What is the most expensive steak?

[betarhoalphadelta]

Question showed up in a Food Network Magazine...

What is the most expensive steak?

A. Ribeye
B. Filet Mignon
C: Wagyu
D: Porterhouse

I say the question itself is BS. What say you?

 

[_BullDog_]

Porter house can be the best value…. Goes on sale around me for $8/ lb a few times a year and get a good strip and filet with each one.

 

[Chorgey]

Isn't Wagyu the most expensive steak? Personally, I never had it

 

[DBhomebrew]

Well, you've got three cuts and a type of cattle. Wagyu filet mignon will probably be it.

 

[murphyslaw]

 

[BongoYodeler]

Drunken Wagyu? Maybe not, but it’s the most expensive piece of beef I’ve ever heard of.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Well, you've got three cuts and a type of cattle. Wagyu filet mignon will probably be it.

DING DING DING we have a winner!

 

[3 Dawg Night]

The one that your dog steals off the counter.

 

[VT-NAV]

The most expensive is a mis-take. bad dum tiss. I'll see myself out.

 

[OleBrewing]

honestly i would not care to even try wagyu. question should be which is the best cut which is a double edge question, i have had top sirloins put new york strips to shame, dont forget tri tips, used to take chuck tenders and make a bacon wrapped grilled phenomena.

but there is a nice little piece in the middle of the hind quarter of a deer like the tenderloin of the hind quarter that i would rate the most expensive. let me know when you find it in your grocery store.

 

[passedpawn]

honestly i would not care to even try wagyu.

uh - why not?

I've had wagyu filet and it was incredibly tasty. I'm guessing it was the US variety as the japanese one is quite costly. Still, it was marbled and melty.

 

[ba-brewer]

mistakes

 

[Bobby_M]

uh - why not?

I've had wagyu filet and it was incredibly tasty. I'm guessing it was the US variety as the japanese one is quite costly. Still, it was marbled and melty.

Yeah, seconded. I think the only appropriate answer is that you don't want to try a steak that is both the most delicious steak you ever had and one that you can't consistently afford. I've had a grass fed wagyu ribeye that I compare all future steaks to.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

That is a BS question. It never mentions the cut of the wagyu or the grade. A prime/prime+ ribeye can easily be more expensive than an A3 chuck.

That said, I've had Japanese and US wagyu and neither of them are for me. It has the consistency of already been chewed. Meat mush, at best. I'll take a choice or prime ribeye or new york cooked to medium-rare any day over the wagyu.

 

[whoaru99]

This cut of Japanese A5 we had not too long ago was pretty darn good. Very rich though, not what I'd have for every steak dinner in the typical chow down steak portion.

 

[mac_1103]

I think the only appropriate answer is that you don't want to try a steak that is both the most delicious steak you ever had and one that you can't consistently afford. I've had a grass fed wagyu ribeye that I compare all future steaks to.

Then how do you ever enjoy any future steaks?

Had a beautiful 16 oz slab of prime rib on New Year's Eve. Wouldn't want to do that once a week or anything, but every once in a while it's nice to go to a place where "medium rare" doesn't mean "burnt."

 

[Rodent]

Question showed up in a Food Network Magazine...

What is the most expensive steak?

If I consider the cost spent on hardware, mastering techniques, working thru perfecting a recipe, working thru mastering the use of lump charcoal + smoke accent woods, and then achieving tight consistency in the end results ... even a 1/3 pound ground chuck burger can exceed most anything you'd drop on a steak at even the fanciest Parisian restaurant

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Yeah, seconded. I think the only appropriate answer is that you don't want to try a steak that is both the most delicious steak you ever had and one that you can't consistently afford.

My issue with wagyu is that I don't want to pay the sort of price to have an excellent chef at a high-end steakhouse cook it for me...

...but I don't want to buy expensive wagyu and cook it myself and run the risk of &$*#^@% it up because of how expensive it is.

Sort of a catch-22.

I'll probably do it one of these days though.

 

[passedpawn]

My issue with wagyu is that I don't want to pay the sort of price to have an excellent chef at a high-end steakhouse cook it for me...

