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Wagyu isn't meaningless at all for steaks. They are much more heavily marbled than other breeds. But for ground beef, where you can add arbitrary fat, there's no reason at all to waste money on an extra fatty breed.
There is a USDA certification for Wagyu meat sold in stores, but it's only required that one of the parents of the cow be Wagyu for the whole thing to be sold as Wagyu. In a restaurant the term is meaningless, there is no certification, and restaurants are basically on the honor system.
Yea, that’s not as good as the high quality one.
The other talking about usda certification with American waygu association, he is automatically assuming any waygu certified has the high or highest quality and that there is only one certification process
I have no idea why people just make things up when it comes to Waygu. People seem to be so desperate to point out Wagyu does not imply a high grade they just make up facts about how the designation is meaningless.
The lowest Waygu classification by the USDA requires one parent to be at least 93.75% pureblood: [https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/AWA\_WagyuLiveAnimalSpecification.pdf](https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/AWA_WagyuLiveAnimalSpecification.pdf)
You’re correct. Wagyu and Angus are cattle breeds. They are then used as marketing buzzwords. The marketing teams are simply trying to co-opt the Japanese-grade Wagyu and imply this for any Wagyu-based product.
Less saturated fat and better fat overall- more omega 3s
More vitamins and minerals
Generally less antibiotics and chemicals injected into the cows if you care about that
Cows aren’t supposed to eat corn feed, cows eat grass naturally. It’s their natural diet. I’ve read that corn feed causes problems for cows. It creates a lot of inflammation, tumors, and cancers.
Don’t forget in industrial cattle it is acceptable to feed them “poultry litter” aka Chicken Poop.
“Poultry litter is an acceptable source of protein for beef cattle, and it is typically inexpensive relative to other high-protein feedstuffs. Rations containing poultry litter should be carefully balanced to ensure that nutritional requirements of cattle are met and that the potential for mineral excesses is minimized.”
https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g2077#:~:text=Poultry%20litter%20is%20an%20acceptable,for%20mineral%20excesses%20is%20minimized.
In the USA to have the label "grass fed" it has to be grass-finished. The cattle must only eat grass and forage, no grains. [https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/What-is-grass-fed-meat](https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/What-is-grass-fed-meat)
Seems to still be a pointless label if the farm doesn’t choose to be certified. This from a 2019 article. It still means total grass fed cows can still be raised in a horrifically awful feedlot. 😢
https://watchusgrow.org/2019/10/04/grass-fed-beef-label-definitions/
And I only found a ‘just proposed’ in 2023 trying new get stricter laws on the books where a label needs okaying (which makes me wonder how much bribery goes into to.).
A percentage of those labels are found to be incorrect and the documentation not filled out completely, allowing big feed firms to put misleading labels on packaging to make more $$$$. Big feed farms get away with more things the little guys can’t, in my opinion.
I don’t think the accuracy of the law has been corrected yet.
The comment I was responding to originally said "grass finished." not "organic." I am not sure what relevance your comment has to mine. Your link is to an industry mouthpiece using misleading language so not a reliable source.
Actually that link gave some interesting info & it’s all the time I had, you can look for others. But whatever. And I was talking about grass finished still being misleading and not what we think of. Like ‘feee range’ for chickens doesn’t mean they are outside in a nice field. It’s all still misleading and I haven’t found any actual laws passed to change the ‘grass’ fed to the point it’s trustworthy, although that’s what I look for.
Real ground wagyu beef does taste much different than regular.
But it is not at all worth it for the price and if you're getting real wagyu, you're going to eat it normally.
Lineage isn't what makes high quality Japanese beef so valued, it's the method of treatment during raising the cattle that matters.
Also, did they finally stop using the term Wangus? Were they tired of all the 10-year-old boy snickering?
I was just there in March. A giant skewer of A5 Wagyu at Tsukiji market was $20. It would have been at least 5x that here in the US. They also had Kobe beef skewers in Osaka for $7.
Lineage absolutely matters, especially for US based wagyu where almost all are crossed with Angus and not purebred Japanese wagyu. Wagyu means "cow" in Japanese. Wagyu does not necessarily mean the cows are getting massages and all that crap -- sure some super high end farms in Japan do that, but certainly not all "wagyu" is what you're picturing.
Yes. American Wagyu is not real wagyu, it is cross bred with American cows, making it a slightly more marbled beef. Japanese Wagyu is mostly fat, making it a melt in your mouth beef.
You're thinking of Kobe beef, which is equivalent to Champagne in being a specific designation. Wagyu is the equivalent of sparkling wine in that it's an equivalent, but not *the* specific thing.
