Is this the stuff from Japan where the farmers massage and sing haiku's to them?
Is this the stuff from Japan where the farmers massage and sing haiku's to them?
No, the ones talked about in that article is the real Japanese A5. It's not the American Wagyu. No one would pay $100 /lb for American Wagyu.It's Japanese Wagyu cattle that are bred in the US. While it's the same breed (well there are 4 breeds in Japan), it's not imported from Japan and highly doubtful they are treated the same and sold to someone like Costco.
I doubt it's real wagyu...there's only a few hundred pounds of the stuff made every year and most of it goes to the world's Michelin restaurants. The real stuff would NEVER be deep frozen as freezing beef changes the texture.
They're probably doing some wide-range labeling shananigans like they did with "Angus" and "Organic". We'll probably see regulations in the coming years.
It's the REAL Japanese Wagyu. Costco.com has been selling it for YEARS. Now they're testing selling at select B&M locations. And yes, it's shipped and sold deep frozen. How do you think it's shipped from Japan to US?I doubt it's real wagyu...there's only a few hundred pounds of the stuff made every year and most of it goes to the world's Michelin restaurants. The real stuff would NEVER be deep frozen as freezing beef changes the texture.
They're probably doing some wide-range labeling shananigans like they did with "Angus" and "Organic". We'll probably see regulations in the coming years.
Sorry, I was thinking of Kobe beef, not waygu.It's the REAL Japanese Wagyu. Costco.com has been selling it for YEARS. Now they're testing selling at select B&M locations. And yes, it's shipped and sold deep frozen. How do you think it's shipped from Japan to US?
And no, it's not few hundred pounds of Wagyu being sold every year. It's lot more and it's not that rare.
I'm bored, so I'm just going to say you can look at the meat and see the grain/marbling/color and at least determine if it appears to be close. In most cases with steak, visual queues are all you have to go on. I've had really nice $20/lb ribeyes turn out really bad when you get unlucky. The marbling looked great, but it simply had tough spots in the meat not attributed to anything but the way the muscle was formed. (not talking wagyu, obviously) When I see Wagyu beef, I'm not all that eager to buy/cook it. I'm not a filet mignon guy and typically go for thick ribeyes or ny strips, but I grill my meats and would think the higher level of fat density of a wagyu steak would do best if seared in a pan with butter and maybe finished in a broiler.....that's not my style.Price per pound should clue you in this is the real deal. $100-150 /lb is about the going rate for real Japanese A5 Wagyu. This being Costco, you expect $100 /lb. You can get the real stuff for low as $66 /lb when Costco has a sale.
No one would pay $100 /lb for American Wagyu. Not even Crowd Cow or Whole Foods would rip you off and make you pay anything close to $100 /lb for American Wagyu. And you expect Costco to sell it for more than Whole Foods?
I doubt it's real wagyu...there's only a few hundred pounds of the stuff made every year and most of it goes to the world's Michelin restaurants. The real stuff would NEVER be deep frozen as freezing beef changes the texture.
They're probably doing some wide-range labeling shananigans like they did with "Angus" and "Organic". We'll probably see regulations in the coming years.
They've been selling it at my local Costco since the end of last year. The meat should be red. If the meat was brown color, it's likely spoiled.i saw waygu A5 ribeyes at my local costco.
$100/lb
great marbling.
it's vacuum sealed in their freezer section (next to burger patties).
but the meat was brown instead of red like im used to
Fat is flavor. All that marbled fat gives the meat super rich and luxurious buttery flavor and melt in your mouth tenderness and texture you can't get from other beef. But the buttery richness can be overwhelming. Some people don't like wagyu for this reason. I say to those people, don't eat super big portion. Enjoy wagyu for what it is. Super luxury that's best enjoyed in moderation.I have never had a wagyu steak, heard they are great the above picture looks like a huge mound of fat with a little bit of meat. Why is that so good?
Sorry, I was thinking of Kobe beef, not waygu.
Fat is flavor. All that marbled fat gives the meat super rich and luxurious buttery flavor and melt in your mouth tenderness and texture you can't get from other beef. But the buttery richness can be overwhelming. Some people don't like wagyu for this reason. I say to those people, don't eat super big portion. Enjoy wagyu for what it is. Super luxury that's best enjoyed in moderation.
It's a different kind of fat than you get in normal American steaks, it will literally melt in your hand if you held it.I have never had a wagyu steak, heard they are great the above picture looks like a huge mound of fat with a little bit of meat. Why is that so good?
Generally, in my own cooking experience with A5 wagyu at least, you aren't cooking wagyu rare, you should be shooting for medium or medium rare to make sure the fat renders.I'm not a fan of "blue" steak but I do like it quite rare and this often leads to non-melted fat "marbling" in these types of beef/steak which really grosses me out. (no matter how expensive the cut!)
Ribeye is my favorite cut of steak. Absolutely love it. But I understand it can be too fatty for some. My nephews prefer NY strips over ribeye for the same reason.My issue with Wagyu is the same as with rib-eye steaks.
I'm not a fan of "blue" steak but I do like it quite rare and this often leads to non-melted fat "marbling" in these types of beef/steak which really grosses me out. (no matter how expensive the cut!)
Ribeye is my favorite cut of steak. Absolutely love it. But I understand it can be too fatty for some. My nephews prefer NY strips over ribeye for the same reason.
Wagyu fat has lower melting point than normal beef fat with lower melting point than human body temperature so the fat should melt in your mouth giving it buttery texture. But like I said, I can see how it can gross people out, especially if served rare. What I've noticed is people do seem to cook wagyu beef little more done finish than with normal beef. Probably to melt the fat.
I prefer Hanwoo beef for the beefier taste. It's not as crazy marbled as wagyu so it has more beef vs fat. So it has nice beefy flavor while still having that great melt in your mouth butter taste. It's like the perfect combination of beefiness and butteriness. I love it. This is the Hanwoo ribeye beef from BBQ joint in Seoul I had the last time I was there before covid. I'm headed back to Seoul in September and one of the first restaurant I will visit when I land there will be back to this BBQ joint so I can eat the glorious Hanwoo beef again.
I have so much eating planned for my upcoming Seoul, Jeju island, and Busan trip. It's going to be food orgy.
If I don't pass out and die from overeating! I'm even going to check out the buffet food at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul. $130 per person buffet dinner. The most expensive previous buffet I ate was Caesars Palace Bacchanal buffet in Vegas which was like $65 or so per person. That was hugely disappointing buffet. For some reason, hotel buffets are really expensive and considered premium dining experience in Korea. My wife wants to check it out while we stay at the hotel so we'll try it once. I am looking forward to eating endless platters of abalone, bay scallops, lobsters, snow crab legs, and various sushi and sashimi at the buffet.I'll be EXPECTING lots of detailed pics!
If I don't pass out and die from overeating! I'm even going to check out the buffet food at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul. $130 per person buffet dinner. The most expensive previous buffet I ate was Caesars Palace Bacchanal buffet in Vegas which was like $65 or so per person. That was hugely disappointing buffet. For some reason, hotel buffets are really expensive and considered premium dining experience in Korea. My wife wants to check it out while we stay at the hotel so we'll try it once. I am looking forward to eating endless platters of abalone, bay scallops, lobsters, snow crab legs, and various sushi and sashimi at the buffet.