Wife bought this at the grocery store for $7.50 she said. What am I missing here? Or is ground Wagyu just a lot cheaper per pound?
by EnvironmentalDark398
27 Comments
m_adamec
I have my doubts
chasetherainbows
My husband is a slaughterhouse vet.
He informed me that some marketing companies sell ground wagyu. They aren’t lying, but it’s old bulls that are at the end of their lifespan and don’t have the marbling or tenderness to be sold as steaks or other premium cuts.
He said these are typically also what go into ready to eat wagyu snack stick products. It’s real wagyu, just the old timey bulls that are at the end of their usefulness as breeding stock.
Hididdlydoderino
Not every cut of meat is great for one reason or another… They could turn it into dog food for $1/pound or sell it to humans as ground beef for $7.50/pound.
Where I take issue is that I’m not sure this stuff is great for burgers. It’s so fatty that if you do burgers with this stuff most of the fat renders out as compared to a rare serving of steak. Sort of becomes an overpriced serving of less protein in burger form.
On the other hand, you have more rendered out fat to use for other purposes if that’s your thing.
AzNxPiMpStA
Wongyu
FloridaMan67
Likely made from off-cuts and not the nice meat.
sirhanharvey
It’s probably fatty but good. I’ve seen a lb at Whole Foods for 8.99 so the price point is in the ballpark
gordo32
Wagyu is just a breed of cow. Everyone thinks ks A4 or A5 when the word “wagyu” is added, but let’s not forget A1, A2, and A3 — which essentially match Prime / Choice / Select in the US.
Mammoth_Mission_3524
I just bought 6 lbs of ground wagyu from Costco for $40. It’s 75/25. I find it to be a little better than regular ground beef, but there isn’t a huge difference.
snokyguy
Define real. Real what?
HollowedOne66
Wagyu is just a buzz word now
cluelessk3
There’s different grade of Wagyu.
Australian wagyu is usually less fatty than the high quality Japanese stuff and more similar to beef in America.
Decent-Huckleberry-1
Ground wagyu has always been pretty affordable from what I’ve seen in the stores.
playington1
No matter the breed of cow it all comes out the same in the end …..
Then_Feedback7421
Just a simulation.
ChronoComputer
Wagyu is not a regulated term. You can call anything wagyu legally.
Maleficent-Prompt656
Ground wagyu in the grocery store almost certainly isn’t real. Plus wagyu is basically really fatty meat. Eating it as ground beef is pointless. You’re gonna render all the fat out
Ill-Upstairs-8762
They have it at Aldi for $5 lb. Regular grocery store has it for $7.50.
Sad_Highlight_9059
As pointed out, “wagyu” is not a term that has official regulation. Anything can be called, “wagyu”. If you want the genuine article, Japanese wagyu meat, then the meat should come with a grade. The USDA uses grades like “prime”, “select”, and “choice”. Japanese grades are A, B, C plus a 1-5 number. Only full blooded Japanese wagyu cows can receive an A grade and A5 is the best grade possible.
Tl;dr – If the “wagyu” doesn’t have an A,B,C + 1-5 grade, it isn’t real Japanese wagyu.
Extra-Musician8851
It’s all about the marketing and how easy it is to manipulate people.
Lovat69
Wagyu is a breed of cattle. This may very well be from wagyu cattle. There is no way in hell it is imported Japanese A-5 beef. For starters I don’t think anyone would grind that. The fat content is almost higher than sausage.
chrisp5000
There is plenty of scrap when breaking down a cow.
RandomFleshPrison
Given the logo in the bottom right, I am assuming this is US Wagyu. Which comes from a herd of 50% Wagyu/50% Angus cattle in Texas. Also, the ground beef only needs to be 51% from this herd to be sold as Wagyu.
LastMessengineer
There’s no reason to have wagyu hamburger
kaelroc
It’s Wagyu in the sense that it’s the same species of cow, but the cow isn’t raised to the standards of typical A5 Japanese Wagyu. The restaurant I work for, for instance, uses American raised Wagyu beef. It looks like your average high quality steak.
stineaux2000
First of all, probably not A5 wagyu. Secondly, when butchering an animal you always get some “leftovers” wich are used in ground meat. So whenever the producer doesnt make ground meat out of the leftovers he is basically trowing away money, thats why you get products like these. I guess this would still taste delicious!
