Sticker Shock!

[SmokinKat]

Looking through an email from Costco on some beef deals and came across this one.  Help me out here folks, is this a typo, or is A-5 Wagyu beef really over $10 an OUNCE?   $166.67 per pound??

http://www.costco.com/.product.100115176.html?&EMID=B2C_2014_0811_BBQ_food

Japanese A-5 Wagyu
24 oz. New York Strip Steaks 4-Pack
$999.99 Delivered
After $200 OFF
Valid through 8/31/14

[sliding_billy]

Some people have more money than sense.

[RAD]

looks like your math is off a bit. I see it at 10.42 per oz and what a great deal it is 

I have a hard time paying $10 per lb for a steak.

[muebe]

True Wagyu beef is only available in Japan. The normal Wagyu beef we get in the US is from a hybrid cow and not pure like the Japanese cow.

So if this is pure Wagyu beef like I think it is then that would explain the extremely high price. I thought that Wagyu beef could not even leave Japan.

Looks like they ship fresh from Japan and not frozen. Also shipping is included

Probably cheaper than plane tickets round trip to Japan to try the beef there.

[sparky]

True kobe beef is only available in Japan. The normal Wagyu beef we get in the US is from a hybrid cow and not pure like the Japanese cow.

So if this is pure Wagyu beef like I think it is then that would explain the extremely high price. I thought that kobe beef could not even leave Japan.

"true statement"

Looks like they ship fresh from Japan and not frozen. Also shipping is included

Probably cheaper than plane tickets round trip to Japan to try the beef there.

[muebe]

Sparky...

So are Japanese Wagyu and Japanese Kobe the same or different?

[sparky]

 I always that Japanese beef was kobe beef and wagya beef was American beef.  and I also heard that they do not ship their kobe beef from japan. 

[Ka Honu]

Wagyu is a type of beef from any of several special (Japanese) breeds of cattle. We now have wagyu cattle outside Japan so the appellation no longer signifies Japan as the country of origin.

In Japan, wagyu beef is often marketed as coming from a specific area (e.g., Kobe beef).

All Kobe beef is wagyu beef but not all wagyu beef is Kobe beef.

[deestafford]

Is it not true that "real" Kobe beef can't leave Japan?  Also, I heard talk of a Japanese beef that has been raised and is of a higher quality than Kobe.

My son in law got some Wagyu hot dogs from Austrailia one time and he gave me one and it was fantastic.  Best I ever had.

I saw a picture of true Kobe beef and the marbling made it look pink there was so much of it.  It really does seem to be special.

From what I understand the cows are hand massaged daily and fed beer in their grain....hey! That's the same way Turtle lives. 

Dee

[muebe]

So I gather that must be Kobe beef for that price!

[Smokin Don]

I think Ka Honu says it best  "All Kobe beef is wagyu beef but not all wagyu beef is Kobe beef."

Either one is too expensive for me!!! I eat Kah's Beef! Don

[TentHunteR]

Wagyu is a type of beef from any of several special (Japanese) breeds of cattle. We now have wagyu cattle outside Japan so the appellation no longer signifies Japan as the country of origin.

In Japan, wagyu beef is often marketed as coming from a specific area (e.g., Kobe beef).

All Kobe beef is wagyu beef but not all wagyu beef is Kobe beef.

The turtle is right on the money.  Kobe is a type of Wagyu from a specific area of Japan marketed by their Kobe Beef Association.



The whole thing that kills me about the excessive price of Wagyu is that you are paying for more fat, which makes the beef that's left even higher in price. Now don't get me wrong; if someone offered me a Wagyu steak, I'd happily partake, but for my taste and budget, I'm happy with the steaks from my local butcher.

Besides, if I want beef that tender, I do believe my money would be best served investing in a sous vide device.

[sliding_billy]

I have been lucky to get Wagyu cheap enough (relatively speaking) to buy and cook it quite a few times.  My $0.02... It is almost worth the investment in [less expensive] Wagyu when cooking things like beef tenderloin or filet.  As for brisket, or fatty steak cuts like ribeye, I do not find it to be worth the money.  I have done both.  Don't get me wrong, the Wagyu brisket I have done is probably the best I have ever had.  I guess if I had an endless supply of cash and/or free meat I would see it as worth every penny.  The biggest probelm with Wagyu brisket IMO is that while it creates a textural improvement, the smoke, the rub and even the process of rendering minimizes the relative improvement over a well marbled choice or prime.

I do have a single piece of Wagyu in my freezer waiting on a special occasion.  It is a beautiful tri-tip.  I got a few when I bought it, and did the others to a light medium (Wagyu does do better cooked a little further than cheaper cuts of beef I think).  My intention has been to use the last one for a trisket, but I haven't been able to bring myself to it just yet.

[Las Vegan Cajun]

Besides, if I want beef that tender, I do believe my money would be best served investing in a sous vide device.

That's exactly what I was thinking, $200 on an Anova would be a much better ROI.   

[spuds]

I cant afford to live in Malibu either.