the vacuum-packed bone-in prime rib roasts also
offered in warehouse meat cases.
Cooking time is based on weight, temperature
and preferred doneness. The easiest approach is to
place the roast in a preheated 500-degree oven. After
about 20 to 30 minutes, lower the oven temperature
to 200 degrees. Plan on about 25 minutes per pound
for medium-rare, or until the internal temperature
reaches 145 degrees in the middle. Here’s the key:
Take the roast out of the oven after it’s done, cover the
meat loosely with a tent of aluminum foil and allow it
to rest 15 minutes for deep flavor and good juices.
For those short on time or know-how, the Service
Deli also offers a pre-seasoned standing rib roast in
the period leading up to Christmas and through New
Year’s Eve. Sold in an oven-ready pan with detailed
cooking instructions, it’s stuffed with garlic, rubbed
with Kirkland Signature™ olive oil and seasonings,
and is ready to pop in the oven.
Fresh turkey
The presentation panache of turkey, naturally
low in calories and fat (if skinless), and full of lean
protein, is unbeatable.
Tired of always wondering where to purchase my
fresh turkey—butcher shop, local grocery, national
grocery chain or Costco—I experimented two years
ago and prepared four 20-pound birds. All were
unstuffed and lightly seasoned with olive oil and
herbs. Costco’s all-natural turkey and a locally raised
butcher-shop bird were tested on Thanksgiving Day.
A local grocery bird and national-grocery-chain turkey were roasted for “leftover Friday.” Many guests
attended both nights, and all agreed the least expensive, extremely meaty, broad-breasted Costco turkey
was best—even when reheated.
The arrival of Costco’s U.S.-grown, fresh, never-frozen Grade A inspected whole turkeys is timed to
coincide with the correct “sell-by” holiday dates. The
first flocks begin landing in all warehouses 10 to 12
days before Thanksgiving, with many more touching
down right before Christmas.
Don’t be fooled by retailers who charge more for
steroid- and hormone-free turkey. Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones or steroids in raising poultry and pork. Additionally, the current USDA
labeling laws allow brands that inject their turkeys
with salt water (it makes them look plumper) to label
their turkeys as “100% Natural” or “All-Natural,” so
always read the ingredient list carefully.
Costco’s turkeys also have no added salt, chemicals, colorings or artificial taste enhancers. Cooking
instructions are included on the packaging, as well as
a 24-hour hotline number.
Kirkland Signature hams
Millions of members are already big fans of
Costco’s Kirkland Signature Spiral Sliced Hickory
Smoked Ham. Ranging from 7 to 11. 5 pounds, these
easy-to-serve, pre-sliced, gluten-free (except for the
glaze packet) beauties are the centerpiece of family
gatherings throughout the year.
Much of the unnecessary and unappetizing fat is
already removed. And because these hams receive
smokehouse cooking with real hickory wood rather
than injections of chemical-tasting, motor-oil-thick
liquid smoke, they exude that yummy, traditional
smoked flavor lacking in many of today’s hams.
The inclusion of a tasty glaze packet makes
preparation a snap. Shame on the retailer who also
includes a glaze packet but adds its weight into the
ham’s total weight.
New this year, from mid-November through
Christmas, are the elegant, antibiotic- and gluten-free, vegetarian-fed Kirkland Signature Applewood
Smoked Bone-in Hams.
WHAT WAS THE most popular holiday beef item sold
in Costco warehouses in
2008? Costco’s USDA
Choice beef tenderloin.
As for this year’s
winner, chances are great
it will be the new, fully
hand-peeled, extreme-trim
USDA Choice beef tenderloin now available in 260 of
What’s your beef?
Prepared just outside Kansas City, using Old
World methods, these hams are slow-cured for several days in a brine with sea salt and brown or tur-binado sugar. Rather than leaving the hams pumped
full of the brine, as many retailers do, Costco requires
them to be cooked back down to their original weight
(also a mandatory step for the Kirkland Signature
Spiral Sliced Ham) as they are smoked with real apple
wood. The end result is an intense, slightly sweet and
smoky ham oozing with aroma and juices.
Both Costco hams are true half hams rather than
portions, and a great value, as a little goes a long way.
They are precooked, so you can just heat them or
serve the ham cold. You must, of course, store them
in the refrigerator and follow the “use by” date.
Costco.com
Costco.com rounds out the gourmet meat category in a big way. You’ll find glatt kosher (meat that
has passed the strictest level of inspection by a rabbi)
all-natural and humanely raised organic rib roasts
and organic frozen turkeys. Other sensational items
include domestic pheasant and smoked goose,
smoked duck, Châteaubriand and more. The prices
for all Costco.com food products include shipping
and handling.
As for which to choose—beef, turkey, ham or a
Costco.com delectable—let’s just say I’m thankful this
year that we own a very large freezer. C
The USDA Choice beef
tenderloin at Costco is
a lean and tasty choice.
Costco’s 407 U.S. locations.
This hunk of meat is a lean
and tasty choice, flies off
the shelf and is also a
Sunday-dinner favorite of
Costco chief executive
officer Jim Sinegal.
Preparation for either
tenderloin is simple. Rub
with Kirkland Signature olive
oil and season with steak
rub. Sear all sides of the
tenderloin in a well-oiled
pan. Place in a preheated
300-degree oven and cook
until the internal temperature reaches a minimum
145 degrees for medium-rare. Let the tenderloin rest
on the counter (loosely
tented with aluminum foil)
for a few minutes to allow
the juices to be reabsorbed
before slicing.—PV
