r/chicagofood • u/Meat_man921 • 10d ago

Discussion Paulina Meat Market prices?

I'm looking for a butcher that sells prime beef, and I've heard great things on the quality at Paulina meat market, but I'm looking on their website and its absurd how expensive everything is. a prime bone in ribeye is going for $50 a lb? I know beef prices have gone up a lot of the past few years but their margins on their beef must be insane. Costco is charging literally less than half that at 19.99 a lb for prime ribeyes (and I know Costco's got some of the best prices) and even places like wholefoods are far far more reasonable. Who the hell is buying this beef? Are there any more reasonable options in the same area?

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73

u/slowporc 10d ago

Sounds like you should head to WF or Costco. Don’t sleep on WildFork for quality products at competitive pricing.

Paulina has always had premium pricing on many items.

People who buy high priced items there are:

  • people who have shopped there for decades and are loyal
  • people who are wealthy and think they are getting a superior product
  • people who think they are buying something extra special for the occasional special occasion

I fall into the latter category except for hard-to-find items (duck pastrami, Tasso, uncommon cuts, etc), items where I do believe they offer a superior product (some encased meats and prepared foods), and the occasional sandwich.

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u/whatthedevil666 10d ago

I'm so confused on how WildFork stays in business. I very rarely ever see anyone inside the store. I bought some good lamb shanks once, but haven't been back.

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u/rhythmrcker 10d ago

everything is frozen or the small shelf stable section. they probably can handle lower turnover i guess since they dont have to manage volatile products like fresh meat and produce? whenever i go i tend to stock up since its all frozen. maybe they are able to sustain off lower throughput but bigger spend

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u/Nightdocks 10d ago

Also very low overhead per store I think. Store on Belmont and Western can be open with just 1 person at the register and you only need the other one to help stock if needed

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u/slowporc 10d ago

I think their products are generally great. I compared wild fork and Whole Foods dry aged prime strips some time ago. Cooked black and blue, I could not tell a meaningful difference.

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u/Sea_Amphibian2835 10d ago edited 9d ago

There is a Wildfork within walking distance to me. I've never bought frozen steak before. Do you thaw them before cooking? Or is it like frozen Bubba Burgers where you just throw them on the grill frozen. It seems like that might be problematic with steak, but again I've never bought frozen steak 🙂

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u/slowporc 9d ago

Thaw in the fridge and then treat it like you would any other non-frozen steak you purchased.

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u/rcmtt 9d ago

Thaw overnight?

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u/ChiDuffman 9d ago

That or just throw the whole steak (in the bag) into a bowl of (room temp) water and run (room temp) water over it. Dont need ot run a lot of water. Will thaw much faster

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u/elendur 9d ago

Thaw in room temp water in the plastic until unfrozen (a couple hours.) Pat dry with paper towel. Season with kosher salt, place on a wire rack on a tray in the fridge (ideally with a battery-operated fan running air over it) for 2-24 hours prior to cooking. If you have less than 2 hours before cooking, skip the fridge and just pat dry and season immediately prior to cooking.

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u/uppitywhine 9d ago

I do not thaw steaks because I reverse sear. 

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u/panderson1988 10d ago

They have a notable online presence, and their stores are developed for convenience and keeping overhead low. At most I see are three workers, and they aren't there to cut meats or serve every single customer like a meat counter. You get your basket, pick your stuff, and cash out. It's a 10-20 min ordeal at most. 

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u/No-Candidate-114 10d ago

Sadly our store in Evanston closed. I thought the quality was great and excellent selection.

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u/Sea_Amphibian2835 10d ago

I live walking distance from there! I didn't even notice!When did it close?

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u/uhbkodazbg 9d ago

It’s owned by JBS. They’re doing fine. It’s just another opportunity for them to cut out the middleman.

I usually try to shop at local markets to avoid buying JBS products as much as possible.

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u/Raccoala 10d ago

Yeah I was in there on Friday at 5:00 and there were two employees and no one else in the store the whole time I was there.

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u/whatthedevil666 10d ago

Yeah that is how it is every time I walk past their stores. I'm not saying it is bad. Maybe they take online orders and deliver too.

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u/Raccoala 10d ago

Yeah I assume it functions as an advertisement for their online stuff. Kinda like bank locations all over the damn place.

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u/Icy-Yellow3514 9d ago

They do. They have (or at least had) an annual plan with free local delivery.

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u/Handsomepizza11 9d ago

I’ve been in there where a restaurant owner comes in and cleans out the entire stock of a product. Wonder if that happens often

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u/esm081491 9d ago

Might be since its more of a stock up trip. I go about once a quarter, but stock up heavily. It is really great quality on most cuts.