I have tried Japanese, American and Australian, paid from $20 to $40 for about 2 oz portions. I could have paid more for larger portions, but wanted to taste it, vs having a meal. Meal size portions could cost $240.

Mild flavor, silky texture.

I met a guy who has a wagyu beef ranch in TX. He is also a tournament fisherman.

In Silicon Valley CA, there are steak houses serving Wagyu and Japanese style restaurants that serve Wagyu “sashimi style”. Similar to a serving of sashimi may cost $10-20 depending on the fish, a serving of Wagyu may cost $10-$40 depending on the cut and maybe sauce.

The Wagyu maybe served “flamed” or seared with dipping sauces or dipping spices, also as a roll or as nigiri.

If you are interested, maybe there is a Japanese style restaurant in your area you could try. In my area, maybe Alexander’s as a steakhouse, or Senro as a Japanese style restaurant.

As "beef", to be prepared and served in a standard American way, it's a waste of money. Some American range bred wagyu is really not anything like the real thing and not particularly superior to other top quality beef. That's the only kind I've had. I do believe that proper Japanese wagyu (or possible Japanese style raised wagyu) may be as special as the price tag.

wagyu is very heavily marbled ... you are paying for fat/flavor.

most cattlemen have gone to raising leaner beef these days. depending upon your tastes, a nice porterhouse, or other cuts, might be superior, and about equivalent in cost.

There are several wagyu ranches in the area and higher end groceries and restaurants carry their meat. One that I really favor also carries Kurobuta pork as well!! I've had the local wagyu (and Japanese Kobe wagyu) and it was excellent - great flavor and a buttery, melt in your mouth texture. The cost difference between the US and the Kobe is significant but IMO, the taste diff is not enough to justify spending double or triple on the Kobe version.

Any pictures I've seen of it has been a real turn-off for me. Far too much fat for my liking.

The only place near us that sells it - and it is special order only - the price is $200.00/pound. I don't care how good something tastes, that is ridiculous. But the owner told me that he sells quite a bit of it. :-0

Not sure how I feel about it and the price. I've had both wagyu and Kobe many times and even Kobe sliders but out and about and I don't pay, (work-perk).

Expertly prepared.

I was on my delivery grocery service last night being out of steaks. We don't need to order for a few weeks with a well stocked freezer and pantry...but I start a cart as I think of things. (they deliver next day)....we can add/delete up until the night before delivery.

Wagyu on the left at 46$LB, prime strip/shell on the right for 23$LB.

"Snake River Farms is the premier producer of American Wagyu steaks and roasts. Their beef is coveted by award-winning chefs and served in top-rated restaurants throughout the world. Snake River Farms beef features a buttery texture, complex flavors, subtle sweetness and a lingering finish.

American Wagyu beef is the result of cross-breeding Japanese Wagyu with high-quality continental breeds of cattle. American Wagyu beef is prized because of its intense marbling and high percentage of oleaginous, intramuscular unsaturated fat. The name Kobe is reserved exclusively to describe cattle raised in the Kobe region of Japan."

Maybe in a few weeks I'll visit my usual butcher. For steaks I really need to see it in person and select the thickness and the marbling . We like just under 2 inches and trim at home. Buy two shells/NY strip and cut into 3rds. 2 steaks, 3 meals. 4-5 ounces each. The trimmings go into our ground burger blend.

Snake River Farms is the supplier of the waygu beef at my local grocery. And it doesn't cost anywhere near $200 per pound or this little old lady on a more or less fixed income would not be buying it!!

Snake River is also the supplier of the Kurobuta hams I like so much.

The same people who can convince you that uncooked sliced fish is worth $590 per person for dinner, (Masa NYC, reservation about a month) should have no problem to sell you for big bucks for cow fat.

No thanks. Not for me.

dcarch

I actually do like fatty beef, and would no doubt enjoy it, but it's just too cost prohibitive for me to consider. I'll take a well marbled steak instead.

Actually, you probably mean Kobe beef, which is a very specific subset of the different Wagyu breeds. Per Crowd Cow:

" For beef to be labelled "Kobe Beef", it must be certified according to the following criteria:

• It must be of the Kuroge Washu breed, and specifically the Tajima strain
• The animal must be raised and slaughtered in Hyogo prefecture
• The carcass must be rated and achieve an A4 or A5 rating

"Kobe Beef" is a brand name in Japan. And it's the only brand to be well known outside of Japan.