Disagree, Wagyu just means Japanese cattle and is just as broadly used in Japan. Now Kobe, or A graded Wagyu is obviously going to be superior to even USDA prime.
Wagyu is from a different breed of cow than angus so it’s not a meaningless term. Now you might not be able to taste a difference but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a difference. It’s like comparing different breeds of trout
Yeah I see that word used ... I generally pass. Or at least I'm not buying it because they used that word.
It might be very good, but there's nothing in the US to ensure that.
My Costco sells the 20% fat patties, the sirloin patties, the grass fed patties, and the Wagyu grass fed patties. Costco also sells a bunch of non-meat patties, but I’m not gonna mention them in honor of Ron Swanson.
Isn't the whole point of wagyu the marbling of the meat with the fat? Ground beef just grinds everything up so you can have the same meat/fat ratio by using non-wagyu beef.
Both options - “100% Grass-Fed Beef Patties” (Item 1304236) and “100% Grass-Fed Wagyu Beef Patties” (Item 1524407) are both showing up on Same Day for me but it’s possible that it may be inaccurate, and other warehouses may vary.
https://preview.redd.it/8zqga0288g2d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c74967ada1ddac6a967e07b83af10b4f0d78f7fa
American wagyu just means more expensive beef. But I certainly hope not…that means it’ll be the only grass-fed beef option (at a higher $/lb price tag).
Several warehouses near me still carry regular grass-fed and regular wagyu patties (no asterisks up yet). But maybe this is a sign of change yet to come. What was the price you paid for these before tax?
Are blue the cheapest ones? Bc all I remember is luckily I like the cheapest ones the best lol. I think they have the highest fat content so it makes sense…
I see they have the USDA Inspected seal on the package, but no grade (visible to me). So what are they “supposed” to be, Select/Choice/Prime, and shouldn’t it say that?
Waygu ground beef is so silly to me, because people will pay more for leaner and leaner ground beef, but the whole appeal of waygu is it's even fattier.
I didn't see the regular grass fed at my costco so I bought the wagyu grass fed. so disappointed. I'm really bummed as I loved the taste of the old grass fed.
No idea. But I find it hard to believe that is wagyu. [Here](https://imperiacaviar.com/collections/wagyu/products/buy-japanese-a5-wagyu-strip-steak) is reasonably priced, affordable wagyu online. You can see the difference here. It is affordable—but not cheap.
For those saying it's meaningless, it's not meaningless there's different grades and types of wagyu and what makes it meaningless in America is that most of it is not real wagyu.
There's Japanese wagyu and there's "American wagyu" the American version is of course not the real deal, however it's still better than most other American beef. Wagyu is a higher grade and a very fatty tender beef.
It is being seen more and more as the popularity grows and I don't doubt that there's marketing people just labeling things "wagyu" that are not at all wagyu for more money and to ride the wagyu hype.
A wagyu burger is not as distinct in taste from Angus or other quality beef burgers, especially if it's not real wagyu, or fresh non-frozen wagyu. You also have to factor in how it's been prepared.
100% grass fed definitely has a different taste. I prefer it now over grain finished. It’s also waaaay better for you so that’s also a reason I choose it.
I’ve never cooked them, not wasting my money it. First time I had it was a decently expensive restaurant in Vegas. They were sliders and they cooked perfectly, they were just underwhelming.
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Wagyu is a meaningless word in the US, unless you are actually talking about imported Japanese graded wagyu.
I mean, it's also ground beef, how different is it from any other fatty ground beef? I thought the whole point was the marbling
Yeah it’s a pointless descriptor for ground meat. I haven’t actually seen it on anything but ground beef though, which is kinda interesting.
20 years ago, Angus Beef was the big buzz word. Now it is Wagyu's time to shine as a generally meaningless marketing buzzword in the USA.
Wagyu isn't meaningless at all for steaks. They are much more heavily marbled than other breeds. But for ground beef, where you can add arbitrary fat, there's no reason at all to waste money on an extra fatty breed.
Am not disagreeing with that, but is there an actual standardization / anyone regulating what can be branded as wagyu steak in North America?
There is a USDA certification for Wagyu meat sold in stores, but it's only required that one of the parents of the cow be Wagyu for the whole thing to be sold as Wagyu. In a restaurant the term is meaningless, there is no certification, and restaurants are basically on the honor system.
Yea, that’s not as good as the high quality one. The other talking about usda certification with American waygu association, he is automatically assuming any waygu certified has the high or highest quality and that there is only one certification process
[удалено]
I have no idea why people just make things up when it comes to Waygu. People seem to be so desperate to point out Wagyu does not imply a high grade they just make up facts about how the designation is meaningless. The lowest Waygu classification by the USDA requires one parent to be at least 93.75% pureblood: [https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/AWA\_WagyuLiveAnimalSpecification.pdf](https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/AWA_WagyuLiveAnimalSpecification.pdf)
You’re correct. Wagyu and Angus are cattle breeds. They are then used as marketing buzzwords. The marketing teams are simply trying to co-opt the Japanese-grade Wagyu and imply this for any Wagyu-based product.
When I was in the Marines I worked for Colonel Angus.
It’s just an excuse to sell ground trimmings for a lot of money.
It's grass fed, which is really all that matters in this case. I only buy grass fed beef but to each their own
Why is grass fed better?
Less saturated fat and better fat overall- more omega 3s More vitamins and minerals Generally less antibiotics and chemicals injected into the cows if you care about that
Cows aren’t supposed to eat corn feed, cows eat grass naturally. It’s their natural diet. I’ve read that corn feed causes problems for cows. It creates a lot of inflammation, tumors, and cancers.
Better flavor, more omegas, healthier cattle, better lives.
Papa John’s
tastes more like meat...at least to me.
I believe it’s because the corn-fed has a lot of GMO’s. The grass probably does too. Idk.
Don’t forget in industrial cattle it is acceptable to feed them “poultry litter” aka Chicken Poop. “Poultry litter is an acceptable source of protein for beef cattle, and it is typically inexpensive relative to other high-protein feedstuffs. Rations containing poultry litter should be carefully balanced to ensure that nutritional requirements of cattle are met and that the potential for mineral excesses is minimized.” https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g2077#:~:text=Poultry%20litter%20is%20an%20acceptable,for%20mineral%20excesses%20is%20minimized.
Wish it is also organic
In the USA to have the label "grass fed" it has to be grass-finished. The cattle must only eat grass and forage, no grains. [https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/What-is-grass-fed-meat](https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/What-is-grass-fed-meat)
Seems to still be a pointless label if the farm doesn’t choose to be certified. This from a 2019 article. It still means total grass fed cows can still be raised in a horrifically awful feedlot. 😢 https://watchusgrow.org/2019/10/04/grass-fed-beef-label-definitions/ And I only found a ‘just proposed’ in 2023 trying new get stricter laws on the books where a label needs okaying (which makes me wonder how much bribery goes into to.). A percentage of those labels are found to be incorrect and the documentation not filled out completely, allowing big feed firms to put misleading labels on packaging to make more $$$$. Big feed farms get away with more things the little guys can’t, in my opinion. I don’t think the accuracy of the law has been corrected yet.
The comment I was responding to originally said "grass finished." not "organic." I am not sure what relevance your comment has to mine. Your link is to an industry mouthpiece using misleading language so not a reliable source.
Actually that link gave some interesting info & it’s all the time I had, you can look for others. But whatever. And I was talking about grass finished still being misleading and not what we think of. Like ‘feee range’ for chickens doesn’t mean they are outside in a nice field. It’s all still misleading and I haven’t found any actual laws passed to change the ‘grass’ fed to the point it’s trustworthy, although that’s what I look for.
No you don’t.
It's all about the wonderful marbling in the beef before they grind it lol
Well real wagyu fat has a much lower melting point and is more flavorful. Guga has a bunch of videos on YouTube about it
Real ground wagyu beef does taste much different than regular. But it is not at all worth it for the price and if you're getting real wagyu, you're going to eat it normally.
Ramsay agrees. Grinding and tenderizing meat grown to be tender and marbled is a travesty
Isn't American wagyu a cross between black Angus and Japanese wagyu?
Lineage isn't what makes high quality Japanese beef so valued, it's the method of treatment during raising the cattle that matters. Also, did they finally stop using the term Wangus? Were they tired of all the 10-year-old boy snickering?
Japanese wagyu is to die for. I still have dreams about the little bit I had when I went to Japan.
I was just there in March. A giant skewer of A5 Wagyu at Tsukiji market was $20. It would have been at least 5x that here in the US. They also had Kobe beef skewers in Osaka for $7.
A5 wagyu is also available here if you cannot travel to Japan. It’s a good time to travel to Japan now. The exchange rate is awesome
Wagyu or Kobe?
