Beef quality

[smj]

Is the beef served in the main dinning room USDA graded? If so what grade do they use? 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Not sure about USDA grading but DH graded it a C+.  Fine Cut steakhouse was a solid B.  Perhaps on the up charged beef, you may get Choice.  I don't recall seeing Prime but I could be mistaken.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

People on our TA were commenting how good the prime rib tasted 

some streaks were great , others were 🤢

 

[Georgia_Peaches]

6 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

People on our TA were commenting how good the prime rib tasted

Yes, we enjoyed the prime rib as well!  It was fork tender.

[drakes2]

13 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

People on our TA were commenting how good the prime rib tasted 

some streaks were great , others were 🤢

 

Just off the Silhouette in November and the prime rib served on the first night was among some of the best I've ever tasted.

[theopup]

31 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

Just off the Silhouette in November and the prime rib served on the first night was among some of the best I've ever tasted.

Glad to read this drakes2

[lv2cruisgrl]

On Beyond last month the beef was very good in MDR.  We also had the filet in steakhouse it was good there also.

[Salt Lifer]

I am following this thread with great interest to see how the quality is now.  Earlier this year in Beyond we had the most inedible beef.  I am not exaggerating when I say it was the worst beef I had ever been served anywhere land or sea (as in, even Golden Corral served better beef).  Several of us tried various dishes/venues and it was all the same.  Very disappointing as that was not our normal Celebrity experience in the past.  I am hoping the quality will be improved for our upcoming cruise. Based on the above comments I am hopeful!

[hasentreelake]

3 hours ago, drakes2 said:

Just off the Silhouette in November and the prime rib served on the first night was among some of the best I've ever tasted.

I was with you on this itinerary... I didn't see the Prime Rib  -  good for you 🙂 

[hasentreelake]

I just had dinner at my local country Club.  
My impression from eating on ships and locally is that beef is not necessarily as good in general at the price points (even higher price points)  I'd grade the 8oz filet I had tonite as a C and I was paying high prices at the aforementioned country club.  
Overall quality is now more expensive and harder to find.

And some will pay up for the best.  I'm a 'once in a while' I'll pay up.

[CruiseRQA]

Generally the non steak meats served are pretty good.   Actual steak?  Not so good.  Even in Fine Cuts the steaks are not what you would get at a good steakhouse like Flemings or Ruth's Chris.   They certainly are not prime.

 

 

[jy0ung1]

The last steaks we had (2 months ago) were fair, but very thinly cut to save on cost.  I would much rather have 1/2 the size that is thicker.  The beef was well prepared, but it is hard to make a 5/8" thick steak medium rear with a good exterior charring that is juicy.

[Stockjock]

The quality is on the poor side, but usually well-cooked.  But there's been a big decline in beef quality in the MDR over the past 3 years or so.

[bikerunner]

The meat/steaks are not terrible,  almost all of them was able to cut with a fork, no knife.  Are they prime etc nope but for mass quanity, was pleasently suprised.  Take into account at home i buy all my beef from a local organic farm that i would put up against any steakhouse.  Not a huge meat eater overall but celebrity was very good overall. 

[markeb]

The OP actually asked a specific question with an actual legally defined answer. The USDA grades most beef as prime, choice, or select; there are no letter grades. There are lesser grades, but those aren’t common restaurant quality grades. 
 

If the ship is sailing from a US port it’s USDA graded. It’s probably choice, but I don’t think they advertise a grade. Select has apparently become more common on the market in general. There were significant sell offs of beef over the last couple of years largely due to droughts. Much of that was probably select. Conversely, that would make prime less common. It’s possible Celebrity is buying (more?) select but I’ve not seen anything that would confirm or deny that. 
 

I don’t know what they do if the ship is sailing from other parts of the world. I remember threads where posters stated they shipped US beef to those locations. If it’s US beef fo interstate or international sales, it would be USDA inspected and graded. 

[Steve H]

I found the beef on the Eclipse in October to be great. The prime rib was very good and the ribeye in Tuscan was excellent also.

[Stockjock]

1 minute ago, Steve H said:

I found the beef on the Eclipse in October to be great. The prime rib was very good and the ribeye in Tuscan was excellent also.

I was also on Eclipse in October and on Infinity in September.  Both times, I found the MDR beef quality to be mediocre, at best (slightly better on Eclipse than Infinity).  The beef in Tuscan Grill (Eclipse) was very good.

[drakes2]

11 hours ago, hasentreelake said:

I was with you on this itinerary... I didn't see the Prime Rib  -  good for you 🙂 

It was served on Day 1 in MDR. Maybe I just got a great cut. 

[wrk2cruise]

16 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

People on our TA were commenting how good the prime rib tasted 

some streaks were great , others were 🤢

 

 

We were on that sailing with you.  While the quality of the steak at the lunch buffet wasn't that great but the guy cooking it was fantastic.  My wife had it almost daily and convinced others in our group to try and they repeated often.  The guy knew how to season a steak.  First time ever we tipped someone behind the counter in the buffet.

 

In the MDR I remember at least 1 of the prime rib dinners being very good, but the chateaubriand in the MDR was probably the best cruise meal we have had.

[NMTraveller]

1 minute ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

We were on that sailing with you.  While the quality of the steak at the lunch buffet wasn't that great but the guy cooking it was fantastic.  My wife had it almost daily and convinced others in our group to try and they repeated often.  The guy knew how to season a steak.  First time ever we tipped someone behind the counter in the buffet.

 

In the MDR I remember at least 1 of the prime rib dinners being very good, but the chateaubriand in the MDR was probably the best cruise meal we have had.

A good steak does not require seasoning ...

[mayleeman]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

A good steak does not require seasoning ...

 

And yet it can be enhanced quite delightfully with Chicago Steak Seasoning that is also in the sauteed onions and mushrooms on top!

[Tyler414]

As far as supermarkets go select is going to be the cheapest cut, the difference between choice and prime a supermarket is very difficult to tell the difference other than price.  The best of the best prime is usually sold to high end steak joints.  You would think Celebrity would be in this category of high end steak joints and source the best of the best, but it seems the best steaks I have had on Celebrity have been at roof top grill and honestly the worst (still good, but...) was at Fine Cut. 

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

A good steak does not require seasoning ...

S&P at a minimum...the courser the grind the better to me.  YMMV.  

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Probably most steaks and prime rib is probably sous vide to be able to have that many available at once 

once sous vide will make the meat more tender 

Edited December 16, 2023 by Ex-Airbalancer

[Tyler414]

2 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

S&P at a minimum...the courser the grind the better to me.  YMMV.  

Maybe after its cooked.  Putting pepper on before cooking is not a good idea, all your doing is burning the pepper.