Serious question. Is this something that would generally just be prepared raw or with minimal cooking? I feel like it would just disintegrate the second it touched any heat source.
It’s just the same phenomena you see with the high end version of any product. A lot of extra knowledge, effort, and resources are dedicated to providing the product.
The cows are of higher quality breed. They have much higher standards of living. They get a better, more specific diet. Etc…
From a culinary standpoint, the meat is far more tender, and has a much richer marbling. It’s akin to having steak pâté, like a beef fat mousse.
Seriously, it’s super rich. I couldn’t be able to eat a whole steak like the one OP has, maybe 1/3rd of it. That’s a truly indulgent meal that I hope they thoroughly enjoyed.
You’re spot on here. I had friends over and we cut it into strips like the one in the picture. Between 6 people, we split this and a grade 9 Australian wagyu and we all felt like we were going to burst. We all loved the A5, but the consensus was that the lower graded one was better as a meal. I said it in another comment: it was amazing, tasted heavenly, and I’m happy that we had the opportunity to try it, but I’d be fine never getting it again.
As a side note, I’ve never been more terrified to cook anything in my life. When your buddy blows $200ish bucks on a steak, you really don’t want to screw up your one chance to nail the preparation.
Oh man, that sounds like a great evening you had! Rest assured, I know that feeling of trepidation. You did a hell of a job, just look at that sear!
But yeah, these steaks definitely benefit from good pairings. Get a soft starch and a veggie with a little bite to it. A demi, an au poivre, or some other contrasting flavor profile. Anything to balance out umami punch to the taste buds when these steaks.
What a coincidence that I see this post and this video in the same day.
Alvin makes an interesting claim near the end of the video that this meat is better considered an ingredient to be used to elevate other dishes instead of cooked on its own.
I think that’s accurate honestly. It’s worth trying, but it does need a sauce or something else with it to cut through the richness. As he (and you) pointed out, it might be better when it’s not the star of the dish.
Alvin makes an interesting claim near the end of the video that this meat is better considered an ingredient to be used to elevate other dishes instead of cooked on its own.
Its a common philosophy in all Asian/Indian/persian cuisine.
Delicious, but if I’m being honest, I don’t know that it is worth the money. Got this and a grade 9 wagyu from Australia, and that had more of a “beefy” taste to it, while the A5 was so fatty and rich it tasted almost like pork belly. I’m really glad I tried it, and it was lovely, but once was good enough for me.
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