The Sneaky Parking Lot Steak Scam That's Ruining Dinner For Everyone Who Falls For It

We Americans are blissfully privileged to have a plethora of choices from which to source our steaks. Even Costco sells USDA prime beef, the best grade you can get, and your local butcher is likely to have a plentiful supply of exceptional cuts that are guaranteed to please. But if your "butcher" is operating out of a van in a commercial parking lot, well, a fool and his money are soon parted, as they say.

Some people may be familiar with the infamous "20 ribeyes for $40!" sign on the side of a vehicle or pop-up tent in a mall parking lot or other commercial area, enticing folks to scoop up what seems like an unheard-of deal on loads of high-quality steaks. Compared to supermarket prices these days, it is an exciting offer. But does the quality stand up to other options, or are you buying old, fishy-tasting beef?

By all accounts, it is beef (not exactly a ringing endorsement there), but it's unlikely to impress even the most forgiving meat-lover. The steaks sold in these parking lots typically don't reveal much in the way of sourcing information, or a USDA grade, meaning they could have come from anywhere, and be anything from prime (the top echelon of beef grades) to canned (which is generally sold as dog food). Some folks who have bought steaks from these sketchy suppliers have described the meat as embarrassingly thin, gristly, and lacking in general beef flavor. That absence of flavor could be partly due to the inclusion of fillers meant to make the meat look more appealing, which is disturbingly common in parking lot steaks.

Some of the beef cuts you can purchase from a van in a parking lot are pockmarked from whatever tenderization process they endured, but don't count on these cuts being anywhere near the variety of steaks you want to enjoy rare. Those little divots could give bacteria a place to hide long enough to become a problem if the meat isn't cooked to a safe temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which is closer to medium-well. Thankfully, since many of them are paper-thin, that may only take a couple of minutes. (At least they're time-savers?)

Even if they have some thickness to them, you probably won't get much information about where they came from. If the cuts were butchered from high-quality steers, the sellers would be crowing about that fact so that anyone in earshot could hear it. Instead, they focus on the supposed huge discount. Unfortunately, that bargain might include walking away with old dairy cow meat.

If you've ever fallen victim to this parking lot steak scam, don't feel bad (I came shockingly close to taking advantage of this "bargain" once myself). It seems super convenient to pick up some steaks whilst out shopping for a new wardrobe accessory. Couple that with a fear of missing out on such a screaming deal, and it's almost a wonder more folks aren't coming home with mystery meat more often. And, even though you probably won't be enjoying the best grilled steaks money can buy, at least you can plan on making (lots of) tacos, cheesesteaks, and stir-fries where other bold flavors will mask your "mis-steak."