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.
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.
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 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
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