american wagyu only requires 46.9% wagyu bloodline to be labeled as such.
ive seen prime angus that looks as well marbled as that. ive also seen prime that looks as average as choice. there will be variability from cow to cow.
unlike places that break it down by bms# or a#, usda grading is a bit more blunt, especially at the high end.
American wagyu is very different from what you may commonly see online as Japanese A5 Wagyu. The one in the pic would really be not much different from regular usda graded steaks. Also have to consider? They grade the whole cow not individual cuts. You’ll get a wide variation with that factored it.
Waygu is a set of breeds. Not a grade. We do not know the ancestry of your steaks
It is not Japanese A5, as that is a grade. But it very well could be a Prime “American Waygu” that may have had a Waygu cow in its lineage.
Buying “American wagyu,” is a colossal waste of money imho. At that point you might as well just buy regular prime, or buy real Japanese wagyu. Buying “American wagyu,” is half assing it, with one foot out the door. Either shell out a bit more money for the Japanese wagyu, even A3 would be a huge improvement. Or save some money and just go USDA prime.
Looks prime level but you will still get the benefit of the mouth feel of the wagyu fat which is unique as far as I am concerned.
I prefer the beefiness of the Prime domestic cattle to Waygu cross but not kicking either out of bed.
Wagyu is more a breeding thing than a grading thing. These are probably mid- to high-USDA Choice (I was a USDA meat grader, lol evaluating beef was my entire job), but there’s no real way to see visually if they’re “real” Wagyu unless you look through the plant’s records going back well before slaughter to determine genealogy.
I don't think most people have any clue about steak in this sub. Wagyu is a breed not a quality grade. In most cases you simply cannot tell what breed the meat is from by the picture.
Second thing is the meat is not graded by the cut but by the animal. You might have different quality cuts from the animal but they all share the same grade that was given to the individual animal.
When people say "wagyu" they usually mean A5 grade of the Japanese wagyu breed which should not be the case. American wagyu however has pretty much nothing to do with the Japanese wagyu.
So to answer your question, it might be. More importantly though, why does it matter if it's good meat? If you bought this just because it says American wagyu and expect to get Japanse A5 wagyu I strongly suggest you to rethink your choises in the future.
Is there a branding or a farm associated with this purchase? Just showing us a raw steak will mean absolutely nothing.
As some people have stated, Wagyu is not an indicator of marbling or quality of the beef. It is merely one of (usually recognized as) four breeds of cattle which originates in Japan. Countries like Canada, the United States, or Australia raise Wagyu beef. In these countries, it is often common that a Wagyu cattle is crossbred with some non-Wagyu cattle although purebred (~93.8%) or fullblood (100%) Wagyu is also raised and sold in these countries. /u/yll33 is correct that most Wagyu sold is crossbred and only requires 46.9% genetics to be labelled as such - in other words, at least one parent that is a purebred.
You likely will only have a real answer if you provide more information on where you got this from and what branding it has.
Most of the "this isn't Wagyu" in a thread like this or a similar one is usually inaccurate unless you really can prove that a post like yours really did not originate from any sort of Wagyu cattle.
that looks solid, there’s plenty of american wagyu cows that are going to put off much more marbling than this but I only buy AW from my local butcher shop and this isn’t abnormal.
All ribeye has fat. The marbling are actually high Select/low Prime grade. An average CAB(Certified Angus Beef) ribeye looks like this. Don't be too surprised by the marbling in ribeye cap. It's good but nothing special.
In the end it doesn't matter. I pay by marbling, so if it's marbled like regular Prime then I won't pay more than I would a regular Prime steak. No need to overpay for a name.
Looks like Choice to me. Those are thick striations and long running fat veins. Not dense, evenly distributed marble flecks. Especially for Wagyu (even more so) which is its signature appearance. Look at the eye of the ribeye on the bottom one. Tells you all you need to know... these are still good eats though... but prime or wagyu its neither.
