Costco selling wagyu steak at B&M now?

[brainhulk]

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/costco-now-selling-premium-quality-121119521.html

Is this the stuff from Japan where the farmers massage and sing haiku's to them?

 

[LikeLinus]

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.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Does it come pre-irradiated, too?

 

[ponyo]

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/costco-now-selling-premium-quality-121119521.html

Is this the stuff from Japan where the farmers massage and sing haiku's to them?

Yes, it's the real Japanese A5.

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.

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.

 

[quikah]

Yes, I saw it last week at the Mountain View, CA Costco. They are frozen, in vacuum sealed packaging, cost something like $99/lb? Seemed like small portions, generally close to 1 pound sizes, don't recall the cuts. I just looked quickly as a curiosity without paying much attention to it, so not 100% on this.

They looked like real wagyu to me, though I didn't notice the Wagyu certificate that the Japanese supermarket in Cupertino that sells real Wagyu displays (not sure that is a requirement in the US). Could have been there, I wasn't paying close attention.

 

[Fritzo]

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.

 

[quikah]

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.

The stuff they sell on their website is frozen.

https://www.costco.com/japanese-wagyu-center-cut-new-york-strip-steaks%2c-a5-grade%2c-12-oz%2c-4-count%2c-3-lbs..product.100407567.html

Also, a few hundred pounds? So they only have like 2 cows in the whole world? You do realize how much beef come from a cow right?

 

[ponyo]

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?

And no, it's not few hundred pounds of Wagyu being sold every year. It's lot more and it's not that rare.

 

[ponyo]

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?

 

[Fritzo]

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.

Sorry, I was thinking of Kobe beef, not waygu.

 

[Scarpozzi]

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'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.

Print out a guide like this and hold it up to the product to get an idea of what you're buying.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/287386019950253300/

I'm sure Costco is selling product that would have ended up in a restaurant somewhere, but they're getting the bulk sales since the meat industry's been flipped upside down in the states? Just a guess if this is a temporary acquisition by their buyers and they get decent returns.

 

[Kyle]

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.

You can actually get authentic Kobe beef (sometimes) from Crowd cow...they do freeze it, and it's ridiculously expensive. Think it's out of stock now, and I was not even tempted based on the price alone to try it when they had some stock available.

Kobe Beef | Legendary Tajima-Gyu

Kobe Beef is synonymous with luxury, known worldwide for its iconic flavor and strict quality standards. Raised in Japan's Hyogo prefecture under tight breeding guidelines, each cow is sired by 1 of 12 government-selected bulls for perfect marbling.

www.crowdcow.com

Also can get a5 wagyu there which i have ordered a couple times for special occasions, and just to try it at relatively more affordable prices than most restaurants sell it at.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I’m only interested if it is alternator sized bulk beef.

 

[JEDI]

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

 

[ponyo]

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

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.

Here's picture of NY Strip at my local Costco.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

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?

 

[ponyo]

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?

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.

 

[Captante]

Sorry, I was thinking of Kobe beef, not waygu.

"Kobe" is a small area of Japan where beef is raised.

"Waygu" OTOH refers to a TYPE of cattle that can be bred nearly anywhere.

And as I mentioned in the "Ruth Chris" thread ... BOTH are absurdly overpriced. (Real "Kobe" beef is at least borderline worth it since the supply is finite... "Waygu" is mainly for the pretentious among us)

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.

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!)

 

[mnewsham]

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?

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.

It renders beautifully and you get a fantastic flavor from it. It's not like chewy fat you might be thinking of.

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!)

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.

A5 Wagyu is also usually cut to Japanese steak standards which is a 3/4" thickness instead of the usual American 1-1.5" steaks. So they tend to cook quicker and it's harder to get a rare center because of how thin they are (which again, is good because you want to render all that good fat)

 

[ponyo]

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.

 

[Captante]

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.

I'll be EXPECTING lots of detailed pics!

 

[ponyo]

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.

 

[Captante]

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.

Harrah's unlimited seafood buffet @ Lake Tahoe for me ... can't say how it's looking these days post-covid (and frankly being from New England I'm a bit spoiled for great seafood) but last time I had it, it was still pretty dang good!

 

[ponyo]

Lot of people only know wagyu but as someone who's eaten lot of beef, good hanwoo beef is hard to beat. It seriously might be the best beef. It's really good with that perfect balance of beef to fat ratio. I highly recommend seeking out and trying hanwoo beef if you visit South Korea.

https://www.10best.com/interests/food-culture/hanwoo-beef-best-world-south-korea/

 

[Kaido]

I got Costco Wagyu ground beef. Meh. I prefer generic store-brand 80/20.