The quality of the meat here pales in comparison to that of the stores in the surrounding counties…read more It is understood by many in Braxton County that if you want to be assured of getting good meat, you must drive to Weston, Summersville or Rock Cave. A shame.
Meat selection is poor, as well. They absolutely do not sell some cuts...for example, you can't buy a Denver cut or a Chuck-Eye. They occasionally have some uncommon cuts like flank, short rib, etc., but you can't depend on them to be there when you want them.
The prices aren't competitive. About the only grocery around with meat prices higher than Kroger is Wal Mart. If you are willing to drive out of the county, you can get something like a pork tenderloin for under $3/lb. Here, it is always at least that, unless you can catch it on sale. I will admit that the quality of the pork is usually better than the beef (the thick cut pork chops are top notch, for example), but you'll pay for that.
Ribeyes are usually in the $11-12 range. I work hard for my money, and yet I wouldn't mind paying that for a product of consistent quality, but it is always a gamble. I've bought steaks here that were decent to good, and I've gotten some that were disappointing to say the least. IMO, it isn't worth the risk.
Even the hamburger doesn't compare to that of the surrounding counties. 80/20, which should be full of flavor and juiciness, ends up being dry and bland when you grill it. I tried three different cooking methods with the 80/20 and none of them turned out to be very good.
The rest of the store seems to be OK. Like everywhere, you can't get a decent tomato here, but that seems to be the nature of the beast. Often, they do have sales where you can get certain items incredibly cheap, and I'll take advantage of those and stock the pantry when I can.
But, I've all but stopped buying meat here. I just wish there was somewhere in the county where I could get a decent steak.
EDIT: For comparison, I got the prices of various meats at a store in a bordering county. Here they are. These are regular prices, not sale prices, noted on the same day:
Flat iron steak (wet pack) Kroger 8.99/lb Other store 6.99/lb
Chuck roast Kroger 5.49/lb Other store 4.99/lb
Ribeye steak Kroger 11.99/lb Other store 8.99/lb
Pork loin Kroger 2.99/lb Other store 2.49/lb