Welcome Mark, Just checked the CC price to compare with what we bought....with 20% off it was still $13/lb more than we paid.....question for you, do they have free shipping? But you can buy in less quantity, so we will consider it next time. So you came for the steak, hopefully you stay for the Ferrari discussions
They give free shipping at $149 for non-members and $99 for subscription members. Their prices do deviate a lot based on market, and that's really cheap for Costco; that Costco deal is usually $1199 where I live and goes on sale for $999 so $800 is a steal, but my last Kagoshima order from CC was a pair of A5 whole rib caps, and it came out to just over $40 per pound and shipped free. Plus, I paid for I think 4.5 lbs and what I got weighed out to 5.25 approximately. I actually came for the cars. I rent them in Vegas constantly but havent owned one yet. Thinking about it one of these days so I'm lurking here to get a better idea what the real ownership experience is like. The 458 spider is my favorite car I've ever driven, period.
Thanks for the intel......hope you can get the ownership experience someday. One of the cars I drove last year was a 458, but it wasn’t for me. Drove a Huracan the same day and that was just boatloads of fun. Lots of good choices in that $150-$250k power band. Ended up buying a 2005 Ford GT before they exploded in price (again). Incredible car to drive, the last of a bygone era. Plus the money I saved can keep me in Wagyu for a lifetime.....LOL
Now that's how you do a first post! Welcome as @Shark01 said, and as someone who jumped feet first into the F lifestyle a little over 5 years ago (1st gen Cali), all I can say is, go for it! It's been an awesome experience. 458 Spider is a gorgeous car, and there's a wealth of knowledge on F-chat, so you can go into the purchase decision with eyes wide open...T
I was just at Costco today and saw they had Wagyu steaks. I think that's the first time I've noticed them. They were frozen but for some reason looked grey to me. I looked at a couple but close to $200 for two rib eye steaks was more than I wanted to spend.
A lot to parse here...Japanese Wagyu is different than American Wagyu. Our Wagyu in Texas is cross-bred with Angus. The Japanese don't believe it's as good but the density of the beef and the marbling are similar. With respect to buying it at Costco or elsewhere I personally don't like the frozen cuts because when they thaw the blood drains out. My new favorite way to cook them is the reverse way where you slow cook at 225 degrees to 140 degrees (internal temp) or so (less if you like rare, more if you like medium+) and then sear them in an iron skillet a minute or so on each side. Tender and juicy...actually just had one tonight with a nice cabernet....
Bumping. Was at Costco this morning, and they had these A5 thin sliced chuck roll steaks. Since it’s my sons 18th birthday tomorrow, decided to grab a pack to celebrate. There will be 6 of us, so I think this should be plenty of meat. First time cooking Wagyu. To cook, I assume salt & pepper seasoning and a quick sear (30 seconds?) in a hot cast iron pan? Any other suggestions? I think you can also cook Shabu Shabu, but not sure I want to go that route. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Happy birthday to your son, Dom. He's an 18 year old male though, and you think that's enough for 6 people?
I am attaching the method from the Wall Street Journal that I always follow - the trick is to adjust the timing based on the size and number of steaks that you are cooking. Happy Birthday to your son!
Thanks. Yes, that’s the technique I’ve seen used. I know, that’s the issue. Unfortunately, this was the only Wagyu available at my Costco this morning. I’ve seen the 2 packs of A5 ribeyes previously, but they were nowhere to be found this morning. I do have a big green egg, and wonder if it might be possible to cook them Yakiniku style in there. But I’m still thinking cast iron may be the way to go, but make it very very hot and very quick sear.
With the pieces sliced that thin, it seems like Shabu Shabu or Ishiyaki stone grilled are the best options. Cast iron is probably the best proxy. Shabu isn’t my favorite way to eat this fantastic meat FWIW.
Ok, we did it and it was great. Here’s my observations/experience for those interested. Meat was sliced really thin, though there was a nice big piece, maybe 1/2 cm thick at the bottom. More about that piece later. Searing was super fast because they were so thin. I put my pan on the biggest burner at highest heat for fast searing. I would put a piece in the pan, wait maybe 10 seconds, then flip with a spatula as soon as the pan released the meat. The downside is that some pieces could have been a little more “browned” and were cooked well done, but they were still good according to the wife, kids, and mother in law. Oh what a mess. Grease splatter all over the place. Also, a ton of smoke that set off the smoke alarm a couple times. Even with fans and windows open. I wound up cooking the meat in batches to help with the smoke. I had considered trying to setup the pan in my grill outside, but was afraid I wouldn’t be able to get it hot enough due to the distance between the coals and the grill grates. Next time, maybe I will try it on the grill. The big piece on the bottom I saved for last. Cut it in half to share with my son. This piece turned out amazing, since it had a chance to sear, while still having the inside medium rare. I would have preferred rare inside, but the piece just wasn’t thick enough. 2 lbs of meat was plenty for the 6 of us (me, wife, 3 kids and mother in law). Everyone felt “meated out”. We had just a tiny bit leftover, so the dog got very lucky tonight. I wish Costco had the packs of ribeyes that I had seen previously. These were 2 ribeyes, vacuum packed like the stuff I got, and were selling for about $200. Maybe a pound each. But thicker than the stuff I just cooked. We’ve got some more birthdays coming up in a few months, so hopefully will get lucky for one of those.
For those of you in the San Francisco Bay Area, NIKU butcher shop and restaurant sells fresh A5 from several different areas of Kobe flown in weekly. Cut to order and imperial waygu from this country along 45+ days dry aged meats, Berkshire pork, Tsar Nicoliar caviar…. Check it out! Guy, the owner is great!…checkout the restaurant too!.nice wine list!…In dog patch area of S.F….
It is not just the grade but the part....this is Mitsugi... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Here is my $.02 on the Wagyu hype... I'll say up front I am a fan of SRF but acknowledge that what they sell is very different from true imported Japanese wagyu. I've done several comparisons and tastings across several types of beef and (like cars) each have their place. That said, it DEPENDS on what you are looking for. If you want a "traditional" American-style grilled steak, I personally prefer a dry aged Prime beef cut. Real tried and true dry aging is a variable outside of the breed of beef, and adds extra flavor and tenderness. Yes, this technique can be applied to wagyu cuts too, but it becomes a matter of diminishing returns. I once dry aged a SRF gold grade strip loin with great results but wouldn't recommend it or do it again. That doesn't even get into "true" dry aging vs the Umai bags which are also popular. Another point here is that well established steak restaurants have access to the best cuts that you just can't get online. That doesn't mean you can't cook a better steak than 90% of what's out there, just that, unless you spend millions of dollars on beef you probably can't compete in that arena. Car dealers don't sell the most coveted slots for limited production cars to the guy that just walked into the showroom either. I've found that as you go up in marbling the flavor and tenderness increases to a point. But at a certain point you need to change cooking techniques to best showcase the meat, and that is where things really become conflated. IMO throwing a piece of A5 (name your preferred cut) on a traditional grill would be a huge waste. Smaller portions are appropriate since they are terribly rich and are often described as "Beef flavored butter." I'd leave a true A5 graded beef experience in the hands of an experienced chef. Sometimes you want a gourmet experience and sometimes you just want a good hamburger. They both have their place. Of course, there are those that believe "bigger is better" but I hope this post is helpful for those trying to decide what to try next.
Have you ever tried Japanese A5 wagyu? Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
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Cut it in 1 inch strips add a little bit of salt and pepper then you sear it for 1 minute on each side, then remove it from the pan and let it rest for three minutes. They recommend cooking it in either a cast-iron skillet or stainless steel skillet. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat