Recession Special: $2,299.99 Roast At Costco
Reader Patrick points out a roast that could save the economy single-handedly — 15 lbs of Wagyu beef from Costco for $2,299.99.
The best part of the listing is this review:
"This is great stuff - I couldn't believe how good it is. Good thing it was delivered by Costco, though, since I had to sell my car to pay for it."
Hey, at least he's doing his part to keep America moving.
Japanese Wagyu Beef Ribeye [Costco]
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Comments:
Or you could shop around online and come up with a better deal....
@Rob Weddle: It is worth noting that Amazon Fresh (if you can get it) delivers ground Kobe beef for about $5/lb. I'm pretty sure it isn't from Wagyu cattle though.
@jpdanzig: The extensive marble is the hallmark of Kobe beef. That's why it's so flavorful and tender.
Wagyu is simply the breed of cattle and can come in more or less marbled than traditional kobe depending on how it was raised. But due to protections, wagyu can not be called Kobe unless it's raised in Kobe.
This particular roast pictured, is obviously a very high quality reproduction of Kobe beef.
@Claytons: *clap* *clap* - You're right on.
On the flip side - kudos to those who can afford to spend this kind of money on dinner. I feel privileged to live in a country where I have the opportunity to make a billion dollars and live a fat, rich life of excess if I want to and can pull it off.
@jpdanzig: The best beef (available to consumers) is marbled like this. Most of it cooks off, but the bit that stays behind really brings out the flavor and makes the meat tender. You've got to know how to cook it, though. A USDA Prime top sirlon cut, properly cooked, has about as much fat as a chicken breast.
If the steer (or heifer) is exercised hard enough to work off all the fat, (like in USDA Select a la Wal-Mart) the meet is tough and stringy - unless you use artificial tenderizers on it, beat it to a pulp first, or are willing to slow cook it for a day or two.
Wagyu is very good, but I think USDA Prime and Choice are good enough. Prime is about equal to Wagyu, without all the Japanese exclusive, hormone-free, natural grain fed, massaged once-a-day marketing involved.
I'll eat Select on a bad day. USDA Beef Grades
@nicemarmot617: It's more texture, less taste, at least from my experience with lesser beefs. Thoughts?
@Jakuub: I'm all about texture when it comes to steak, but I've had "regular" beef just as tender as Wagyu. Maybe not as fatty, but I'm not that big of a fan of the "marbling" anyway.
@valarmorghulis: I think you have it backwards. Wagyu cattle isnt want makes it so rediculously expensive, its that it comes from Kobe Japan.
It is unlikely that amazon is selling Kobe beef, and if they say they are, they are probabaly lying or have it stated as "American Kobe" or something similar.
@jpdanzig: I'm not trying to sound mean, but you don't know what you're looking at. If your meat is bright red, that means it is a leaner cut of meat containing more muscle fibers and less fat. For instance, filet is extremely lean, sometimes looking a bit purple in the center as a result. Most other bright red cuts are going to be stringy, tough, working muscles that need to be cooked for a long period of time before they break down and become soft.
The Wagyu beef is not only highly marbleized but the meat tissue itself contains higher quantities of fat, giving it a pinker look, almost like veal. Wagyu cows are of a certain breed, and are treated in a certain way (very relaxed, fed alcohol to 'sedate' the cows) in order to increase their intramuscular fat content to these extreme levels. Much of the grading of beef is related to the intramuscular fat content. A bright red steak would be a fresh piece of meat, but if the fat content is too low, it could be considered a lower grade of meat.
@MexiFinn: When the fuel price hike caused a mass cow slaughter, I bought a bunch of ribeye for ~$4-5 a lb. I knew it was a 'once in a lifetime' price situation, but I just wasn't in the mood for red meat at the time and had to freeze most of it.
I consider buying a whole beef tenderloin from Costco to be 'splurging'. The price/lb is unbeatable, and it makes a great dinner party. Thank you, Alton Brown, for teaching me how to butcher my own tenderloin!
@ArgusRun: Funny thing is.. There are no cow farms in Kobe. Kobe is an industrialized port city, it's all factories and heavy industry there. Me and my chef friend traveled to Kobe in search of the Kobe cow.. we never found it.
That is a freaking good deal. It cost me over $200 for 4oz. of Kobe beef ribeye steak meal I had in Japan. Of course this is regualar Wagyu. It won't be as naturally sweet from all the sake the cow's been fed.
BTW.. those who say Kobe beef tastes like store beef.. You ate a knock off. You won't believe how many times I had a Kobe beef steak in the California only to be disappointed it's nothing like the Kobe beef steak I had in Japan. I think the Kobe beef committee doesn't really have the man power to sue every little restaurant that claims to have "Kobe" beef.
@urban_ninjya: That's because Kobe Cows live only in the finest penthouse suites and have servants get them their daily requirements instead of having to go about that themselves.
@urban_ninjya: They're on tiny farms in the hills as far as I've heard.
Also, does anyone think this guy's been sufficiently corrected? And I thought I was being pedantic.
@nicemarmot617: Either you had "Wagyu style", or your chef sucked. I had the true stuff, on the same plate as the "Wagyu style" from Australia, and there was literally no comparison. The Australian tasted great, until I tried the real stuff. After a bite of the real stuff, the Australian tasted flavorless. It was just that good.
@urban_ninjya: I agree completely. Far too many people get the things that say "Kobe", but just aren't the real deal. The real deal is gooooood.
Not too far off the mark. I get Wagyu rib eyes for $149/lb.on sale.
To be fair, that's for marble score 12, which is the best, most flavorful. If you drop down to a marble score 5 or 6, prices go down to about $60/lb.
Unless the person cooking it knows exactly how to cook Wagyu and has some experience with it, you're wasting your money. This is not your average throw it on the grill steak.
Properly cooked, there isn't a huge difference between a 6 and a 12. But once you've had it properly prepared, there's nothing like it. A truly wonderful experience.
I do agree though that for most folks, myself included, USDA prime is usually extremely good meat, and even select cuts of choice are really good.
That's what is nice about Costco. You can get bargain priced stuff and high end stuff all at good prices too. No Waygu beef at Sam's club.
But seriously, who buys $149/lb meat at Costco?


















funny, it made front page over at SD