7 Costco Kirkland Signature Meats That Aren't Worth The Price

Costco is the place to go for a bargain. The quality of food is generally great, too. Now, a couple of caveats come with those two sentences. First, even if you're getting a good price for the amount of food you're buying, you're sometimes still spending a lot of money. Second, there are definitely a few Costco foods that don't taste as good as they look lurking on those shelves. Few things are worse than buying something in bulk, finding out that you don't like the food in question, and then realizing that you spent much more money than you could have.

That said, the warehouse chain does have a massive selection of a lot of different types of meat. You can get staples like beef, chicken, and pork, or you can be adventurous and try your hand at dishes with lamb or bison. It's not all bad. You should definitely make the most of the Costco butcher, but part of being able to make the most of the butcher is knowing what to avoid. To make this list, we've tried Costco meat products ourselves and read customer reviews and complaints online. We've compared prices on the Costco app with those in other stores — of course, prices can vary depending on location. So, whether it's due to poor quality, consistent customer issues, or simply a better deal existing elsewhere, we've got our reasons for feeling that these Kirkland Signature meats aren't worth the price.

At $2.79 per pound, these wings might be slightly cheaper than wings at other stores, but it might also be a "get what you pay for" situation. Kirkland Signature fresh party wings are graded A by the USDA — the highest grade the USDA gives chicken — and they have their defenders on Reddit. Still, many people say that the wings barely have any meat on them. One frustrated shopper said that these were the only item they "vowed" never to buy again, and even said that the wings tasted "gamey." Buffalo is supposed to be the name of sauce on your wings, not a description of taste.

Worse, we found multiple reports of feathers left in Costco wings, including fresh party wings, frozen party wings, and pre-cooked wings. A feather here and there isn't unheard of, but it seems to be a consistent feature with Costco chicken wing products. 

Whether you prefer baked wings or fried wings, we can all agree that wings aren't some throwaway part of the chicken. Wing Night is a special night, party or no party. If you're going to actually make wings at home instead of ordering a delicious basket from Wingstop or your local bar, you want the chicken to be of reliable quality. That's not what's in the party wing bag at Costco.

There's nothing quite like a good pot roast. Tender beef — usually chuck roast — cooking for hours with onions, carrots, and celery. If you don't have that kind of time for cooking, though? Well, Kirkland Signature beef pot roast with gravy is a package of already cooked beef that costs $7.59 per pound. If that seems like an inexpensive way to get this meal, well, we're sorry to report that this one's not worth it. 

For one thing, you have to add your own veggies. Pot roast is best when you've got the full cohort of ingredients, all simmering together and infusing the dish with each component's unique flavor. With this pre-made stuff? The beef might be ready after 10 minutes in the microwave, but that's not going to get your veggies tasting good.

Then again, maybe you're just looking for the beef, no veggies. Be advised that one Redditor called it "a gelatinous mess" and the worst food they'd purchased from Costco. This disappointing dinner situation is avoidable. Try the Kirkland Signature meatloaf and potatoes, which is reliable enough to show up in a Reddit thread about the best prepared Costco meals. The sauce can be a touch sweet, but the meatloaf and potatoes themselves are pretty tasty. 

When you look at the per-pound price, $6.99 per pound is a decent price for ribs. Of course, a rack of ribs is going to creep up to a $20 total just about anywhere you go. The problem with Kirkland Signature USDA Choice beef back ribs is how scarce the meat is. Granted, beef back ribs are always going to have less meat than other types of ribs. These come from the curved portion of the ribcage that joins the spine. They're not going to be as thick as, say, short ribs. This might be a case of the customer simply needing to manage their own expectations. If you're expecting something akin to pork spareribs or baby back ribs, you're going to disappointed. 

Still, ribs are something of a special occasion food, right? Whether you're firing up the smoker or plugging in the InstaPot, this food takes a good amount of work. You don't want to go through all the trouble of preparing a rack of ribs only to have whomever you're eating with ask where the beef is. One Redditor who triumphantly posted a picture of perfectly cooked, thick ribs was met with legions of comments insisting that they must have gotten the one good pack. One commenter talked about how they always dig through the pile to find a meaty pack of ribs. Maybe skip the beef back ribs and buy pork spareribs. There's definitely some meat on those. 

