Think Twice Before Buying Steak From The Supermarket Again

While it goes without question that certain cuts of steak require marinade to be as delicious as possible, where you purchase steak from is an underrated aspect of making the best dish possible. Different stores sell steaks of varying quality, meaning a core factor of any steak dinner is decided as soon as you choose where you're sourcing the meat from. Unfortunately for customers of supermarkets, the general consensus is that these stores have relatively poor steaks compared to independent grocers and butcher shops.

We discussed the pros and cons of shopping for cuts of steak at supermarkets with Jamie Waldron, butcher and owner of J. Waldron Butchers, who didn't have much good to say about the steak you'll find at these one-stop shops. "I think the only advantage is going to be the price point," Waldron told The Takeout. "Outside of that, I have no idea what the age of the beef is, how it was fed, or how it lived it's life. For me, there's more downside than up."

Ultimately, you'll want to go to a butcher shop rather than a supermarket if you're interested in getting the highest quality cut of steak possible. Going to a butcher shop ensures you can get insight from butchers about what the best cuts of meat are that day and how to use them well. "I would always recommend going to an independent butcher shop," Waldron continued. "A reputable butcher shop will have all the answers to your questions ... On top of that, the hope is that they're treating the meat with respect when it comes to proper aging and hanging methods."

As far as price is concerned, local butcher shops are typically more expensive than supermarkets, but for good reason. The higher price comes as a result of the direct line of communication between butcher shops and the farms themselves which ensures these independent stores have the highest quality of meat possible. "Small shops don't get those big volume discounts that the big grocers do," Waldron explained. "Our suppliers are the actual farms and farmers themselves. It's not cheap being a farmer, and good meat should not be cheap either."