, 2023 to reflect current pricing). Prices and selection could vary depending on where you are at.

I also include some tips on how best to prepare each type of beef.

If you are interested, check out our Costco Guide to Buying a Standing Rib Roast or Prime Rib. Available during the Christmas season.

📚 Background on my Meat Knowledge

Much of my meat knowledge has come from reading the Niman Ranch Cookbook. Besides having amazing recipes it has a lot of information on everything you wanted to know about meat and how it is produced.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It changed the way I looked at meat and helped me turn out some mouth watering meals in my kitchen. If you are interest in some really top notch beef and other meat recipes, I highly recommend picking up the Niman Ranch cookbook.

🏫 Grades of Beef and Prime Beef

One thing I wanted to point out is that Costco carry some prime beef. Most grocery stores don't sell prime beef. Generally all you will find is choice beef, but some select in really cheap stores, but for the most part prime beef is used in restaurants.

Check out my post - What is the Difference Between Grades of Beef? - to learn more.

🥩 Steak Prices

Let's begin our guide through the Costco beef world by looking at the steak cuts you might find. Please note that each cut is boneless unless I list it as bone-in.

A steak with a (*) means this cut was not in stock last time I updated these prices. All of these were prime cuts that aren't always available or that you don't find in all stores.

The Huntsville Alabama store was the first store I saw oxtails in. Since it's more popular cut in the south, you are more likely to find it in Costco stores in that part of the country.

Costco offers a great selection of steaks but that doesn't mean you will find every cut. Here are some steaks that I haven't found at Costco before. If you have seen any of these at your Costco, make sure to share that in the comments at the end of the post.

• Hanger
• Flat Iron
• Beef Shank (I have only heard of pre-cooked shank in store, not raw)
• T-Bone
• Porterhouse
• Delmonico

I would recommend getting NY Strip steaks if you were looking for T-bones or Porterhouse. I have found that these two cuts of steaks seem to be decreasing in popularity as I find them harder to find.

🍖 Whole Cut and Roast Prices

Here are the prices of beef at Costco that is either whole cuts or roasts (not steaks). These are your large chunks of beef. Most of these come in a cryovac packaging.

A roast with a (*) means this cut was not in stock last time I updated these prices.

Tri Tip like oxtails is another example of a beef cut that is more popular in a certain region of the country. I found a lot of it when I was out west, especially in California. But I didn't find any in the south or midwest.

Click/tap here if you are looking for the prices of Standing Rib Roast or Prime Rib for the holidays.

💲 Have Prices Increased?

I saw pretty much every single cut go up in price from 2021 to 2022. But from 2022 to 2023 prices were pretty much the same. A couple things were lower in price but that was about it.

👁️ Ribeye

The price at Costco for a choice boneless Ribeye steak is one of the better prices. Most places are going to be several dollars more a pound. So if you are a Ribeye fan, Costco is a good choice.

They also have thinly cut rib eye steaks that I have either seen for the same price or for a $1 per pound more. Bone-in is available sometimes as well.

During special meat sales or shows, I have seen Tomahawk Ribeye steaks at Costco. These are the ones with the huge long bones. It's not very common

Compare the price of Ribeye steak at Costco to what they are at other stores.

Cut Your Own Steaks

It is not that hard to slice your own beef into steaks of your desired thickness. You just need the right knife.

I like a long, butcher knife, like this one. Great for making nice long and even cuts. Probably can be used to slice bread as well.

If you buy the whole ribeye or ribeye roasts that are prime you can get close to restaurant prime rib in your own kitchen

🐄 Beef Tenderloin

If you are intimated by cutting your own steaks, then starting with a peeled tenderloin is the easiest way to go. A peeled tenderloin has had the silver skin removed, a tough layer surrounds the tenderloin. It must be removed as you will never be able to chew it.

The peeled tenderloin is expensive, so if you can learn how to do it yourself, there are great videos on YouTube, then save a good chunk of change and buy a unpeeled one. You can create steaks AND roasts with a whole tenderloin.

♨️ Brisket

Brisket is a cut that requires long cooking time. It's great for smoking or BBQ. Also is the best choice for making corn beef.

Learn more about the different types of brisket.

You could also an entire brisket for a really good deal - it's even cheaper than the choice flat cut brisket. Plus it's USDA Prime Beef. You can cut slice it up into more manageable servings and freeze. Great idea if you have the freezer space.

🍎 New York Strip

I usually prefer the flavor of the Ribeye steak, however at Costco the NY Strip steaks are cheaper in the price. Other stores I see them more equal in price.

A Whole NY Strip is offered that is prime beef. One thing I haven't mentioned yet but its nice to have a whole cut because you can cut the steak is whatever thickness you like.

Compare the price of NY Strip steaks at Costco to what they are at other stores.

