Posted on 12/12/2004 6:45:34 PM PST by demsux
We're having four couples over for beef tenderloin over the holidays.
My question is: Is Kobe beef all that they claim it is? I don't mind paying more if it really is much better.
Help, please?
USDA Aged Prime is just fine. Don't waste your money!
Yes -
Treated myself to some off and on in Japan during the 60's + 70's.
It is so different from regular beef that it's almost a different meat.
I stick to a superpremium beef from some place like Niman Ranch http://www.nimanranch.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/WFS/NimanRanch-NimanRanchStore-Site
So9
Well I use to, but Costco is a major rat supporter. Major. Now I shp anywhere but Costco.
Damn.....didn't know that.
Done right it is amazing. Done wrong and you will wonder what the fuss was about and bitterly regret spending your money on it.
It may be very tender and moist, but the way the Japanese produce Kobe beef is absolutely "cruelty to animals" to the lowest degree. The cow is never allowed to take one step in it's entire life. It kept penned up so that it can't move. Instead, the caretakers massage the legs, and body of the cow to maintain muscle tone, but not enough to cause the muscle to become tough. I would not buy Kobe beef if it were a dollar a pound. I can't see anyone treating an animal that way just for the purpose of satisfying rich people palates with tender, moist beef.
Japanese beef producers (and I've met quite a few in my former life) are all patriotic, pro-American and no longer protectionist because they appreciate that American beef producers have made the product affordable for the masses and actually stimulated demand for their higher priced fare as Japanese consumers move upscale or just want something extra special once in awhile.
</obvious>
This may help you out...
http://members.tripod.com/~BayGourmet/wagyu.html
Master griller, after all.
Top flite USDA from a place like Winn-Dixie, Hy-Vee, Omaha, etc. is just fine. Do you have a Ruth's Chris nearby? That is a good solution, and you don't do the cooking.
http://www.ruthschris.com/comeVisit_locationDetail.asp?LocationID=76
Your going to spend around $300/lb. for beef from Japan that doesnt even adhere to safety inspections or concerns?
Let me know how your bowels respond.
. . . . . . . . . Kobe Beef
"I did not have steak with that woman"
"If the t-bone don't fit, you must acquit"
Yes, its worth it.
Especially if you practice the fine Japanese art of turning all of your personal luxuries into business expenses.
Next time you go to buy beef at a bulk store or Wal-Mart, look at the sodium content on the packaging. They pump so much salt and preservatives into the beef, you are paying more for the chemicals per pound than you are food, and also you are getting a "standard" or commercial cut; not even a decent grade like select or prime. Thats why they are making money off it: buy cheap meat, juice it up and sell at competitive rates with quality beef. Be vewwy careful....
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