In fact, in Japan, there are other "luxury beef brands" such as Matsusaka and Ohmi, and beef-producing regions outside of Hyogo Prefecture such as Kagoshima that are widely considered by beef connoisseurs in Japan to be superior to Kobe Beef. "

Sources:

https://www.crowdcow.com/blog/japanese-cattle-breeds

https://www.crowdcow.com/blog/myths-and-facts-about-wagyu

****

Only the Kuroge Washu breed produces the A4/A5 ranked beef. In the U.S. there are only 9 restaurants that are authorized to import and serve it: https://bestlifeonline.com/kobe-beef-restaurants/

****

For a very short time Japan allowed the export of some of the lesser strains of Wagyu cattle. Those are the U.S. Wagyu and Wagyu/hybrid beef that you see in restaurants and retail markets. Note the U.S. Wagyu label indicates the steer has at least 51% Wagyu bloodline, but it is not an automatic indication of the prized Kuroge Washu Wagyu breed.

It's not to say that all US Wagyu are inferior - some of the hybrids are very good: raised to a good age on grass, then grain finished (preferably with a high percentage of barley or corn).

But most, frankly, are considered a rip-off, charging a premium for an unknown quality.

I've had dry-aged US Wagyu twice (different steakhouses) but wasn't impressed. Mild flavor, suitable for people that don't eat a lot of beef. Also, it's not a steak I'd eat rare. Medium-rare at the very least. Just too fatty otherwise, and I say that as someone who genuinely LOVES crispy-edged suet.

I grew up in Chicago when the cattle were still being driven every year to the Stockyards. My baseline is Black Angus Prime or Prime Plus, grain-finished and dry-aged. I like big, beefy flavor. Even the better US Wagyu doesn't quite make it for me.

Black Angus Prime can be bought from specialty markets, or by mail from sources like Creekstone Farms/Kansas (which we discovered when we went to a great local restaurant and the menu named their vendors).

Excellent American Wagyu can be ordered from Snake River Farms/Idaho, if you can't find it locally. Snake River sells the rare rib-eye filet steaks, which are usually very hard to find.

BTW, keep in mind that there are levels of quality even from specialty producers. Yes, Snake River sells a line of Wagyu beef products in retail supermarkets. But their Gold Grade rib-eye steak, approx 1.2 lb. for one steak, is priced at $89. You will not find that at your local Safeway or Kroger, probably.

HTH clear up some of the confusion!

I too like full-flavored, well-marbled beef in small quantity. I have had US Wagyu and liked it. But then, our local Market has really good prime beef under their own label, so I’m already a bit spoiled. (which I like to be.)

Overpriced beef with lots of fat. I've tried it several times, mostly as brisket, and can't see any difference once it's cooked.

Chicken fat, pork fat, bacon fat, duck fat, all stay kind of soft in the refrigerator.

Cow fat gets very solid in the refrigerator. I don't know if that means anything in your arteries.

dcarch

I have not confirmed this, but from things I’ve read, it seems that the difference in hardness when cool comes both from water content and the particular makeup of the fat, how much of its composition is saturated fat.

We no longer have a store here, but Top Foods used to sell a little Canadian Kobe. It was quite good. I really have little interest in a sirloin steak, but the few Canadian Kobe sirloin I bought were very nice grilled. Moist and tender.

I see Wagyu in their Olympia store now, but never prepackaged. That's often my last stop from a day of errands on my way home, and while I usually mean to - I don't stand at the meat counter long enough to pick out beef, have it cut, weighed. Maybe one of these days I will. I think probably affordable for us, we find ourselves splitting a steak more often than not when eating at home any more. Not for any reason other than we just get full with a grilled potato (DH always willing to cook those), vegetable and salad or, salad and berries on the side

Thanks! One of these days I’ll do a taste test. Maybe when DD comes home, as she enjoys culinary experiments.

I've had Wagyu from Australia, Idaho and Kobe (in Japan -- during business dinners where I was not paying! ) It is very mild and doesn't really compare to a steak. Because the marbling is so dense, it is not like eating pork belly. It's best in small seared pieces (teppanyaki) and I've even had it in shabu shabu and in yakiniku and Korean BBQ. Don't braise it. (I had some Australian wagyu in a Chinese restaurant in Shanghai that was fantastic) And you really can't eat a lot, because it is so rich. My local Japanese market stocks at least the domestic kind all the time.

FYI: the word Wagyu means "Japanese cow". So it's not a true indication of quality, just breed. That's why the Japanese use the term "Kobe" when referring to the A4/A5 beef.

That's explained in the links I attached in my previous post, but just in case people weren't able to access them - I understand there was a problem with Net access for some of the carriers the other day.