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Steak tasting

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    Steak tasting

    Had an opportunity to try two different premium steaks. One was a 6 oz piece of Wagyu A5 from a local chef and the other was an 8 oz Top Sirloin American Wagyu that I bought from Snake River Farms. They are totally different cuts and different levels, and of course, tasted totally different. I loved the A5 and my wife disliked it for the same reason: it was like eating fat that melted in your month. Both of us were disappointed with the SRF top sirloin. It was quite chewy and tasteless. Both steaks were cooked over coals using the reverse sear method on an M16 grill to 130 degrees.
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    #2
    I’m guessing it’s totally lighting/shadows in the pics but it looks like they carried more to the 145 range in the pics. I’ve never tried A5 anything, however we bought a bulk pack of the 6oz American Wagyu sirloin filets when the pandemic started. They’ve been the best sirloins we’ve ever had. We’ve had a couple out of them that have just been ok. However, the rest were so good that when I ordered some of the ribeye filets during another sale, the girls wanted more sirloins.

    I don’t know what you sirloin history is? Sirloin is usually fairly cheap for a reason. Here $3.99/lb choice is not unheard of and $4.99lb happens pretty regularly, somebody almost always has them available at $5.99/pound. It’s a flavorful cut, but can vary a lot in tenderness. I’m not a butcher, so I don’t know if that’s from cow to cow or from when in the loin you draw from. Though if you ever get a chance to try a butterflied Sirloin strip (I think you can get two from the whole sub primal) it rivals a New York Strip and IMO has quite a bit more flavor. I think that steak might compete with another cut from the same area in other regions. I also think Applebee’s might use this cut split for their 8oz 2 for $20 steak...though it’s been so long since I’ve eaten one it might be 2 for $40 now?

    Edit: If that sirloin was that disappointing and you don’t have any more to try again, I’d definitely contact SRF and tell them about it. Steaks that cost that much should never be that disappointing and I’m guessing they’ll make it up to you. I never bothered them as we’ve had 2 or 3 disappointing steaks out of like 20 and we only buy SRF during sales. However, if I paid single steak price (even with a little discount) and I felt it was chewy and flavorless, I’d be telling them about it. Even in bulk pack on sale I was spending $10+/lb on sirloin, probably more like $12-15.
    Last edited by glitchy; February 15, 2021, 10:44 PM.

    Comment


    • BBQPhil
      BBQPhil commented
      Editing a comment
      Yes, it's the lighting. Thanks for your comments. For years I bought Costco prime sirloin at about $13/lb, until we began to occasionally get some tough cuts. even though they were well marbled. I then tried NY prime sirloins from SRF and Creekstone and found those to be far superior to Costco and comparable to the steaks we'd enjoy in high end steakhouses, and we never looked back.
      Last edited by BBQPhil; February 15, 2021, 11:36 PM.

    #3
    The title Steak Tasting got my attention.
    Thanks for the pictures.
    Happy Grilling to you.

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      #4
      I’ve had A5 once and it was fantastic! Honestly, that looks like a chunk of A5 fat, not a steak. The steaks are well marbled but that is just almost all fat. I’ve had a ton of SRF and it’s always been amazing. Sirloin is sirloin though and will be tough and chewy if cooked past medium rare.

      Comment


        #5
        I have had a number of the SRF sirloins and loved them. Of course they are a bit tougher than a ribeye but I thought the texture and flavor were still great. They used to run some BOGO sales on those and I would get a dozen of so at a time. I have found they are best at the low side of medium rare (120-125 degrees).

        What cut was the A5? I did a couple A5 strips a few weeks back and they were an amazing experience.

        Comment


          #6
          Not a fan of sirloin, dad is. Ribeyes for moi. One day I want to get me a nice size rib roast and reconstruct it with some Moo Gloo and cut into varying steak sizes.

          Comment


          • glitchy
            glitchy commented
            Editing a comment
            I finally cracked open the glue that held my wallet mostly closed a few years ago and started buying ribeyes more often. Ribeye and Sirloin just are not comparable. I’ll take a choice ribeye over an American wagyu sirloin any day and I’m often cooking a ribeye for me and sirloin for the girls....by their choice, Last April/May though when ground beef hit $7-8/lb locally, I bought whatever beef I could find a decent deal on. American Wagyu ground hasn’t done anything for me, but steaks have.

          #7
          SRF made an adjustment after talking with them. They were very accommodating.

          Comment


            #8
            My wife and I agree that Wagyu and real Japanese beef are just too rich. My go to preference is USDA Prime 28 day aged, either wet or dry. The one exception is the Wagyu flank steak fro Allen Brothers. I have always been fond of flank's beefiness, but it can be tough. The Wagyu was not too fatty and it was really tender.

            Comment


              #9
              My son had a piece of A5 over the weekend, either rib eye or strip, I don't remember which. He didn't like it at all. Said it tasted like eating a weird piece of butter. In my mind he saved me some money with that report.

              Comment


                #10
                Although can't afford it on a routine basis, American Wagyu in either steaks, ribs, roasts, etc. is definitely my choice. I also eat a lot of Prime and CAB. The reason I like AW the best is the obvious tenderness of the meat but the fact that their fat is a healthier monounsaturated type rich in oleic acid (similar to the fat in say olive oil). It's said that many of the breeds carry as much as 52% concentration of this type of fat versus 25-30% in prime Angus for instance.

                Texas cattlemen are really doing great things with breeding these types of animals. Typically they import bulls from Japan and cross breed with Angus locally. One of my favorites is the A Bar N ranch up north of Dallas. Check them out. Again this is not bargain meat but if you are buying from SRF, well its not about the price point. Got one of their brisket points in the QVQ process right now, the flat is corning for pastrami !!

                A Bar N Ranch

                Comment


                • Jfrosty27
                  Jfrosty27 commented
                  Editing a comment
                  +1 on A bar N Ranch. Top notch.

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