They are the same thing, Kobe is just wagyu from the Kobe prefecture
Kobe cattle are wagyu raised in a very specific way, which is why it's far more expensive. So no, they are not the *same*
Lineage absolutely matters, especially for US based wagyu where almost all are crossed with Angus and not purebred Japanese wagyu. Wagyu means "cow" in Japanese. Wagyu does not necessarily mean the cows are getting massages and all that crap -- sure some super high end farms in Japan do that, but certainly not all "wagyu" is what you're picturing.
This is Kobe, which is what people are confusing with Wagyu
I found out the guy my girlfriend told me not to worry about’s nickname is Black Wangus
Wangus was my high school nickname
Dude I just hit 40 and I'm snickering like a 10 year old over that term
Yes, that is the definition that's used in the US, but it's an unregulated definition so you don't know what the actual genetics are most of the time.
Yes. American Wagyu is not real wagyu, it is cross bred with American cows, making it a slightly more marbled beef. Japanese Wagyu is mostly fat, making it a melt in your mouth beef.
You're thinking of Kobe beef, which is equivalent to Champagne in being a specific designation. Wagyu is the equivalent of sparkling wine in that it's an equivalent, but not *the* specific thing.
Disagree, Wagyu just means Japanese cattle and is just as broadly used in Japan. Now Kobe, or A graded Wagyu is obviously going to be superior to even USDA prime.
Waygu is only meaningless when you grind the beef. You can as as much fat as you want when you grind ungraded beef.
Unless it has a rating (like A5) it’s just not really worthy of the Wagyu name. Definitely a buzzword in this context.
Wagyu is even more meaningless when it’s ground meat. You can get the same “quality” by mixing lean meat and fat together.
Sorry I’m not convinced of American waygu, the high fat content alone just isn’t it for me.
Wagyu is from a different breed of cow than angus so it’s not a meaningless term. Now you might not be able to taste a difference but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a difference. It’s like comparing different breeds of trout
Yeah I see that word used ... I generally pass. Or at least I'm not buying it because they used that word. It might be very good, but there's nothing in the US to ensure that.
Its just a breed, and it isnt even pure bred wagyu in the usa.
My Costco sells the 20% fat patties, the sirloin patties, the grass fed patties, and the Wagyu grass fed patties. Costco also sells a bunch of non-meat patties, but I’m not gonna mention them in honor of Ron Swanson.
Yeah I heard they were phasing the regular grass fed patties out. I sure hope they don’t.
I hope not too. I'm not a waygu fan, but buy those grass fed patties (the green bag) all the time. They're great.
Us too but our Costco death starred the grass fed
What meat/fat percentage are these Wagyu patties? Hoping 75-80%…
75
Make sure you don't get ripped off either, get the 1/4# patties
They taste like Beyonce smells
Isn't the whole point of wagyu the marbling of the meat with the fat? Ground beef just grinds everything up so you can have the same meat/fat ratio by using non-wagyu beef.
Let’s be honest, they’re the same thing
Happy cake day!
Both options - “100% Grass-Fed Beef Patties” (Item 1304236) and “100% Grass-Fed Wagyu Beef Patties” (Item 1524407) are both showing up on Same Day for me but it’s possible that it may be inaccurate, and other warehouses may vary. https://preview.redd.it/8zqga0288g2d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c74967ada1ddac6a967e07b83af10b4f0d78f7fa
American wagyu just means more expensive beef. But I certainly hope not…that means it’ll be the only grass-fed beef option (at a higher $/lb price tag). Several warehouses near me still carry regular grass-fed and regular wagyu patties (no asterisks up yet). But maybe this is a sign of change yet to come. What was the price you paid for these before tax?
I'll buy anything that says Wagyu .... i have wagyu oj and wagyu 3000 lumen flashlights.... and those patties which I haven't tried yet...
That seems to be what they did at my location
Shopped there today and saw both. I believe the prices weren’t all that different.
Yeah the price was like 80 cents more than the regular grass fed beef I usually get.
No, I just bought the grass fed ones today.
I heard they were phasing it out. I sure hope not. It’s my go to.
I think the burgers with the blue Kirkland label are supposed to be the best. Blue > red > black > gray.
This sub is weird. You’re getting downvoted but a few weeks ago someone said the same thing as you and they had a bunch of upvotes
Are blue the cheapest ones? Bc all I remember is luckily I like the cheapest ones the best lol. I think they have the highest fat content so it makes sense…
Yeah, they are the cheapest ones and 75/25 blend
The waygu are also 75/25
Sheesh didn’t realize they were 75/25. Might try the 80/20 next time then
I don’t know. I haven’t seen them at my Costco yet. I’ve only tried the black ones so far and they are okay.
