PSA: I blew $38 on 'cheap' ground beef at Costco last month and half of it went in the trash
Three weeks ago I grabbed a 10 pound log of ground beef at the Costco on Halsey because it worked out to $3.80 a pound, way less than my usual spot. Got it home, split it into bags, and two days later the middle of the chub was already going gray and smelled off. Turns out the big tubes are packed with less oxygen than the trays, so the good red color on the outside fools you while the center is already turning. I lost about 5 pounds of meat and felt sick over the $19 I just threw away. Has anyone found a way to buy bulk beef cheap without it spoiling before you can use it?
Portion it out and freeze it the day you buy it, don't wait. That gray center is just oxidation from the way tubes get packed, so if you cut the chub into meal-size bags and get them in the freezer right away it won't have time to turn on you. Also cook from frozen or thaw in the fridge overnight, never on the counter, and you'll stop losing meat to the trash.