Unboxing First Wagyu Brisket :-)

[ecowper]

I was on SRF because they had a deal where you could buy 6 featured items and get $25 off. I was grabbing the Kurobuta pork chops, which are a good deal with that $25 off. But then More Meat Syndrome, which is a sub-category of MCS, kicked in. And I started looking at other deals. Like a Wagyu Black Grade brisket for $149. And I had just been at Costco, who wanted $6.99/lb for prime packers. Which meant that my typical choice of a 15-16 lb brisket at Costco would cost over $100. I'm going to need a brisket soon, and the price difference was only going to be $30. How could I resist?

Well, my wife says "you could have resisted easy" ..... but I don't think that's true.

The box arrived today. I think the Fedex guy was not pleased since it was big, heavy, and awkward with 20 lbs of meat and a bunch of dry ice in it.

the box is heavy duty cardboard. And even with getting manhandled by FedEx, it survived with no obvious damage. Inside was the cooler built of recyclable insulation that can go straight into a landfill and break down with no issues. When you open it up, it is obvious that your meat is frozen solid and well protected. I hit it with the IR therm and got a reading of 1F. It's a true freezer in there.

The quality of the whole process is outstanding. Eric does recommend!

I love SRF delivery day!


Packing slip and some cooking directions when you open the box


Lots of dry ice, pretty intact at that


pork chops come in an SRF bag, brisket at bottom of the box


Those pork chops look lonely in that bag. Maybe I should have ordered some steak, too?


Well, that's pretty!


14 lbs of Wagyu Black Grade brisket ..... A whole new experience for me!

[smokin fool]

Whole box of tasty right there.

[RonB]

That whole order looks like a win.

[ecowper]

Kurobuta chops in harissa marinade!!!

[Troutman]

Love SRF products, can't go wrong. One purveyor that's from Washington state (I believe headquartered there in Seattle) is Mishima Reserve. They supply American Wagyu to our HEB grocery stores. I buy their briskets whenever they're available (last time was $6.99/#). You might want to check into them if you haven't already, I'm very happy with their form of AW.

https://www.mishimareserve.com/about-us

[rickgregory]

ecowper - I'll order some from Ecowper Meat Delivery

[ecowper]

rickgregory also, I guess I’ve seen Mishima at QFC. Saw wagyu label and thought price was crazy and didn’t but

[ecowper]

rickgregory also, I guess I’ve seen Mishima at QFC. Saw wagyu label and thought price was crazy and didn’t buy

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

Amazing. I was literally thinking the same thing the other day as we have no briskets in our freezer right now and doing the same math. But then I got distracted with the idea of cooking some picanha ,some bavette, teres major, or proper Dino ribs (never tried any before) which led me over to Crowd Cow and Porter Road. Now I am back wondering about if I need to pick up a sweet wagyu brisket to turn into pastrami.

I am interested to see how it turns out for you!

[ecowper]

I won't be cooking this one until Hannukah, so it's gonna be a wait :-)

That said, the price difference is so small, that I really couldn't pass on it.

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

That’s what I tell SWMBO but I don’t think she is sold yet. We will see where we end up.

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

My plan is to wait for the kid to request pastrami and go…well this is the best way to give the child pastrami given brisket prices have increased so much. I am really being very thoughtful here.

[ofelles]

That's usually what I cook. I have never been disappointed with their Black Wagyu or any meat from them. And you're correct, the packaging is great

[ecowper]

I’ve never done anything but prime brisket. Whole new experience :-)

[Jfrosty27]

You know the brisket is going to be great. Liking the looks of those pork chops too. I’ve never shopped at SRF. Need correct that…….

[ecowper]

I am probably more excited about the pork chops. That maybe wrong.

[jpietrantone]

That all looks so good! I've never ordered from SRF or Porter for that matter. Is the quality much better than Wild Fork? I think the meat prices we now have for "normal" grade of meat is going to push many people towards the higher end stuff since the price gap is closing.

[ecowper]

I have never done Wild Fork. I've sourced from Creekstone, SRF, and Crowd Cow. Crowd Cow is off the list due to quality issues on their chicken, so that leaves me with Creekstone and SRF. Agree with you that as the cost of meat at the grocery store keeps going up I'm more likely to buy from premium folks like SRF

[Joey877]

I've always been happy with Wild Fork's prices (right now Prime brisket is just over $5/pound) and could never justify paying two to three times more for SNR. If I want wagyu or something better for a special occasion I buy it locally. I don't think I have ever paid as much as SNR charges for any piece of meat. Agree the price gap is currently shrinking, but it's still twice as expensive and the higher end retailers will likely push their prices soon to compensate. Now in this case I would have done exactly what ecowper did due to the incremental pricing, but this feels more like a one-off due to the deal than a normal occurrence.

[ecowper]

I don't expect that I will regularly buy Wagyu brisket. This was a case of an upcoming special occasion and the price not being that much more than Prime.

[Joey877]

I completely get it, ecowper. Like I said, I would have done the exact same thing in this case. Enjoy it!

[jpietrantone]

Joey877 Oh I wasn't saying I would buy SRF/high quality normally but am starting to consider it for special occasions especially if it is on sale.

I think it would be fun to experiment.

[CandySueQ]

You'll be going for the Gold next! I hope it exceeds your expectations.

[ecowper]

I am really looking forward to this. I remember what a revelation when I went from Choice to Prime for brisket. I imagine this will be a similar upgrade.

[Murdy]

Well, my wife says "you could have resisted easy" ..... but I don't think that's true.

Classic Statement Right There!

[ecowper]

LOL wait until she finds out about the SRF subscription!

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

I’d be curious if you plan on trimming it. I have read about people trimming and also skipping it for wagyu.

[ecowper]

once I defrost it, I'll know better what I want to do. For now, it's research and plan :-)

[Spinaker]

I love getting these packages from SRF. They do a great job.

You should trim off that fat and render it down for tallow. I use the tallow to cook all kinds of stuff. It is the hidden kick back of a Wagyu Brisket!