Few foods are as satiating as a mouthwatering, medium-rare steak. While there are many cooking methods that can be used to achieve a perfectly cooked steak, ultimately the flavor and texture depend on a quality cut of meat. Beef is expensive and its quality can vary widely.

However, one retailer consistently ranks highly for its meat department — Costco. Not only does Costco have a wide selection of different cuts of beef, it offers meat in whole and pre-cut portions that are packaged in bulk, so you can get a lot of quality meat for your money. Additionally, Costco often carries USDA prime beef , in addition to its premium choice options, which represents only 2% of the American meat supply and is typically reserved for sale to fine dining establishments.

As a professional chef, this is something I especially value. That said, not every cut of steak is worth investing in at Costco. Its use of a mechanical tenderization technique on its pre-cut steaks makes some cuts a poor option if you prefer consuming beef that is cooked to a medium-rare doneness.

Others are a better buy when the meat is purchased in whole roasts and broken down into individual steaks at home. Read on to discover which cuts of steak you should buy and those you should avoid the next time you shop at Costco. How we determined which cuts of steak are worth buying at Costco My primary criteria in determining which cuts of steak are worth buying and which to avoid at Costco are based on my professional exper.