*Today’s post and anniversary give-a-way is sponsored by Wal-mart.
I admit I really struggled with the decision to participate in this give-a-way and current promotion “BBQ on a budget” with Wal-mart. Remember I’m the girl whose husband brings her organically pastured chicken and pork and I have my butcher on speed dial. But I’m also not going to pretend like I’ve never stepped foot inside a Wal-mart or that I’m oblivious to their efforts to sell more local and organic food so at the end of the day I thought why not? Relishing in my roll as Queen delegator I charged The Blacker The Berry Food BBQ & Grilling expert Joi Disroe with the challenge of picking up a couple of Wal-mart’s much lauded USDA Premium Steaks and giving them a go with what turned out to be some very surprising results. ~ Heather Watkins Jones
I admit I was a bit skeptical when I was asked to grill some steaks from Wal-Mart and write an article about it. Heather knew we normally don’t buy our meats from Wal-Mart, but since Wal-mart was promoting their new USDA Premium Choice Steaks and asked for The Blacker The Berry Food’s assistance, I happily agreed to the challenge.
Before I make another trip to Wal-Mart, which so happens to be conveniently located less than a mile from my home, I wanted to conduct a bit of research on these Premium Choice Steaks. I had seen the commercials and the special promotional displays in the store, which I normally walk on by without so much as a second glance.
There are three main cuts of steaks, Prime, Choice and Select graded by the USDA. The Marbling which is (fat within the leanness), firmness color and texture of the beef along with the maturity of the animal all our characteristics that brings that succulent texture and juiciness and flavor to your meat. Prime is normally in restaurants, specialty grocery stores or markets. Choice cuts are normally in regular grocery stores and other specialty markets.
The Wal-Mart steaks are labeled Premium Beef USDA Choice cut steaks, which have less marbling than prime. However, they are labeling them as Premium Choice which has a higher grade in marbling. I suppose you could say it is in-between the Prime and Choice grade. Of course, the Pitmaster (my husband), still wasn’t sold on the idea of purchasing any steaks from Wal-Mart. He’s fairly loyal to his local butcher and farmer. But, he gave me the green light to pick out the steak myself and season it up. He also agreed to grill it for me, so I was happy.
I selected a T-bone steak. He gave me countless instructions on how to select the best steak, by looking for the best marbling throughout the steak and the type of cut. I wasn’t worried, why should I be? The pitmaster was grilling it anyway. Just pick one and be done with it.
By the time I returned he had a couple ingredients already selected for me from our in-house market of seasonings and spices. Again, wasn’t surprised he was trying to help me out, although he really wasn’t helping. Right!
Let the fun begin…..
First marinate the steak – 1 cup (see below) or more depending on how many steaks you’re grilling
Marinating the Steak, he had selected Johnny Fleeman’s Steak marinade seasoning he had on hand and advised me to marinate for about three hours in a zip lock bag before I add my own special dry seasonings.
Of course, I’ve seen what he’s done to his steaks in the past, which are out of this world succulent and juicy.
Joi’s Steak Rub:
1tsp Cayenne Pepper1tsp Black Pepper
1tsp Onion Powder
1tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
¼ tsp Garlic Salt
¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
¼ tsp Hot Chilli Pepper
¼ tsp Brown Sugar
Sprinkle with dry rosemary (fresh is preferred)
Mix well and rub on steak, let stand for 5 mins. (letting the seasonings penetrate into the steak) If you like your steak with a little kick, you can omit adding the brown sugar. I wanted to balance out the mix of peppers I used. Add to your grill or smoker. In our case, we used our smoker which took 20 minutes for a medium-well steak. For a charcoal grill it will take about 15 mins. Turning one time (cooking 6-7 mins on each side) time varies on how hot you have your coals.
The T-Bone turned out EXCELLENT! Time to cut into this juicy looking steak, and juicy it was indeed. The succulent flavors were incredible. I couldn’t believe it. Finally, the main taste-tester, the Pitmaster took a bite. He started shaking his head up and down in approval. Yes! He said, “Wal-Mart has truly upped their game on steaks, they are trying to play with some of the big boys now. Of course he also suggested that it was the smoke that helps contribute to the blending of the flavors along with what he calls the M&M effect (Marinating and Marbling) of the steak.
My good friend Shirley stopped by while I was preparing the steak. She was amazed at how well it tasted and was surprised that Wal-Mart had such good quality steaks. She immediately planned a “Girls Grilling out Party” with nothing but Steaks and Wine. And, yes I will be the official Mrs. Grillmaster for our party….too excited!!
If you haven’t tried these new steaks, I do recommend you give them a try.
Wal-Mart is so confident that you’ll love their top quality USDA Choice steaks that they offer a 100% Money Back Satisfaction Guarantee. If you aren’t fully satisfied, just bring back your receipt for your money back. Well, we didn’t have to do that! Satisfied Customer. For more recipes and information, visit www.walmart.com/steak
The Pitmaster had to throw something else on the grill prior to grilling the steak, he smoked a cabbage, as we often do, a must try if you haven’t. It’s very simple. (cut the core out of the cabbage, salt and pepper add a stick of butter, wrap with foil and place it on the grill or smoker for couple of hours) Veggie goodness!! He placed a few sweet peppers on the smoker to add to the dish, no grill lines, but smoked sweetness perfection. The cabbage and peppers complimented our dish well. Although the pictures really don’t do any justice to what the steak really looked like and certainly not how well it tasted. You must try it for yourself!
Where’s the Beef….at your local Wal-Mart!
THE GIVE-A-WAY: SO HERE’S THE DEAL, THE GOOD FOLKS AT WAL-MART ARE GIVING AWAY A GIFTCARD TO ONE OF OUR READERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO TRY OUT THEIR NEW USDA PREMIUM STEAKS. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW OFFERING YOUR FAVORITE TIP FOR PREPARING GREAT “BBQ ON A BUDGET”. THE WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN AT RANDOM AND ANNOUNCED THIS FRIDAY, JULY 13TH.
*DISCLOSURE: THIS POST WAS SPONSORED BY WAL-MART, HOWEVER ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE OUR OWN.
The Blacker The Berry Food “Grilling and BBQ Expert” Joi Disroe is The CFO (Chief Food Officer) at Meat-Me-At-The-Grill in Atlanta, GA. Click here to learn more about this mistress of Meat.
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Great BBQ on a budget?
My FAVORITE BBQ budget trick. Beer Can chicken!!! A whole chicken can feed quite a few and a tall can of beer is fairly inexpensive. Just rub it down with seasonings you have and stick the beer up the chicken. I just make my own little foil boat to set the can on, no special tools or holders necessary.
For steak: I usually buy my steaks in bulk which cuts down the price. Otherwise I think you need to use quality seasoning, and stay away from jarred BBQ sauce (too much sugar). Make your own or just make a rub.
Wow, my husband told me about an article he read about the Walmart steaks. Thanks for the review, I will now try them!
Simple is always better for me, I brush on Extra Virgin Olive Oil, then sprinkle with crushed black pepper. Grill each side for exactly 5 mins, let rest for 5 mins and eat – delish!!!!
I use homemade spices. It’s usually the spices I’ve used from previous meals, but they still have a lot of flavor leftover. This saves so much money on a tight budget.
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