One of my high school buddies and I keep in touch by texting nearly every day. Much of it is internet-dredged nonsense made to make each other laugh, but I can tell when he’s dead serious and passionate about something because he repeats himself, as if trying to beat me into submission.

More often than not, he’s trying to convince me to listen to some music that I’ve not heard, or chosen not to hear, and I eventually wiggle out of the death grip with an “I’ll have to give it a listen.” But sometimes — because he’s a scientist by day and an avid cook/meat lover/griller by night, and he loves the idea of what I do for a living — he has some “meat news” for me.

Last night’s headline, edited for length and clarity because he must have said it at least three times in various ways, would have been, “Chuck eye; more tender and flavorful than ribeye — for less than half the price.”

He’d heard of this “hack,” tried it (prepared same as ribeye, 2-inch thick cut, hot grill) and can “attest.”

“Arguably second to filet mignon in tenderness and second to none in flavor,” he gushed, noting the quality depended on the skill of the butcher. … “Really, flat irons got big, but this is bigger.”

Often my attitude towards his “meat news” is “yeah, yeah, yeah … ,” and I discount it, because it’s generally more having to do with consumer use of products rather than how those products got to their plates (our coverage area). And while I did try to end this late-night text conversation with, “Well, I’ll have to try it,” I am interested and actually will have to try it.

Meanwhile, that he kept repeating the part about chuck eye being “literally less than half the price” of ribeye struck me most. He’s just one guy, of course, but it’s a reminder of general consumer awareness of price and the importance of value. It’s also an example of the need for continued exploration of value cuts, particularly as pandemic-conditioned people experiment at home and prices rise.

With an increase in home-cooked meals among consumers during the pandemic came increased meat preparation knowledge, and in turn a quest for variety, according to the 2021 Power of Meat report — compiled annually by 210 Analytics LLC principal, Anne-Marie Roerink, for the Food Industry Association – FMI and the North American Meat Institute. Four in 10 shoppers bought meat differently, be it different types (42%), cuts (40%) or brands (45%), the study noted.

Consumers also looked for more deals, as they shifted to buying in bigger quantities to freeze and use over time.

And so it appears my friend is on trend as a thrifty consumer. Whether his enthusiasm for the chuck eye is on point is something I’ll have to look into on a personal level.

What are your thoughts on it? Is it the next flat iron?

The ‘eye’ of the consumer

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