Aromatic_Berry_3879
In the USA if the animal has 1% wagyu genetics it can be marketed as wagyu. Unless you’re buying A5 or any other high end wagyu in steak form, it’s all marketing bs. Don’t waste your money.
lifebeergolf
I don’t like when there are stars by statements of health on food packaging…
27 Comments
I have my doubts
My husband is a slaughterhouse vet.
He informed me that some marketing companies sell ground wagyu. They aren’t lying, but it’s old bulls that are at the end of their lifespan and don’t have the marbling or tenderness to be sold as steaks or other premium cuts.
He said these are typically also what go into ready to eat wagyu snack stick products. It’s real wagyu, just the old timey bulls that are at the end of their usefulness as breeding stock.
Not every cut of meat is great for one reason or another… They could turn it into dog food for $1/pound or sell it to humans as ground beef for $7.50/pound.
Where I take issue is that I’m not sure this stuff is great for burgers. It’s so fatty that if you do burgers with this stuff most of the fat renders out as compared to a rare serving of steak. Sort of becomes an overpriced serving of less protein in burger form.
On the other hand, you have more rendered out fat to use for other purposes if that’s your thing.
Wongyu
Likely made from off-cuts and not the nice meat.
It’s probably fatty but good. I’ve seen a lb at Whole Foods for 8.99 so the price point is in the ballpark
Wagyu is just a breed of cow. Everyone thinks ks A4 or A5 when the word “wagyu” is added, but let’s not forget A1, A2, and A3 — which essentially match Prime / Choice / Select in the US.
I just bought 6 lbs of ground wagyu from Costco for $40. It’s 75/25. I find it to be a little better than regular ground beef, but there isn’t a huge difference.
Define real. Real what?
Wagyu is just a buzz word now
There’s different grade of Wagyu.
Australian wagyu is usually less fatty than the high quality Japanese stuff and more similar to beef in America.
Ground wagyu has always been pretty affordable from what I’ve seen in the stores.
No matter the breed of cow it all comes out the same in the end …..
Just a simulation.
Wagyu is not a regulated term. You can call anything wagyu legally.
Ground wagyu in the grocery store almost certainly isn’t real. Plus wagyu is basically really fatty meat. Eating it as ground beef is pointless. You’re gonna render all the fat out
They have it at Aldi for $5 lb. Regular grocery store has it for $7.50.
As pointed out, “wagyu” is not a term that has official regulation. Anything can be called, “wagyu”. If you want the genuine article, Japanese wagyu meat, then the meat should come with a grade. The USDA uses grades like “prime”, “select”, and “choice”. Japanese grades are A, B, C plus a 1-5 number. Only full blooded Japanese wagyu cows can receive an A grade and A5 is the best grade possible.
Tl;dr – If the “wagyu” doesn’t have an A,B,C + 1-5 grade, it isn’t real Japanese wagyu.
It’s all about the marketing and how easy it is to manipulate people.
Wagyu is a breed of cattle. This may very well be from wagyu cattle. There is no way in hell it is imported Japanese A-5 beef. For starters I don’t think anyone would grind that. The fat content is almost higher than sausage.
There is plenty of scrap when breaking down a cow.
Given the logo in the bottom right, I am assuming this is US Wagyu. Which comes from a herd of 50% Wagyu/50% Angus cattle in Texas. Also, the ground beef only needs to be 51% from this herd to be sold as Wagyu.
There’s no reason to have wagyu hamburger
It’s Wagyu in the sense that it’s the same species of cow, but the cow isn’t raised to the standards of typical A5 Japanese Wagyu. The restaurant I work for, for instance, uses American raised Wagyu beef. It looks like your average high quality steak.
First of all, probably not A5 wagyu. Secondly, when butchering an animal you always get some “leftovers” wich are used in ground meat. So whenever the producer doesnt make ground meat out of the leftovers he is basically trowing away money, thats why you get products like these.
I guess this would still taste delicious!
In the USA if the animal has 1% wagyu genetics it can be marketed as wagyu. Unless you’re buying A5 or any other high end wagyu in steak form, it’s all marketing bs. Don’t waste your money.
I don’t like when there are stars by statements of health on food packaging…