Looking to make burgers? Or maybe homemade meatballs? Could it be spaghetti night? Learn about what types of ground beef and patties you can find at Costco and which option is the best for your money.
This post includes affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. These are products and services I recommend because I use or trust them. Cookies will be used to track the affiliate links you click.
Costco fans, are you in the mood for some burgers.
Today, I am going to share with you what meat you can find at Costco to make a delicious burger any day of the year.
If you want to make it cheap, you can do that. Want an organic burger or a grass-fed burger? You can do that. Or if you want to make your burgers with ground bison or ground turkey you can do that as well..
Let's take a look at what Costco has.
🐄 Fresh Ground Beef
At Costco you have two choices when it comes to fresh ground beef:
| Kirkland 88% Lean Ground Beef | $3.99/lb |
| Kirkland 85% Lean Organic Ground Beef | $19.89 for 4 pounds ($4.97/lb) |
This is a great everyday price for ground beef. You aren't likely to beat this price elsewhere unless you find a good sale. The 88% lean ground beef is made right in the store from the trimmings. That means it's a mix of whatever they were cutting and then ground up. The only thing we know is how much fat is in it, not the breakdown of what cuts were used. It's great for a store to make their own beef from trimmings so nothing goes to waste.
12% fat is on the lean side. Ground chuck is usually 20% fat. Keep in mind with lower fat, it's easier to dry your meat out. Not as big of a risk if you are making a spaghetti sauce, chili, or sloppy joes with it.
If you are making burgers it's important to cook it to temperature and not time. That way you have a juicy burger.
My recommended thermometer is the The Thermapen® ONE from ThermoWorks. They aren't available at Costco so you will need to order one online. It's truly one of the best tools I have in my kitchen and helps me not overcook my burgers.
Learn all about the different types of ground beef you can find in stores.
🧊 Frozen Beef
If you head on over to the frozen section, you will find some more options there, mainly already formed patties.
Let me break down what you will see.
| Kirkland Grass Fed Beef ⅓ LB Patties | $24.99 for 5 lb bag ($4.99/lb) |
| Kirkland Ground Beef 91% Lean ⅓ LB Patties | $22.49 for 5-1 lb chubs ($4.49/lb) |
| Kirkland Angus Ground Chuck & Beef ⅓ LB Patties | $25.99 for 6 pound bag ($4.33/lb) |
| Kirkland Sirloin & Loin of Beef 90% Lean ⅓ LB Patties | $26.69 for 6 pound bag ($4.45) |
My first question when seeing pre-formed patties is has anything been added to them? Let's look at the back of one of the packages.
🍔 Recipe - Learn How to Air Fry Frozen Costco Burger Patties.
No ingredient list here. We are good then! These patties are just beef.
Due note that the ground chuck and ground sirloin isn't 100% of those cuts. The package says "Angus Ground Chuck and Beef" and "Ground Sirloin & Lion of Beef". It's ground chuck or ground sirloin mixed with other ground beef.
Price wise you are going to pay a little more money to buy the frozen beef but not a ton if you look at it per pound.
The reason I would not buy them is I like forming my own patties, the size I want them, and to add all the seasoning I want. You can season this frozen patties, but you wouldn't be able to get the seasoning all the way through the meat, it will just be on the surface.
If you are looking for grass-fed beef then you will have to go with the frozen patties. Neither of the fresh beef offerings are grass-fed. This patties also have the most fat in them of any ground meat offerings at Costco.
🍔 My Burger Recommendation - Either pick the fresh ground beef at $3.99 a pound for the best value or go with the frozen grass-fed burger patties because of their fat content and being grass-fed meat.
🦃 Ground Turkey
I case you are looking to make some with turkey instead you got that option at Costco. Here is what I found -
| Butterball Ground Turkey | $24.99 for 4-1.7 lb units ($3.69/lb) |
| Fulton Valley Farms Organic Ground Turkey (93% Lean) | $19.99 for 2-1.5 lbs ($6.67/lb) |
| Columbus Seasoned Turkey Burgers | $12.49 for 3lb box ($4.16/lb) |
The organic brand that is offering seems to vary from store to store and season to season. I have seen Diestel brand before. The Butterball seems to be consistent. Organic is going to cost you an additional $3 per pound.
Over in the freezer department I have seen already seasoned frozen turkey burgers. They are a little more money than the Butterball.
🌾 Ground Bison
Costco also offers ground bison. The brands I have seen in the store are Great Range or Tender Bison. The cost is $19.99 for 2.5 lbs, which comes out to $7.99/lb. In a lot of stores you are going to pay closer to $9.99/lb, so this would be considered a good price.
Bison is lean, so treat it the same way you would lean ground beef or ground turkey.
This is the only type of raw bison that they have. On occasion you will find something in the refrigerated section that is a produce made with bison such as chili or maybe some sausage. But it's not an everyday thing.
Check out our post on How to Vacuum Seal Burger Patties to make your own patties ahead of time to freeze or if you want to make sous vide burgers, which is a great method for a lean meat like bison.
🛒 What Else to Buy at Costco
I hope you found this guide useful when it's time to buy some meat at Costco for grilling some burgers! If you want to learn more about beef at Costco check out our Costco Beef Guide, featuring steaks, roasts, and whole cuts. View these guides as well:
Leave a Reply