🎩 Top Sirloin

I call top sirloin a good value steak. It's cheaper than Ribeye and NY Strip but still is a quality steak. If not grilling them, you should try doing them in your oven's broiler. Really good that way.

If you wanted to test the quality of choice vs. prime beef, top sirloin would be the way to go. Buy a pack off each and see for you it if it's worth it in the future to buy the prime.

🐮 Flank

The cost of a flank steak at Costco is under $10 a pound which is better than a lot of other grocery store. There is no other cut of beef I now that soaks up a marinade as well as a flank steak. Just like the top sirloin, they are good for broiling as well.

Important with all steak, but especially with flank - you'll want to cut the steak against the grain to make shorter fibers. This will reduce the amount of chewing you will need to do to eat it.

⚪ Top Round

The top round cut cut comes from the upper back part of the cow. It's tougher than the sirloin. It is also lean. Dry cooking methods tend to dry this cut out. I would stick to wet cooking methods.

London Broil can be made from top round steak. Some stores may label top round as London Broil. The dish is made by marinating the beef, then broiling it and slicing it thin against the grain. Some recipes will call for flank steak and I have heard that it was London Broil originally started with using flank.

🐂 Short Rib

Good for stews and BBQ. I haven't worked a lot with them as fatty cuts of beef tend to give me heartburn. Sometimes you find prime whole short ribs. Sometimes you may be able to find already cooked and seasoned short ribs in the refrigerated section by the cheese.

👀 Eye of Round

Makes for a cheap yet still flavorful roast when prepared properly. Check out my post on how to prepare eye of round roasts. Since I don't see bottom round or rump roasts at Costco this might be your closet alternative

If you have a sous vide machine/immersion circulator, eye of round is a great choice for long cooking.

🍲 Chuck Roast

This is my go to cut for pot roast. It has the enough fat and it tasty when you slow cook it. One of my favorite pot roast recipes ismy Moroccan Pot Roast. Instead of potatoes and carrots, it calls for chickpeas (garbanzo beans) and couscous.

🧂 Already Cooked/Seasoned Beef

Costco does carry some already cooked meat. You can find it close to the raw meat department, in the same place you would look for cheese. Both skirt steak and tri-tip are available at some Costco stores as already seasoned meat.

Let me list for you some options I have seen. These may or may not be in your store.

🌡️ Thermometer for Meat

One of the biggest piece of advice I give people about meat is that a thermometer is your best friend. It's how I take the guesswork out of cooking any meat.

Here are a couple that I recommend. They are a wise investment as I believe that great thermometer will save you money. They have saved me countless times from ruining a good steak or roast.

ThermaPen One - This is the fastest, highest quality thermometer you are going to find. Made by ThermoWorks, if you ever watched Alton Brown's Good Eats this is the brand he uses. It really only take 1 second to register a temperature and comes with a certificate of calibration.

DOT® Simple Alarm Thermometer - These are the type you insert the probe into the meat while it's cooking. This is what I use for beef that goes in the oven, like any type of roast. I like this one because I can set the exact temperate I want. Some cheapear one only come with preset temperatures which I haven't not liked. You will love the DOT as much as I do.

🥊 Compare to Sam's Club

I have made this same kind of list of beef found at Sam's Club, so you can do your own comparison. I haven't been a Sam's Club member in a while so this list isn't up to date.

👩‍🍳 Seasoning Beef

I could not end this post without taking a moment talk about seasoning. When it comes to beef there is nothing more important than salt and my mind pepper is in 2nd place. A great salt can really make your food extraordinary. Costco does sell salt but nothing that really stands out to me as special.

My favorite salts and pepper comes from a single origin spice company called Burlap & Barrel. They were featured on Shark Tank in April 2023. Their spices are going to be a lot fresher too as they directly source from the farm, no middle men.

Here are some options:

• Salina Crystal Salt
• Black Lime & Chili Salt
• Black Mineral Salt
• Fermented White Pepper
• Purple Peppercorns
• Zanzibar Black Peppercorns

Buy your beef at Costco, then season with these amazing spices and you will never want to go out for steak again (or you might but you will think twice about it first!).

➕ More Guides

I really hope you find a lot of good information in this post. Want to learn about other types of meat at Costco? Check out all our other guides:

• Costco Fish Guide
• Costco Pork Guide
• Costco Shrimp Guide
• Costco Chicken Guide

We update these posts each year to best reflect the current prices.

Also check out of one of our most popular posts on How to Cook Kirkland Brand Panko Shrimp in the Air Fryer.

What have you purchased beef at Costco before? What did you think? I would love to have your comments below. What is your favorite steak or roast to buy? Also make sure to check out my post on Buying Bison at Costco, and why you might want to give it a try over beef.