Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
Trader Joe's offers a wide variety of meat products with an even wider selection of beef options. But quality can vary, fortunately, that's why you have this site!
From Beef Bool Kogi to the Grass Fed Organic Steak find dozens of reviews of Trader Joe's Beef products and see which ones are worth your time and which ones you may want to consider leaving on the shelf!
The pros: Tasty, good flavor, very tender meat off of high heat. Be sure to cut Trader Joe’s Carne Asada across the grain for the most tender texture.
The cons: Cooking directions could be elaborated a bit and should be easier to see. There is a distinct acidic taste to the meat which not everyone will find pleasing. Also if you have someone in your household who does not like cilantro, this is not a good product to try.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Italian Style Meatballs are quick, easy and fast from freezer to microwave and finished in 5 minutes. Two or three meatballs are filling.
The cons: Greasy and not the most flavorful meatballs you’ll ever have.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Steakhouse Seasoned Filet Mignon is super tender, juicy and lean cut of meat. Lots of seasoning.
The cons: If you want gravy with this, you’ll have to bring it in. There were no juices to speak of here. Recipe is heavy-handed with the black pepper.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Braised Beef Roast with Demi Glace is super tender beef, extremely flavorful sauce, highly recommend. I see no point in making this dish myself.
The cons: None come to mind. This was a very well done dish.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Mini Beef Tacos are tasty mini beef tacos ready in under 10 minutes.
The cons: Looks absolutely nothing like what is pictured on the box of Trader Joe’s Mini Beef Tacos. I don’t even know how it is possible to add cheese, tomatoes or any other type of filling.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Korean Style Beef Short Ribs have tasty Korean flavors. Short ribs were tender, thin cut, don’t require hours of cooking like many short rib recipes do. It’s already marinaded and waiting for you to defrost.
The cons: You can’t just grill these out of the bag. They absolutely have to defrost. Not a deal breaker, but if you are starving please plan accordingly. This isn’t a 5 minute meal. I also wish there were more in the bag. As one person it would be easy to polish off the whole bag. Not a deal breaker though. Can’t use a microwave.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Pulled Beef Brisket is ready in 2-3 minutes. Good BBQ (notice the word good, not great). Enough for 2 people.
The cons: The BBQ sauces makes or breaks it. This one is just ok. It wasn’t the worst I ever tasted, but it certainly wasn’t the best either. The same BBQ sauce can be found on other Trader Joe’s products.
The verdict: …
The pros: Super beefy tasting cut of beef. Trader Joe’s Tri Tip Roast was tender out of the oven. It’s got all the culinary buzzwords going: no antibiotics, no added hormones, free range, vegetarian fed.
The cons: Over $20 for a roast that was just over 2 lbs. Not cheap, but it is quality.
The Verdict: …
The Pros: Trader Joe’s Beef an Broccoli is a tasty and cost effective as compared to going out. Be ready for a bit more spice than traditional beef and broccoli.
The Cons: Can’t be done in the microwave. You will need to do some “cooking” on this. Calorie count is reasonable, but it’s also easy to eat the whole bag too.
The Verdict: …
Trader Joe’s is so good about expanding the culinary horizon beyond what you find in the traditional supermarket. If you’ve ever been in a Trader Joe’s, keeping most items stocked is a challenge even for the best run store. Some days you can find an item, some days you can’t. In the freezer section, next to the Indian entrees was something I hadn’t seen before: Bibimbap. If you have no idea what this is, it’s a Korean dish with beef, rice, and veggies. I’ve never had it elsewhere so I have nothing to compare it to. So here is what I had while enjoying Trader Joe’s Bibimbap Bowl…
Odds are if you grew up in America with a time pressed parent or grandparent, you may have been served something very unique: Beef Ravioli from a can. While not terrible tasting as a kid, as an adult you may crave that beefy goodness but desire something more complex like a truly fresh pasta. If you are looking to elevate your Chef Boyardee cravings than look no further than Trader Joe’s Beef Bolognese Ravioli. For $3.49 you’ll get about a dozen ravioli so plan accordingly. You may find that you can easily polish off this box all by yourself and want leftovers for the next day.
Betty Twist: I can only imagine how amazing these would be fried. Just saying. And planning. And goal setting….