First off, it's not a problem that this salmon is frozen. The best fish you can get at a supermarket is the stuff that fishers have flash-frozen on the boat. The issue is the price. Kirkland Signature blackened Atlantic salmon is $26.69 for a two-pound box containing six fillets of salmon, which shakes out to around $13.34 per pound. Another pre-seasoned fish, the salmon with Mediterranean herb seasoning at Aldi, is $11.29 per pound. Not only is the fish at Aldi cheaper, but you're not locked into six fillets.

After all, what if you don't like the seasoning that comes pre-applied to the fish? Pre-seasoned fish is always something of a gamble. This product has its defenders and detractors on Reddit, with one negative review saying that the fish was overly seasoned. Really, it's something that you just have to try for yourself. If you find it too salty or simply not tasty, though, you'll be out 27 bucks and stuck with a bunch of salmon in your freezer. Our advice is to save yourself the potential disappointment.

Cod is delicious. It's great for grilling, frying, baking, and more. For a whitefish, cod has a ton of flavor. One minor concern with cod? It's not a fish you should buy fresh. Sure enough, look in your local Costco, and you'll find that Kirkland Signature Pacific cod carries the dreaded "previously frozen" label. That indicates that the fish was flash-frozen, then thawed and presented as fresh at your grocery store.

$10.99 per pound is also more expensive than Aldi, and since this is Costco? You know you're getting way more than one pound of fish. Do you really want to roll the dice on a previously frozen whitefish from the warehouse chain?

If you really want cod from Costco, go for the frozen pack of Kirkland Signature Pacific cod. That's two pounds of fillets — between five and eight ounces per cut — that are more reliable than what the warehouse markets as fresh. There are certain types of fish to always buy frozen, and cod is one of them. Sure, you have to remember to thaw before cooking, but the quality difference is worth it.

Unfortunately, there are a couple of reasons not to buy Kirkland Signature chicken breasts. For such a popular and successful grocery chain, Costco is kind of notorious for having faulty chicken packaging. Raw chicken juice leaking onto your other groceries or all over the back of your car is enough to make the boneless, skinless chicken breasts a skip. 

Worse than that, though, is the quality. Yes, Kirkland Signature chicken breasts are graded A by the USDA — the highest grade the USDA can give chicken. Unfortunately, these chicken breasts often suffer from "spaghettification," or a breakdown of muscles into stringy fibers. While it's not exactly known how spaghettification happens, some believe that this abnormality is the result of factory farming and selectively breeding chickens to grow faster than they normally would. Even if this stringy chicken is technically safe to eat, it's not exactly what you want to see. Combine stringy chicken with unreliable packaging, and it's no wonder why chicken is one of Costco's items that gets the most customer complaints.

One poetic person on Reddit had another adjective to add: slimy. More than that, the disappointed Costco shopper said, Kirkland Signature chicken often just tastes bad. Besides, it's not like you're getting the best deal at Costco. $2.99 per pound is actually 50 cents more than comparative pricing at Aldi.

At $17.99 per pound, Kirkland Signature USDA Choice ribeye isn't really more or less expensive than ribeye at other places. Aldi sells ribeye for $14.79 per pound, Whole Foods for $21.99 per pound. Ribeye is a high-end cut, and you should expect to pay top dollar. What you should not have to do is compromise on your cooking technique, and buying Kirkland Signature steak means you have to cook your steak to at least medium. Why? Costco's steaks, unfortunately, are mechanically tenderized. This is a process where tiny blades prick cuts of meat in order to make it more tender. While tender beef is great, a bummer side effect is that bacteria in the raw meat gets pushed to the middle. For this reason, the FDA advises that blade tenderized steaks need to be cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, or the high end of medium.

We're not here to temperature-police your steak. Taste is a matter of personal preference, and you can enjoy steak however you like. Some people even enjoy their ribeye cooked to medium, because it gives the fat longer to render. Still, others prefer medium rare, arguing that cooking to 130-135 degrees brings out the best flavor while still melting fat. Whatever your preferences, hopefully we can all agree that having your doneness decision made for you thanks to mechanical processes is not ideal. For this reason, you should avoid this cut of steak at Costco.