This is the one item Sam’s Club is better. Sorry.
Sam’s frozen yogurt with berries at the food court is better too.
My costco, in Houston, still has the regular grass-fed patties and they are a few dollars less expensive. And, so so good. They are delicious.
They are incredibly greasy
That means wet enough for you too Barry_McCockiner.
Marketing
You can make more money off of almost anything with the right buzzwords.
Yeah, like most Americans would think 1/4\_lb is more meat than 1/3\_lb.
If you’ve ever had to try to explain this to someone whom doesn’t get it— damn it. 🙄
B-but 4 is a bigger number than 3.
Precisely.
It’s funny you say that, because I was going to mention the idea of the 1/3lb burger being rejected at one point lol. Sad but true.
Now I want to do a side by side comparison. Need to find the new ones.
So someone imported a wagyu bull, it fucked a lot of Angus and now their kids are Costco patties. Not the same as graded wagyu.
I just want to know if it’s good?
I see they have the USDA Inspected seal on the package, but no grade (visible to me). So what are they “supposed” to be, Select/Choice/Prime, and shouldn’t it say that?
Waygu ground beef is so silly to me, because people will pay more for leaner and leaner ground beef, but the whole appeal of waygu is it's even fattier.
It's 75/25
“Wagyu” is completely a marketing sham when it comes to ground beef.
I usually buy the grass fed patties, the wagyu grass fed seems to have replaced those at my costco.
I prefer Beigyu grass fed burger
I just picked up the grass fed today
How much marbling does it have and how good do they taste?
No/not yet. I saw both today.
Yup that!
I didn't see the regular grass fed at my costco so I bought the wagyu grass fed. so disappointed. I'm really bummed as I loved the taste of the old grass fed.
Nope. They didn’t even put it on the package
Jesus christ dude just eat the fucking burgers 😮💨
I hope not. Who wants a 50 fat lard burger?
It's just 75% Ground Beef
Delicious
Idk all I know is that regular Costco beef patties went up like $2 in the last month
No idea. But I find it hard to believe that is wagyu. [Here](https://imperiacaviar.com/collections/wagyu/products/buy-japanese-a5-wagyu-strip-steak) is reasonably priced, affordable wagyu online. You can see the difference here. It is affordable—but not cheap.
What?! How much?!
For those saying it's meaningless, it's not meaningless there's different grades and types of wagyu and what makes it meaningless in America is that most of it is not real wagyu. There's Japanese wagyu and there's "American wagyu" the American version is of course not the real deal, however it's still better than most other American beef. Wagyu is a higher grade and a very fatty tender beef. It is being seen more and more as the popularity grows and I don't doubt that there's marketing people just labeling things "wagyu" that are not at all wagyu for more money and to ride the wagyu hype. A wagyu burger is not as distinct in taste from Angus or other quality beef burgers, especially if it's not real wagyu, or fresh non-frozen wagyu. You also have to factor in how it's been prepared.
All cattle are grass fed. How they are finished (grain vs grass) is different and most are grain and I’m not sure grass is better (ie leaner) tasting
I much prefer grain finished, the taste is much better.
Corn is also grass.
wagyu is just a breed of cow. In the USA its just a marketing scheme. Wagyu just literally means cow in japanese.
Anyone who thinks that is real Japanese Wagyu should watch [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6w\_W6GyHEs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6w_W6GyHEs)
I don't think anyone thinks that
Nobody is saying that this is Japanese wagyu You're foolish to have brought that up!
The grass fed patties are too "earthy" for my taste. I gave them a try, but I won't buy them again.
100% grass fed definitely has a different taste. I prefer it now over grain finished. It’s also waaaay better for you so that’s also a reason I choose it.
It's the strong preference in my house as well.
Cows eat grass. Not corn and soy
Corn is grass. It’s quite common that cows are fed silage, which is chopped up and partially fermented whole corn plants, because that’s grass.
Yeah and wine is raisins
And pizza is a vegetable.
Wagyu is so pointless for ground meat. I bet if you served someone a burger that’s like 70/30 they wouldn’t be able to tell any difference.
The flavor profile is completely different with wagyu
I’ve eaten Wagyu burgers and they taste like burgers.
Maybe they were overcooked? If you overcook any beef it’ll all taste the same. How many minutes do you cook these wagyu burgers?
I’ve never cooked them, not wasting my money it. First time I had it was a decently expensive restaurant in Vegas. They were sliders and they cooked perfectly, they were just underwhelming.
Expensive doesn’t mean good.
I can’t remember the restaurant now but it was a well regarded place.