A fitness influencer went to Costco to test out a viral food hack. The hack in question? Going up to the meat counter and ordering 10 pounds of the “lean meat” at once.
Nutrition-based influencer Blake Sanburg, who runs the Nutrition Narc YouTube channel, posted a video on Facebook that received more than 17,000 likes and 390 comments. In it, he tested a hack popularized by fitness content creator Duran Physique. He asked a Costco employee for the leanest beef they had available and then took it home to try it.
10-Pound Bull Meat From Costco
Sanburg went up to the Costco counter and asked if the store had the “lean ground beef tubes.” An employee at the meat counter told him they did and went to the back to get one for him.
When Sanburg got the beef tube, he asked what the percentage ratio of lean-to-fat the meat was. The meat counter worker at Costco told him the meat was “88/12,” but Sanburg guessed in-store that it was leaner than the employee described.
“Think it’s like 92/8. It’s way leaner than 88/12,” Sanburg says. “Look at this stuff. There ain’t no fat on this.”
“I got the beef stick, but it says—it doesn’t even say ground beef. It says, ”Bull meat’ tubes—10-pound,'” Sanburg later says.
Sanburg says the lean-to-fat ratio was “a little concerning.” After a deep dive, he confirmed the meat was 95% fat-free. But the content creator approved of the hack.
“This is an extremely good deal at $4.89,” Sanburg says. “Walmart is $8 a pound for 93/7. If you’re wondering what it tastes like, it’s mostly the same as ground beef, maybe just a little bit drier. Regardless, though, I would recommend this tip to everyone.”
Comparing Ground Beef Tube Costs
While Sanburg purchased his lean beef at $4.89 per pound, the price is actually lower on average. The lean “bull meat” tube costs around $4.69 per pound from Costco. In comparison, Wegmans 95% fat-free meat costs $8.29 per pound and is not sold in bulk. H-E-B also has 95% fat-free beef available for $8.29 per pound.
Previously, BroBible has covered other deals from Costco that offered comparatively cheaper prices. In addition to maximizing beef, TikTokers have posted hacks to get steaks for $11.80 per pound. Other TikTokers recommended pricing out steaks by the pound and looking for available deals.
Difference Between Bull Meat And Standard Ground Beef
Some commenters wanted to try the hack. However, others were concerned about the meat’s labeling—namely, that Costco called its product a “bull meat” tube instead of just calling it ground beef. Bull meat comes from mature male bovine. Bulls are leaner and more muscular than cows, which makes them tougher and gamier-tasting than standard ground beef. It’s unclear if a majority of the specialty 95% fat-free beef derives from bulls. At the end of the day, bull meat is still ground beef when it’s processed.
“It’s just bull meat it has testosterone make meat tough. it’s not as tender as steer cow so but I’m sure it’s not bad in a hamburger meat vs steak,” one commenter said.
“Its Bull meat… still beef,” another pointed out.
BroBible has reached out to Sanburg and Costco via contact form.