American Wagyu Steaks

[jim07044]

I recently read an article about American Wagyu beef (steaks and hamburgers) and the author described the taste as "buttery" and "melt-in-your-mouth." Where can I get these steaks in NJ? I live in the Montclair area, so closer is better.

[BryanZ]

American "Wagyu" is hardly different than good USDA Prime. Now that we can get Japanese Wagyu in the states you're better of splurging on that and getting the full experience. You're going to have to go mail-order and research well.

[adegiulio]

American "Wagyu" is hardly different than good USDA Prime.  Now that we can get Japanese Wagyu in the states you're better of splurging on that and getting the full experience.  You're going to have to go mail-order and research well.

←

Ooh, I disagree with that. While I prefer prime to Wagyu, my opinion is that American Wagyu is indeed much more marbled than prime. For me, too much of a good thing (fat) makes Wagyu over the top.

The only people I would trust to give me American Wagyu is Lobels. Check out their site at Lobels.. Call the bank first, you may need a second mortgage!

By the way, they are located in NYC, if you are in the mood to make the trip...

Edited November 27, 2006 by adegiulio (log)

[PicnicChef]

Locally, Fossil Farms in Oakland has great stuff!

[Franky2Times]

Most wholesalers either stock it (Dairy Land or D'Artagnan) or can get it for you from the market. Ask your favourite restaurant chef. The american is pretty inexpensive. Is it worth it? I'll leave it up to you...

[adegiulio]

The american is pretty inexpensive.

←

Lobel's is selling their Wagyu strips for $120 a pound. That is hardly inexpensive..

[tommy]

The american is pretty inexpensive.

←

Lobel's is selling their Wagyu strips for $120 a pound. That is hardly inexpensive..

←

Stop and Shop sells it for considerably less.

as with most other things, there's top-of-the-line and silly-expensive (Lobel's), and then there's the rest.

[ejebud]

Lobel's is selling their Wagyu strips for $120 a pound. That is hardly inexpensive..

←

Here's the real stuff:

1-800-kobebeef.com Regularly $299 a pound on sale for $149

click here

Edited November 28, 2006 by ejebud (log)

[adegiulio]

The american is pretty inexpensive.

←

Lobel's is selling their Wagyu strips for $120 a pound. That is hardly inexpensive..

←

Stop and Shop sells it for considerably less.

as with most other things, there's top-of-the-line and silly-expensive (Lobel's), and then there's the rest.

←

I've never personally seen Wagyu in Stop and Shop. How's the quality? Does it seem like real Wagyu, or are they lying like so many restaurants are?

[tommy]

i have no reason to believe that restaurants or Stop and Shop are lying about their wagyu beef. from my understanding, if it comes from a wagyu cows, it can be called wagyu. that doesn't make it good. it just makes it wagyu.

the sample i had from Stop and Shop (actually, it might have been Kings), was very well-marbeled. more so than any piece of USDA Prime beef i've bought. the package didn't specify the grade, which i assume should be a standard in the packaging of this product. perhaps when people (me included) start understanding the product, they'll demand some sort of grading system.

it should be noted that Lobel's is no doubt dealing with the highest grade of wagyu, and, they're also dry-aging it. and they're Lobel's. three factors that explain their prices.

Edited November 28, 2006 by tommy (log)

[adegiulio]

i have no reason to believe that restaurants or Stop and Shop are lying about their wagyu beef.  from my understanding, if it comes from a wagyu cows, it can be called wagyu.  that doesn't make it good.  it just makes it wagyu.

←

I have eaten "Wagyu" several times in restaurants where the quality was quite poor. While they may not be in fact lying about the meat (it might very well have been carved from a Wagyu cow), they are certainly misleading about the quality. When I see the name Wagyu, I expect a certain minimum level of marbling and tenderness. For many people, I would expect, the name Wagyu has less to do with the breed of cow, and more to do with a perceived character of excellence. Serving sub-standard Wagyu is a violation of trust, in my opinion.

Do you remember the pricing on that S&S steak?

[tommy]

"violation of trust"/"marketing", same difference.

i don't recall the exact price, but i think it was probably a 6 ounce piece of meat for 20 dollars or so. i have a picture that'll i'll be putting up on my blog along with (hopefully) the exact price/lb for your review when i get a chance. i cooked it high and fast which, i believe, is exactly how you don't want to cook it.

i agree that people who don't know any better probably expect more from "wagyu" then they'll likely get.

wagyu, like any beef, comes in many cuts and levels of quality. caveat emptor.

[BryanZ]

The link that ejebud supplies gives a good approximation of what good Wagyu looks like. Though I might suggest that the detailed picture they give of a marbled strip "from Japan" (on a different section of that site) has too many large veins of fat. The best Wagyu I've seen is completely even in fat patterning.

It's been discussed ad nauseum on these boards but "Wagyu/Kobe" beef in the states has been a total joke for the past several years. Don't buy it, it's nothing like the real thing.

[tommy]

It's been discussed ad nauseum on these boards but "Wagyu/Kobe" beef in the states has been a total joke for the past several years.  Don't buy it, it's nothing like the real thing.

←

i've never tried it, but i'd think Lobel's American Wagyu beef is something a bit more than "a joke."

and there's always room for more discussion. that's the idea, i thought.

[Nathan]

for what it's worth, one egulleteer who has spent some time in Japan disagrees:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=94876&st=30#

[adegiulio]

It's been discussed ad nauseum on these boards but "Wagyu/Kobe" beef in the states has been a total joke for the past several years.  Don't buy it, it's nothing like the real thing.

←

While some of the "Wagyu" steaks I've eaten in my day were certainly jokes (bad ones), the Wagyu from Lobel's and craftsteak were certainly not. I'll say it again, though, I prefer prime to Wagyu...

[scarlet knight]

We bought veal chops and rib eyes at Lobel's in New York on Saturday. We sent my brother-in-law some filet mignons. The prices are astounding, but then so was the meat. I had a great week barbecuing in the hot weather!

I wouldn't shop at Lobel's regularly unless I win the lottery, but as a culinary adventure, I urge all eGulleters to go there and try a couple of things if you love meat. Citarella, Agata and Valentina and Florence Meat in Greenwich Village come close and may give you more bang for the buck, but Lobel's has great, great stuff.

[BryanZ]

It's been discussed ad nauseum on these boards but "Wagyu/Kobe" beef in the states has been a total joke for the past several years.  Don't buy it, it's nothing like the real thing.

←

While some of the "Wagyu" steaks I've eaten in my day were certainly jokes (bad ones), the Wagyu from Lobel's and craftsteak were certainly not. I'll say it again, though, I prefer prime to Wagyu...

←

I did not mean to imply that great American or Australian Wagyu beef has not been available. Rather, 99% of what is served/sold here under the Wagyu (or, spare me, Kobe) moniker is pure hype.

And I've not had an American or Aussie Wagyu steak that was as life-altering as what I've had in Japan. Preferences between feed, aging, etc are just that, preferences. Real Japanese Wagyu is really, really cool stuff.

[jim07044]

King's is advertising Waygu-Kobe filet mignon, rib eye or shell steaks for $34.99/pound. And Wagyu-Kobe ground beef or beef burgers for $5.99/pound.