Wagyu questions

I don't know about "better" places than SRFs, but this place may be closer to you and more affordable.... Huntspoint It seems that shipping is the expensive part of mail ordering. Here is a place you can buy a two pack that are decent wagyu's.... premier proteins

I don't know if it's better or worth it, but it can be different if you buy the better quality Wagyu.

Hot and fast works fine with Wagyu.

Most have been aged 28 days, if the cryo hasn't been punctured you should be good for a week or so, if you want to keep it longer then that throw it in the freezer.

More questions?

I never felt the need to unload a bunch of money for a fad. To me cooking brisket has always been about taking what "USED TO BE" a cheap piece of meat and turning it into something flavorful and edible.

If cost isn't a primary concern, brisket aficionados should give Wagyu a try at least once. The several I've smoked were unmistakably more flavorful and tender vs Choice packers.

One note of caution, the window of doneness will be much tighter, especially if going the hot & fast route. Test for tender at 185 and keep at it every 20 minutes.

It's an expensive experiment as Max said there is a NARROW window to smoke them and they can dry out very fast.

I won't say that money isn't a concern, but it wouldn't break me. I want to see if it's worth it. I have a special event coming up in a few months that I would consider cooking one. I would prefer to practice on one so it's not the first time for the event

thanks

Have you ever cooked a Prime Brisket? for the money, I love the Creekstone Prime.

quote:

Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
Have you ever cooked a Prime Brisket? for the money, I love the Creekstone Prime.

Price delivered....


1st waygu I cooked, I cooked a Creekstone also and turned the Creekstone in , got a call too

never tried prime either, impossible to find up here in Buffalo. Mostly use Choice. Looks like I might have one of those as well

thanks

I'm with Smokin & Cal in terms of cost/value.

A SRF Wagyu 14-17 lbs lists at $159. Shipping will add close to $100.

Cal's link lists a Creekstone Prine, DELIVERED for $140. Quite a savings.

Best advice is to cook one of each and decide the best bang for the buck.

I was confused with their prime vs premium so I asked, this is their response.... also the prime is aged 7-10 days before shipping and is garanteed to be good for 30 days total....

From Creekstone:
The Premium has nothing to do with the grade, it’s the name of the product line. We offer a Premium beef line as well as a Natural beef line. Both are based on Black Angus cattle and all of the protocols to produce tender and delicious beef. However, our Natural cattle are subject to a stricter set of rules that prohibit the use of using hormones or antibiotics. We do not prohibit the use of these in our premium program.

I think some of the confusion is that USDA actually considers the definition of natural beef to be beef that has nothing added to it. By that definition, USDA would consider all of our fresh beef would be considered natural. However, we only label it natural if it follows our strict certified natural protocols and is backed up by producer affidavits. Cattle in our Premium program may not have received hormones or antibiotics but we do not have sufficient documentation to verify this. The protocols of our natural beef cover the following:

• Black Angus Genetics are the base of our program
• No Antibiotics Ever
• No Added Hormones Ever
• No Growth Promoting Drugs
• 100% Vegetarian Diet
• Source Verified to Ranch of Birth

Both of our programs are designed to deliver a consistent product with tenderness and a great flavor profile and I think you will find either program delivers on the quality that people have come to expect from Creekstone beef.

I hope this answers your questions. Please feel free to contact me with any other questions you may have.

fyi ... I ordered a prime brisket from Creekstone ... will let you know

I was recently gifted a SRF "gold" Wagyu brisket. Easily one of the best I've ever made.

Having said that I've had nothing but consistent success with Creekstone Farms prime briskets.

Pricing is reasonable considering it includes shipping. You can often catch a promotion as well. They have one going on right now. Enter HOLIDAYGIFT2014 and you get a box of burgers if you spend over $100 (easy to do on their site). Other gifts kick in if you spend more. Code expires on 12/17.

quote:

Originally posted by Ken Golden:
I was recently gifted a SRF "gold" Wagyu brisket. Easily one of the best I've ever made.

Having said that I've had nothing but consistent success with Creekstone Farms prime briskets.

Pricing is reasonable considering it includes shipping. You can often catch a promotion as well. They have one going on right now. Enter HOLIDAYGIFT2014 and you get a box of burgers if you spend over $100 (easy to do on their site). Other gifts kick in if you spend more. Code expires on 12/17.

I hope dba1954 got the burgers!

no free burgers, no mention of that anywhare on the site. It must be for existing customers ....

quote:

Originally posted by dba1954:
no free burgers, no mention of that anywhare on the site. It must be for existing customers ....

They probably sent them to Cal?!

quote:

Originally posted by Joe M:

quote:

Originally posted by dba1954:
no free burgers, no mention of that anywhare on the site. It must be for existing customers ....

They probably sent them to Cal?!

Nah!....When they were offering a 10% KCBS discount, I tried to get some free burgers also. That didn't work out.

Me, I'm eating Wagyu burgers this winter.

well, got the USDA Prime brisket today (15+ lbs), frozen sold as a rock. I plan to smoke it on new year's day. Question is should I thaw it and wet age it for a couple of weeks or leave it frozen and take it out 3-4 days before I need it?

Good question. I don't know about wet aging after it's been frozen, never did that and don't know the affect but my 6th sense says the freezing will affect the cell walls some.

I don't think it would go bad as it's still in the cryovac, I just don't know if it will add anything to the flavor.

If it's frozen solid I would give it at least 4 days to thaw in a fridge.

quote:

Originally posted by dba1954:
well, got the USDA Prime brisket today (15+ lbs), frozen sold as a rock. I plan to smoke it on new year's day. Question is should I thaw it and wet age it for a couple of weeks or leave it frozen and take it out 3-4 days before I need it?

If you have wet aging capabilities(dedicated frig) that's what I would do. You need to make sure that when it thaws the cryo doesn't have a hole in it.

Had a good brisket cook once tell me....it's better to have a great brisket that has no aging, as opposed to a good brisket that has been aged. I've found this to be true.

creekstone farms said it would be good for 20-23 days after delivery if kept in a fridge, not frozen. Maybe I'll take it out of the freezer and into my second fridge around xmas ... one heck of a cooler they ship it in, I've got to find a use for that ! Brisket looks of uniform thickness...

Please provide a thorough report after the cook.

Thawing the brisket getting ready for the cook on Thursday ... this thing is 22" long and >16 lbs! Won't be nice, calling for 35 mph winds, snow and high of 29.

dba,
Nice weather you've been having! You know it's cold when Niagra Falls Freezes over! What ever happened with the brisket? Was it worth it?
Joe M