OT Best buys at Restaurant Depot

chrisc133

I'm heading to one on Thursday for the first time...using my KCBS card.  What should I have on my shopping list?  I'm planning to take a big cooler...

So far I only have butcher paper and a brisket.  What should I look for...food and otherwise?

shucker

beef short ribs for sure.  If you have room in your freezer, their chicken wings are super cheap by the case.  also look at the spices, they are in larger containers but very cheap when comparing unit prices to what you normally pay.  I also buy RO charcoal from RD for feeding my stick burners its much cheaper there than walmart or home depot.  

YEMTrey

Thanks for the heads up on the beef short ribs. I'm heading to RD this weekend to grab stuff and those will definitely be on the list.

Wardster

Their prices for huge chunks of parmesan and romano cheese are great.  I mix them and pulverize into a powder.  It will freeze forever too...

Wardster

Also no wood shavings...

bayouegger

I agree, Royal Oak is what I buy every trip.   The larger bag and cheaper than Walmart.  

Bring a Jacket if you plan on going into the cooler section.  They have loaners but would rather my own!  I tried being tuff one trip b/c I forgot my jacket.  Didn't stay in there too long!   

blind99

It's a great way to stock up on utensils like tongs and knives. Take a jacket, the cooler is a large, very cold room!

Ladeback69

They usually have the best prices on pork butts, spare ribs, cheese you name it.  You can get a full strip streak loin sometimes for $8 a pound so you can cut you own size then.  I have yet to see the whole store near me, I go in get what I want and get out.  They have good prices on knives I have found.  Get a flatbed cart and load it up.  Some day I will check out the whole store.  A couple weeks ago I got a 2 pack of pork butts at about 18 pounds and 4 slabs of full spare ribs at about 18 pounds for $62.  That would be twice at most places.  

jonnymack

So how does one acquire a membership in restaurant depot? It says I need a reseller license or some other item showing I'm authorized to purchase food for an organization.

chrisc133

bayouegger said:

I agree, Royal Oak is what I buy every trip.   The larger bag and cheaper than Walmart.  

Bring a Jacket if you plan on going into the cooler section.  They have loaners but would rather my own!  I tried being tuff one trip b/c I forgot my jacket.  Didn't stay in there too long!   

What's the price on RO?  I just bought a lot of bags at $10.

chrisc133

jonnymack said:

So how does one acquire a membership in restaurant depot? It says I need a reseller license or some other item showing I'm authorized to purchase food for an organization.

I'm using my KCBS membership to get a day pass.

GregW

jonnymack said:

So how does one acquire a membership in restaurant depot? It says I need a reseller license or some other item showing I'm authorized to purchase food for an organization.

They are free at the Birmingham AL location

Wardster

In FL you only need to own a company.  Does not matter what that co. does.

blasting

As others have stated above, plus hd foil, plastic wrap, great selection of bulk wing sauce and bbq sauce.

stlcharcoal

Tres Majors (often called "mock tenderloin").  Super cheap and great for little bacon wrapped filets.

Brisket and pork butt is always cheap--but not that much more than Costco.

I always get a box of Bosco Sticks for the kids.  Good deals on plastic to-go boxes for when I make a bunch of pulled pork and take it to my buddies around town.

They also have these HUGE boxes of basil.  If it's the winter and I'm going to make a few things heavy on the basil, it's a lot cheaper than little packets from the grocery store.

Have fun.  Hopefully it's a nice place.  The one here in St. Louis is a total dump--I rarely go there.

JethroVA

Check the fish market for thick filets of fresh cod under $5 lb and live lobsters.  Blue crab meat. Mussels.   Butter $2.80 lb.   Walk the produce section many things are available in small packages (artisanal lettuce) so you don't have to buy a bushel of produce.  Frozen cheese tortellini is really good. Spices. 

They don't have baskets.  Grab one of the big metal carts that looks like you'd load lumber on it at Home Depot.  

Ladeback69

jonnymack said:

So how does one acquire a membership in restaurant depot? It says I need a reseller license or some other item showing I'm authorized to purchase food for an organization


You can go to the KCBS site and join for $35 for the year and use it get a day pass at Restaurant Depot.  You can go every day if you like.  That's the main reason I got mine memembership.

http://www.kcbs.us/join.php

jonnymack

Thanks to all for the responses. I should be able to finagle something through my father-in-laws farm. We'll see.

Eggscuses

I thik you need a business tax ID   #

rockymountaineggster

The best thing I found was tri tip.  Comes in a big cryovac pack with 10 or so tri tips.  I can't remember cost off hand but it is significantly less than other stores or even Costco if I can find it. The lump my RD has is a generic no name brand and not good at all.  

SGH

If you like cooking them (I do) you can get whole unseperated clod at some RD's. 

Eggscuses

SGH do you cook the clod the same as a brisket? 

MelSharples

I enjoy the kitchen accessory section as much as anything else. I shop RD for Latex gloves, any kitchen/butchering knife you might need, aluminum pizza pans, pizza peels, etc.

chrisc133

MelSharples said:

I enjoy the kitchen accessory section as much as anything else. I shop RD for Latex gloves, any kitchen/butchering knife you might need, aluminum pizza pans, pizza peels, etc.

I do need a good slicing knife. The two I've been watching on Amazon haven't dropped in price. 

SGH

Eggscuses said:

SGH do you cook the clod the same as a brisket? 

Yes and no. It depends on what I'm wanting to do with it. There are 3 large heads in a whole clod. You can cut the one head into flatiron steaks if you so chose. The other head you can cut into roasts, sliced beef and various commodity cuts. The other head can be cooked down like a brisket. You can cook the "whole" clod like a brisket (I have done it several times), but it's tricky. The small lean head will dry out if you are not real careful before the larger head is done. There are folks (not me) that cook them whole and cut each head off at a different doneness level to satisfy their particular goal. I will write some more on this subject tonight when time allows. Remodeling my moms house at the moment.  

Carolina Q

chrisc133 said:

I'm heading to one on Thursday for the first time...What should I have on...?

A coat! The walk-in refrigerator get's COLD if you're in there for any length of time.

kwdickert

I went in for the first time yesterday! My friend joining me walked into the freezer, turned around and said, "too cold for me, im outta here". Haha. Never got to explore long enough. I'll be back.