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Help Oak Barn Beef Celebrate 6 years with this anniversary sale! click here.

Dry Aged Beef Cost Comparison

November 03, 2019

Oak Barn Beef vs. Grocery Store Beef

Oak Barn Beef’s dry aged beef is not going to break the bank even compared to grocery store beef!

Have you looked at the prices of beef and decided it’s too much? We understand as we are all trying to be money conscious these days, which is great. But I want to share why buying dry aged beef like Oak Barn Beef is so much higher quality and show you a cost comparison.

What is dry aged you may be asking?

Dry aged is when fresh beef is aged for days or weeks to allow the enzymes naturally present in the meat to break down the muscle tissues, resulting in improved texture and flavor (Fine Cooking). Your traditional grocery store beef is aged in a plastic shrink wrap which is a process called wet aging. But dry aged is exposed to air so dehydration can further concentrate the meat’s flavor.

Does dry aged beef cost more?

Yes! It’s considered a delicacy and it’s typically found in finer restaurants but starting to become more popular with consumers too. Consumers’ are starting to purchase because of the flavors as it’s well worth the cost!

What does Oak Barn Beef sell?

We take pride in offering dry aged beef that is aged for 21 days in a climate-controlled room. The beef is hung in these rooms for 21 days after being slaughtered and before being packaged. The 21 days really gives the beef time to mature and it makes the taste amazing. In addition to this, we also utilize a DNA Test that can tell us which cattle will produce the highest quality beef. Only the best producing cattle make it into the Oak Barn Beef inventory! The cherry on top is that we sell beef that is raised by us and you know who your ranchers are.

What is the difference in cost for dry aged beef and traditional grocery store beef?

We wanted to show you, so we did a study. Prices are based off of the Oak Barn Beef “The Sizzler” bundle box and Albertsons’ prime beef in Idaho.

Oak Barn Beef “The Sizzler” Box costs $149

1 1.25" Thick, Hand Cut, 2+ pound, Ribeye Steak -value $32.00
1 1.25" Thick, Hand Cut New York Strip Steak -.08 lbs. -value $30
1 1.25" Thick T-Bone Steak 1.5lbs -value $32.00
2 Sirloin Steaks 1 lb. -value $26.00
2 Round Steaks 1 lb. -value $6.00
1 Kabob Meat (1-pound package) 7.50 - value $7.50
3 Ground Beef (1-pound packages) 6.00 lb. -value $18

TOTAL price for bundle is $149

Albertsons in Idaho for Prime Beef:

Ribeye USDA Prime Steak- 21.99 lb- value $43.98
NY Strip Steak- $18.99 lb- value $17.49
T-Bone Prime Steak= $12.99 lb- value $19.48
Sirloin Prime Steak= $10.99 lb- value $10.00
Round Prime Steak= $7.49lb-value $7.49
Kabob Prime Steak Tips= $20.99 lb-value $20.99
Ground Beef Prime= $9.09 lb- value $27.27

TOTAL price for all of this beef is $146.70

As you can see there is only $2.30 between the two! Oak Barn Beef also has some more things added for your value such as we do DNA testing, dry aging (to intensify flavors) and we transparent with our customers. The beef you are purchasing in the grocery store doesn’t have all that added value! If you want a better understanding of all the grades of beef and more on our dry aging process, go to our Blog titled Beef Slang Explained.

We chose to use prime because it is difficult to find another beef provider that adds value to the beef like we do here at Oak Barn Beef. Prime beef is known as the highest quality and our beef is highly competitive to prime beef. Unfortunately, our small town butcher does not employee a USDA Inspector who can grade the beef, so we do not have our beef graded. However, with a mother who was on a meat judging team in college that can tell what grade a beef is with ease, she makes a hard bargain that we are constantly Choice+ to Prime grade.

As you can see the Nebraska raised, dry aged beef at Oak Barn Beef is so worth it. The flavors are something that will truly have you back for more. I encourage you to give try our Sizzler Box a try for a change instead of shopping at your local grocery store!

Check out The Sizzler Box here. You’ll be able to see all the details of the beef bundle and read customer testimonials too! If you need any help with purchasing, contact us by email at hannah@oakbarnbeef.com, phone at 402-269-0036, or through our Contact Us page here.