So I broke down and purchased steaks from Sams Club..

What grade were they? A strip needs to be Choice, at least, and not all are created equal. Got to see the marbling.

i have never bought indivudual or presliced meat from Sam's, but have bought whole ribeyes, rib racks and filets and been pleased. No complaints at all. For the price it's great.

For good individual cuts or offal i will go elsewhere.

The meat is not prime and the strip is a tougher piece of meat than say a ribeye...I agree with Otis that you need some fat in the meat so cull it for marbling.

I've bought pre-sliced ribeyes at Sam's and liked them, but I don't care for strip steaks too much so I've never tried them.

For those that buy whole ribeyes/tenderloins & get them sliced: Do you cook it all right away (like for a party) or do you freeze them? What's the best way to freeze them and defrost them?

If I have access to a vac sealers I choose to put two in a pack and seal it up. If I dont then I just get some freezer bags and put two in each pack and get as much air out as I can and freeze them. A day or so before I know Im going to cook them I put them in the fridge to thaw and the day Im cooking them I let sit out to get back to room temp before preparing and throwing on the grill.

I have never noticed any real difference between those I freeze and the ones I cook from the first day I get the rack.

When Gustav hit I had just bought a full tenderloin the week before and with no electricity for a week we certainly ate like kings.

One thing about Sams is that if you get them to cut it you almost have to undershoot it.

If you want say an inch cut then tell them 3/4 cut. They always seem to cut them thicker than I ask for some reason. The last batch I got were monster steaks at an inch and a half + when I asked for an inch and a quarter.

Its not too hard to cut at home but it saves some time to have them do it.

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Been my experience that strips are just gonna be tougher than rib-eyes or filets. Different texture

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Of course. I buy strips 75% of the time because I love the taste.
Just saying that these strips were much tougher than any I have had in the last few years.

Will have to try the whole rib-eyes/filets as others are suggesting.

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Been my experience that strips are just gonna be tougher than rib-eyes or filets. Different texture

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This is true. It's a different steak and a different taste. Actually more gamey. I love them and cook them a lot but I cook them high, hot and fast. If over cooked it's like a shoe. If medium rare it's wonderful.

I get NY strips from there pretty often and can't complain most times