...but I don't want to buy expensive wagyu and cook it myself and run the risk of &$*#^@% it up because of how expensive it is.

Sort of a catch-22.

I'll probably do it one of these days though.

https://www.dartagnan.com/

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

https://www.dartagnan.com/

Costco has A5 Wagyu ribeye in the frozen section here for $99/lb. If I end up doing it, I'll pick it up there.

 

[DBhomebrew]

For that much, someone else is doing the dishes

 

[OleBrewing]

Yeah, seconded. I think the only appropriate answer is that you don't want to try a steak that is both the most delicious steak you ever had and one that you can't consistently afford. I've had a grass fed wagyu ribeye that I compare all future steaks to.

both responses are fair enough.

just make sure everyone knows that the Wagyu name/breed is purely out of Japan and only can get it from Japan.

Most stuff sold in U.S. is half breed which still has remarkable marbling but doesn't compare to pure breed Wagyu.

it's the marketing scheme that is allowed.

sort of like it used to be cows raised outside of U.S. but shipped to U.S. to be slaughtered would be considered U.S. beef (which i would rather have it butchered here and graded than anywhere else). The U.S. ranchers won the battle on that one.

 

[FloppyKnockers]

both responses are fair enough.

just make sure everyone knows that the Wagyu name/breed is purely out of Japan and only can get it from Japan.

Most stuff sold in U.S. is half breed which still has remarkable marbling but doesn't compare to pure breed Wagyu.

it's the marketing scheme that is allowed.

sort of like it used to be cows raised outside of U.S. but shipped to U.S. to be slaughtered would be considered U.S. beef (which i would rather have it butchered here and graded than anywhere else). The U.S. ranchers won the battle on that one.

This...
Plus, only fullblood wagyu can get an 'A' grade. Anything US has to fall under USDA grading.

 

[passedpawn]

just make sure everyone knows that the Wagyu name/breed is purely out of Japan and only can get it from Japan.

Or Costco, apparently.

I drove through Kobe once, home of the famed beef. Ate at a noodle house (slurp!). I wasn't aware. Carte blanc at the time, too. Dang.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Or Costco, apparently.

I don't think he's saying it's only available in Japan, just that it must be sourced appropriately to be A5 Wagyu.

This is a NY strip, not the ribeye that I've seen at my local Costco, but looking at the marbling it looks legit to me:



I've also seen beef labeled as wagyu at the local Asian markets (99 Ranch), that based on the marbling looks legit as well.

 

[OleBrewing]

I don't think he's saying it's only available in Japan, just that it must be sourced appropriately to be A5 Wagyu.

This is a NY strip, not the ribeye that I've seen at my local Costco, but looking at the marbling it looks legit to me:



I've also seen beef labeled as wagyu at the local Asian markets (99 Ranch), that based on the marbling looks legit as well.

yep. Not sure how big retailers do it but people i know that have purchased pure wagyu comes with a certificate of authenticity; of course i am not sure where they purchased it from so i don't know the full aspect.


Here is the difference between Japan and American

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I would try it and then keep eating rib eyes from Publix. No matter how good it is, I would feel stupid spending that kind of money on meat regularly. A good choice rib eye fried in butter is a truly amazing piece of meat. Better than prime from Ruth's Chris or Smith & Wollensky because of the superior method of preparation. Yeah, I said it. Rib eyes go on sale here for $7 per pound.

If you ask me, people think too much about super-luxury ingredients and not nearly enough about how to cook. Anyone who can't make a $10 dinner that will make people groan with pleasure is a hack in the kitchen, and great ingredients can't fix that. All the Wagyu on Earth can't compensate for lack of talent and effort. I guarantee you, thousands of people cooked and ate mediocre Wagyu steaks tonight and said they were magnificent because they didn't know any better.

I've had some high-end grub in my time, but the best food I ever ate came from my own kitchen, and most of it was cheap. The other day I slapped together some creme brulee that was beyond belief, and the food cost was under $5. No restaurant could beat it. I make Sicilian pizzas I like better than any pizza I've ever paid for, and I lived in New York. Runs maybe $5 for a pie too big for me to eat responsibly. I've never had cheesecake anywhere near as good as mine, including the remarkably overrated Junior's. To me, cheesecake is the second-best food there is, and it's cheap compared to steak.

