Click Akaushi Disappointment

[klflowers]

I got my first ever shipment from Click a few days ago and decided to make the 14oz strip yesterday. I reversed seared it on the kettle/SNS. Took it to 129IT, then seared. It looked great but it was very chewy. Not exactly tough, just chewy. Not sure what the issue was.

[FireMan]

Nice potato! 🕶

[DennyWoo]

That looks fantastic. Sorry it wasn't as good as it looked. FWIW, I bought some Chuck roasts and ground beef last month during one of their sales. Chuck's are still in the freezer, but I've made burgers with the ground beef and was VERY disappointed. Like you, I had a texture issue. It just seemed chewy. Not like any ground beef I've ever had. Has anyone else had this issue with Akaushi beef?

[texastweeter]

The akaushi fillets i get from heartbrand beef for my wife are so tender that they must be trussed when grilling or they start to come apart when flipping. I would not think that is normal. DennyWoo. klflowers

[holehogg]

Agree fillets are always up to something they can't be trusted.

[Donw]

I only buy from Heartbrand. Never have been disappointed.

[Troutman]

Agree with Donw I’ve only bought Heartbrand and found it to be excellent. I’ve also tried Mishima Reserve ground beef for burgers and didn’t like the texture at all.

[grantgallagher]

Ive had nothing but great experiences with their denver steaks and flat irons.

[58limited]

The ribeye, Denver steaks, and top sirloins that I bought were all good although the Denver steak had a weird texture (but it was tender). I haven't tried the strip steak or the hamburger. I will comment that I rarely buy New York strips of any grade, they have always seemed tougher to me. I've seen several people comment that ground wagyu is kinda weird but I have no personal experience.

[Mosca]

Strip steaks are my favorite, not that I’d sneeze at a ribeye of course. In my recent experience the only ones that are kind of chewy are grass fed, and the grass fed from D’Artagnan are incredibly delicious to the point where I don’t care how much chew there is.

[klflowers]

tbob4 the strips I get from the fresh market are pretty good. This is the first strip I have had that was cooked to my preferred temp that was this chewy.

[Murdy]

Strips are my go to. I like my steaks very rare, and all the fat in the Rib-eyes is not very appetizing cooked only to that level. To me, Tenderloins/Fillets don't have as much flavor. I do like sirloins (aka, the old Butt steaks you used to see in just about every supper club).

[theroc]

Very sorry to hear that the steaks weren't to your liking. They certainly look great. We cooked two Click strip steaks last weekend, one 14oz and one 22oz. Did them sous vide at 129 F, then seared off in CI. There were among the best steaks we remember having. I guess there is going to be variation. I'll be curious to try the other two we have in the freezer. We'll cook those reverse sear on the Buckaroo to compare with the sous vide cook.

[Mosca]

Huh. Maybe I’ll thaw a couple burgers and see what’s what. Everything’s just been tossed in the freezer so far.

[Donw]

The age of the cow might explain the different texture you are experiencing in the akaushi. There is a need to expand the herd and cows are kept producing calves until about nine years old, and then butchered. In the past the cows were sold as burger cows, but with demand and profits in mind more prime cuts are being used from the older cows. (legal disclaimer: Not saying any particular brand is doing this. My only knowledge is sitting around a campfire in Argentina on a dove hunting trip with several original investors in the breed talking about business.)

[FireMan]

Does an old bull count?

[bbqLuv]

Two thumbs up for looks.

[Mosca]

We had burgers from Click tonight, they were fine. Texture was normal, flavor was good.

[Old Glory]

I have experienced variation in flavor and chewiness from almost every online and local butcher I have done business with. My experience with Click has been fine except for a few shipping issues. I usually get Tri-Tip from them. They have all been pretty good.

[Bkhuna]

I just got my first shipment from them and I was disappointed by the beef ribs. Their web page calls them plate but the package say's chuck. They are much thinner than the ad photo and they are very thin.

Won't reorder.

[klflowers]

I also have a chuck and an outside skirt. The chuck looks pretty good. I won't be ordering any more of the steaks though. Local suppliers are much better.

[Murdy]

Are the Click steers free range?

[klflowers]

I think so but I am not sure

[Draznnl]

From the Click Website:

All cattle raised on the C5 Ranch are pasture raised, grain finished, and never given growth hormones or fed antibiotics in their feeding program.

I didn't see anything on the website using the phrase "free range". Doesn't mean it is not there, only that I didn't spot it.

[bordercollie]

Could be the age of the cattle, but just guessing. We sell our commercial calves ( not registered but 100%angus) at 6 months of age, to an order buyer every June. From him, they go to a feed yard and are sold as prime angus because of their age .
Our old angus cows that won't breed back etc, are sold at a sale barn and bring way less per lb .. Most of those are 8 to 12 years old and will be tougher.