TIL the average steer yields way less prime rib than I thought, read it in a 1980s trade magazine at the library.

3 comments

3 Comments

That old info is probably still right. Beef cuts haven't changed much. The prime rib section is actually pretty small on the whole animal. Makes sense why it costs so much at the restaurant. You're paying for a tiny part of the cow.

felix_black2mo ago

But @shanelee, restaurants charge a ton for prime rib because of the labor and waste, not just the cut size. That whole rib roast needs slow cooking and skilled carving, plus you lose a lot of weight from fat and bone. A steakhouse also has way more overhead than a grocery store butcher. Isn't the price more about the experience than the raw meat cost?

lindal132mo ago

Feel for you, that's a real bummer. Always sucks when you find out something you like is way more scarce than you thought. Kinda makes the price tag hurt a little more now.