A really good macaroni and cheese is really something. The stuff they sell in restaurants is garbage in comparison. I'd rather have really good macaroni and cheese than an unimpressive meal with a $300 food cost.

It would be nice to find a piece of real Wagyu, cooked by someone trustworthy, just to see what it was like. I'd also like to try some really good caviar some day. I wonder if there is such a thing as a Wagyu rib roast.

 

[whoaru99]

I wonder if there is such a thing as a Wagyu rib roast.

Sure. You can get pretty much any cut same other beef, provided your pockets are deep enough. Figure ~$100/lb and up on a rib roast.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I would try it and then keep eating rib eyes from Publix. No matter how good it is, I would feel stupid spending that kind of money on meat regularly. A good choice rib eye fried in butter is a truly amazing piece of meat. Better than prime from Ruth's Chris or Smith & Wollensky because of the superior method of preparation. Yeah, I said it. Rib eyes go on sale here for $7 per pound.

If you ask me, people think too much about super-luxury ingredients and not nearly enough about how to cook. Anyone who can't make a $10 dinner that will make people groan with pleasure is a hack in the kitchen, and great ingredients can't fix that. All the Wagyu on Earth can't compensate for lack of talent and effort. I guarantee you, thousands of people cooked and ate mediocre Wagyu steaks tonight and said they were magnificent because they didn't know any better.

To an extent I agree with you, in that ultimately it comes down to the cook to make something delicious. If you don't have the talent or the willingness to put in the effort to cook well, buying high-end ingredients is just a recipe (pun intended) for wasting your money. And that "luxury" ingredients don't make a meal; there are a TON of ways to make a tremendous meal for very little money.

But I also think that ingredients matter QUITE a bit. Especially in certain areas where the ingredient isn't manipulated all that much, like a ribeye steak. I generally will cook steaks procured from Costco, but if my wife and I want to go a little better, we have a local butcher shop that sells FANTASTIC beef. It's more expensive than Costco--although certainly not Wagyu prices--but I can absolutely taste the difference. The flavor and texture is just different, and better. Same cook (me), same cooking method, but better outcome.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

I don't disagree with any of that. You can make incredible food with cheap ingredients, but that doesn't mean you can never get any improvement by getting pricier ingredients. Also, some foods really can't be made well without very specific, if not necessarily expensive, ingredients. I buy pizza cheese and sauce 75 miles from my house because pizza is extremely dependent on ingredient choices. Most home cooks fail at pizza partly because they use ingredients that give them no shot.

I have never found a really good supermarket tomato product that is as good as restaurant-supply sauce, and I have to buy deli counter cheese in order to come close to restaurant-supply cheese.

My choice steaks are better than Ruth's Chris prime. If I bought prime, they would be somewhat better. Not enough to make it worth my trouble.

 

[Bobby_M]

Then how do you ever enjoy any future steaks?

Had a beautiful 16 oz slab of prime rib on New Year's Eve. Wouldn't want to do that once a week or anything, but every once in a while it's nice to go to a place where "medium rare" doesn't mean "burnt."

Well, you can't always stop yourself from having a great thing for fear that you'll lose interest in the good enough version. I eat ribeye steaks about 3-4 meals a week, but alas it's usually the cheapest grade that the local supermarket sells.

 

[whoaru99]

Agree. Even though I occasionally splurge on a hunk of Wagyu or a couple USDA Prime grade ribeye cap steaks or whatever, doesn't hinder my enjoyment of non-pedigreed steaks from the 1/4 beef we buy every fall.

 

[mac_1103]

Well, you can't always stop yourself from having a great thing for fear that you'll lose interest in the good enough version.

Yeah, that was supposed to be sort of tongue in cheek.

 

[Bobby_M]

Yeah, that was supposed to be sort of tongue in cheek.

I'm a little slow

 

[mac_1103]

Nah, it was pretty pretty easy to miss. But as a general rule, it's rare for me to be entirely serious on this forum.