Wagyu brisket advice requested

I've smoked several Snake River Farms Wagyu briskets. 2 out of 3 have been fabulous...the third was pretty darned good.

IMHO 180 isn't enough. Mine have finished in the 188-200-ish temp range. If it were me, I'd give them a top to bottom skewer push through test through the middle of the flat starting at 184. When it's in and out with minimal resistance, you're done.

Be sure to FTC it for at least 45 minutes.

Where you planning on getting yours from?

Either Snake River Farms or Paradise Meats. I'm in NJ, near Philadelphia. Shipping is a killer and there are no local sources that I've been able to find.

Did you find that it cooked quicker than a choice grade?

I've done Wagyu about 7 times. Found they cook about the same rate. But as with any brisket they will vary.

I like to pull them around the 192 mark. We took a second at Knoxville with one. Top team was Extreme Smokers. They won four or more that year.

Been using Paradise. Seems the sizes do vry from a standard beef, little smaller from what I have gotten.

RandyE

To tag on to Randy,the two points that they can finish about the same as "upper choice",but running the probe all the way thru them will be the most important.

Ken,

When you do order one, make sure some on is home to receive it. I got one, and it came late in the day. They normally come mid morning. And when it was opened, it was 65 degrees. The same temp as in the truck. Called the company and they replaced it, but it was the best looking Wagyu I had received.

It came from Paradise, and they stood good for it. But the ones I have seen, from Stube and Snake River, both looked better than the Paradise. But they are also more expensive.

Sam's club also offers them online. But they are also small, around 8 lbs for a packer.

Flavor of all of them are about the same. But for a comp I would go with a larger one. But for eating, the size won't matter.

RandyE

Randy:

Thanks for the tip. I work out of my home so I'm here 24/7.

Problem with Snake River is they are clear across the country. I might bite the bullet and order from them anyway. I'll report back once I place my order.

Restaurant Depot has a wagyu program but they are sourced from Canada and if I recall the briskets were very much on the small side.

One feature I like re: S.R.F. Wagyu briskets, you can order them online in 3 sizes:
11-14#
14-17#
17-20#

Like Randy said about size.Comp cooks want as large as possible,because it gives us more of what we are looking for to get those six slices in the turnin box.

The rest of it eats the same,or goes in the throw away barrel before you start the long drive home.

Ken,
In Myron Mixons class, we cooked 7 of the SRF. And they were real nice. But Myron said they were about $120 each.

RandyE

For the folks following the thread and wondering whether to go the $120 for a nice sized SRF,I'd like Randy's comment.

Considering some newer cooks will obsess for days over a 2 lb slab of loinbacks[Yes,many years ago I might have],I like to ask what if they were a cook like Randy that turns out 60 quality slabs on some Saturday with KISS,would they go thru all this.

Randy,do you think if you went to Walmart and sorted thru a couple cases of select packers until you found a decent one for $25-$30 and most backyard cooks ordered the SRF for $120.

Each of you cooked theirs and brought it to neighbors to sample and judge with a couple beers on Sat afternoon.

Which packer would most of them select?

Just a thought.

Tom that's easy...whoever brought the most beer wins

Tom,
When I cook my comps, I always use one of each. A wagyu and the best packer I can find locally. Most have been select, because I can only find flats in the choice. Now with that said at every contest we taste both, and the Wagyu has always been used. flavor is very close, but the tenderness is much better.

But as you know a comp can be just a minor difference between 1st and 10th. So I have used the wagyu. And they have payed for them selves so far.

Now like you stated, a few beers and the difference gets much smaller. If your just wanting to try one, I would just go with a smaller one. I think the one from Sam's was about $65.

Tom, I think your on point. Is the money difference worth it? If I am feeding my family, no. If I had more money than I know what to do with, I would eat it every day.

But like you asked, I think most people would choose the Wagyu in a head to head judging. This assumes both are cooked with the same method and rubs.

If you have done a bunch and you want to try it, I would go for it. But if you have only done a few I would not mess with it.

Tom, Next month we are doing 42 packers to raise money for a Scout trip, come on up and give us a hand. NO beer with the Scouts though.


RandyE

Snake River Farms Wagyu Brisket

11-14 lbs. $70.00
14-17 lbs. 80.00
17-20 lbs. 99.00

All plus expensive shippping!!

So glad our local Sam's Club does get in choice full packers.

Normally I buy packer cuts from Restaurant Depot - either their "superior angus beef" (whatever that really is) or choice. They do the trick.

I don't cook in competition but I have to say that after 15 years or trying I can cook a half way decent brisket. I always wanted to try a wagyu and I'm just using my upcoming birthday as an excuse to finally pull the trigger. You only live once

Randy,we are originally from east Ky,so know your neck of the woods well.
We spent a lot ot time running up I-95 and I-26 and I-40 chasing qualifiers.Too much time on I-75.

My real question was with your cooking skill on a walmart packer,compared to what the typical backyard cook that had maybe cooked a handful, cooking a wagyu,which would probably turn out the best?

