The One Meat That's Always A Better Deal At Costco Than The Grocery Store

These days, every penny counts when shopping. With grocery prices soaring over the past few years, finding great deals has become increasingly important. Naturally, Costco is a good place to look, but some items aren't really worth the price, either because you'll never get through a five-gallon tub of mayo or the prices are the same at a neighborhood grocery store. However, there's one deal in the meat department that always seems superior at Costco: lamb chops.

Lamb chops tend to be fairly pricey for a few reasons. There just aren't that many lamb farms in the United States these days (and lamb is distinct from mutton, meaning not all the sheep available are lambs). In addition, the U.S. sheep industry has experienced drought devastation in the past few years, with more than a quarter of all sheep raised in America experiencing drought conditions last year. Finally, about half of all our lamb is imported from Australia and New Zealand. So, finding any place regularly offering a bargain (Costco's lamb can be as much as a third of the price of nearby grocery stores) is worth celebrating. Bonus: Costco's lamb chops are considered very delicious by many home cooks on social media.

While there are many cuts of lamb to choose from, including the ribs, leg, and shoulder (which is the best cut for making lamb burgers), the focus here is on good old loin chops. At around 4 or 5 ounces each and running half an inch to an inch thick, they're perfect morsels of succulent, fragrant red meat. At the Costco in Issaquah, Washington, where the company is headquartered, you'll find Kirkland brand lamb from Australia. You get 10 large, lightly marbled chops per pack for $7.99 per pound, or around $24 to $29 for a pack, depending on actual weight. Elsewhere online, others have spotted the lamb at $6.99 and even $5.99 per pound in an eight-pack, so prices and portions may vary by location. Of course, tariff wars could also affect prices moving forward.

Compared to Costco, at a nearby Safeway, three-packs of Open Nature Australian lamb loin chops sell for $11.99 per pound. The ones we saw were on the smaller side but still looked good. At this particular Safeway, you can sometimes score chops at half cost on their sell-by date, but it's unusual. It should be noted that the best price for Costco's lamb loin chops may be in-store. A quick glance at Costco online (adjusted for location) shows packs of the same chops at $9.35 per pound. Eight or 10 lamb chops may seem like a lot of meat, but you can always freeze some for later, as long as you're freezing it the right way.