Ken,not saying you,or any of our cooks don't have experience,etc,but we all want to do very well on our first cooks and we delay cooking a product,until we get the perfect sample.

My comment is to encourage our newer cooks to go ahead and cook something.I'd guess you may have had an early packer,or two,that didn't turn out great.I know I had many that weren't great and I'd guess Randy has had a couple.

I'm no expert, but those I hang around with all learned by cooking whatever packers they could get their hands on.

Many Sam's don't carry packers and RD's just started showing up within the last couple of years.

You should be able to tell the difference,because you've done enough packers to know what one should eat like.

Not everyone would...yet.

I can't say I've cooked any wagyu, but have had a chance to eat/sample a FEW and some cooked by top teams. Personally, if a feller can get a upper choice brisket and have it wet aged for a few days, it really does taste more like what brisket was like around home and you might be surprised on tenderness.

You say, I don't/can't wet age, maybe make friends with a meat cutter and let him do it for you in his walk in cooler and share with him...it is a reason for him to help!

Wet aging in Cry-O-Vac is pretty simple as long as you're sure when the meat was processed. When the meat is processed by the plant, it's given a "born on date". At which point it's received by the seller and placed in the cold case, it's usually given a "sell by" date on the label. Assuming the seller isn't re-labeling the "sell by" date, you need to ask them how much lead time they add to the processed date to determine the sell by date.

Got that so far?

Competition teams will by briskets by the case for the fact that the born-on date is stamped on the case. Most will typically age briskets 40-50 days beyond the born on date to wet age the meat. Wet aging will improve flavor and tenderness. You just need to be sure where origination point begins.

The thread is really going all over the place,but like Max says.

Got to spend some time with a senior IBP rep at a food show and TX was his home territory.
He knew briskets,and he shared some IBP research with us.
They have decided that two weeks gives the max benefit and after that we are just wet "storing".

He was also aware that some top TX comp cooks teach freezing packers first to start the breakdown process and then wet aged them for weeks before cooking.
Many others had dedicated frig's and stored them a couple of months before contests.

Can't swear the right way.

The top cooks, that have tried to teach me ,may have kept packers in dedicated refrigs for up to 80 days max.

Curious as to why you might post a braising recipe?

Thanks

Trying to convert you Tom.

Tom,

I thought I read that Ken had quite a bit of experience cooking briskets, and he wanted to pamper himeself.

If a backyard chef has done 12-20 and has gotten his technique down pretty well. I would say go ahead. And I do think if they are side by side, people will tell the difference. But I think I said before, just to feed the family I wouldn't spend that much.

But some peole are spending the $65-$90 a pound for the steaks. So if your finances are such, go for it. I have only cooked one for my family in the three years I have used them.

Doing a primerib this weekend for my birthday. So that's were my money is going?

Lone Mountain,
So were are the packers?? I assume the prices don't include shipping. Seems high, even for Wagyu. Been doing $5 lb for packers.


RandyE

Randy:

You are correct. I've been cooking briskets with regularity for years. Once I got my FEC-100 I really stepped up my game. They know me well over at Restaurant Depot now. I can't envision cooking wagyu all the time. Crazy expensive. This is just for the hell of it because I want to know.

For me, experimentation is what keeps this interesting. For the past year I've played around with hot and fast briskets with a mixed bag of hits and misses. Why? Why not? . Don't worry - this wagyu will be done low and slow. No way I'm going to take a risk with a $150 brisket.

I appreciate everyone's input. I learn more from this forum than any other I post/lurk on. The cook won't be until the end of the month. If I can get the hang of it I'll post photos. Be warned. I'm a better cook than photographer.

Ken

Looking forward to it Ken.

This was the strangest experience I ever had cooking a brisket. First off I should mention that I ordered 2 Akaushi briskets from Heartbrand Beef in Texas. One was 12.6 pounds and the other was 11.4. This second one was under the advertised weight but their rather unfriendly customer service department wasn't too concerned. Their "satisfaction guaranteed" motto apparently didn't apply. The meat had the appearance of beautiful marbling. The downside is that the point is very small. OK..on to the cook...

Normally I cook at 250 degrees straight through and guestimate it to at 1-1.25 hours to the pound. Based on the advice given in this thread it seemed that would hold true. I decided to go very low and slow - much different for me. I started at 2am and set the FEC100 on 180 for 2 hours and then had it on hold at 224. At 6am my thermometer alerted me that the meat was at 160! Since I had dinner planned for 5pm I decided to slow it down as best I could. I dropped the temp to 210. It slowed it down slightly but I could see that it was going to be done very early. First thing I did was alert my guests that dinner was now lunch. I bumped the FEC100 back up to 224. At 12:30 the brisket hit 192 degrees and the probe penetrated nicely. I FTC'd it a few minutes ago and we'll be cutting into it at about 2pm.

So basically cooking at very low temperature it took 10 1/2 hours for a 12 pound brisket. Next one I'll just get up early in the morning and do my usual 250.

I'll take photos and report the good or bad news (it does look beautiful).