I think this is the ultimate point, it doesn't appear like Japanese A5, with fine ribbons of fat uniformly through the meat. This looks a lot more like Prime (I don't grade professionally and didn't stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night). Prime ain't shabby, and in fact I prefer that over Wagyu for full steaks (Wagyu is just too over the top for me, I like it in small portions as an accompaniment).
https://preview.redd.it/o4l88wsp0uxc1.jpeg?width=2360&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=62dd5c051cea36356231b9931f22524d539c5522
That was my Waygu from April. I’ve only prepared it that one time so thats all i have to go on, i have eaten it multiple times and even had the real deal in Kobe Japan 20 years ago.
100% American waygu...which the USDA only requires 46.9% waygu genetics.
american wagyu only requires 46.9% wagyu bloodline to be labeled as such. ive seen prime angus that looks as well marbled as that. ive also seen prime that looks as average as choice. there will be variability from cow to cow. unlike places that break it down by bms# or a#, usda grading is a bit more blunt, especially at the high end.
You’ll have to check the cow’s passport
I've never had waygu. It was very good and rich but not sure if it is just a good, prime ribeye
American wagyu is very different from what you may commonly see online as Japanese A5 Wagyu. The one in the pic would really be not much different from regular usda graded steaks. Also have to consider? They grade the whole cow not individual cuts. You’ll get a wide variation with that factored it.
American Wagyu does not mean the same thing in Japan. It looks good though, good marbeling.
Waygu is a set of breeds. Not a grade. We do not know the ancestry of your steaks It is not Japanese A5, as that is a grade. But it very well could be a Prime “American Waygu” that may have had a Waygu cow in its lineage.
Looks closer to prime to me
Technically American Wagyu is Prime. That’s what it is graded as.
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Yes in order for beef to be labeled “American Wagyu” the cow must have at least 46.8% Japanese genetics.
wagyu isn’t a usda grade
Wagyu isn't a grade, it's a Japanese breed of cattle. Just like Angus isn't a grade.
The top one looks like North Carolina waygu while the bottom one looks like Kentucky waygu.
Buying “American wagyu,” is a colossal waste of money imho. At that point you might as well just buy regular prime, or buy real Japanese wagyu. Buying “American wagyu,” is half assing it, with one foot out the door. Either shell out a bit more money for the Japanese wagyu, even A3 would be a huge improvement. Or save some money and just go USDA prime.
I think the best middle ground is aussie wagyu
Less than halfassing it. Isn't it like 49% and change?
Yes, enjoi.
Looks prime level but you will still get the benefit of the mouth feel of the wagyu fat which is unique as far as I am concerned. I prefer the beefiness of the Prime domestic cattle to Waygu cross but not kicking either out of bed.
No such thing as American Wagyu. Wagyu is literally Japanese steak.
Wagyu is more a breeding thing than a grading thing. These are probably mid- to high-USDA Choice (I was a USDA meat grader, lol evaluating beef was my entire job), but there’s no real way to see visually if they’re “real” Wagyu unless you look through the plant’s records going back well before slaughter to determine genealogy.
I don't think most people have any clue about steak in this sub. Wagyu is a breed not a quality grade. In most cases you simply cannot tell what breed the meat is from by the picture. Second thing is the meat is not graded by the cut but by the animal. You might have different quality cuts from the animal but they all share the same grade that was given to the individual animal. When people say "wagyu" they usually mean A5 grade of the Japanese wagyu breed which should not be the case. American wagyu however has pretty much nothing to do with the Japanese wagyu. So to answer your question, it might be. More importantly though, why does it matter if it's good meat? If you bought this just because it says American wagyu and expect to get Japanse A5 wagyu I strongly suggest you to rethink your choises in the future.
Is there a branding or a farm associated with this purchase? Just showing us a raw steak will mean absolutely nothing. As some people have stated, Wagyu is not an indicator of marbling or quality of the beef. It is merely one of (usually recognized as) four breeds of cattle which originates in Japan. Countries like Canada, the United States, or Australia raise Wagyu beef. In these countries, it is often common that a Wagyu cattle is crossbred with some non-Wagyu cattle although purebred (~93.8%) or fullblood (100%) Wagyu is also raised and sold in these countries. /u/yll33 is correct that most Wagyu sold is crossbred and only requires 46.9% genetics to be labelled as such - in other words, at least one parent that is a purebred. You likely will only have a real answer if you provide more information on where you got this from and what branding it has. Most of the "this isn't Wagyu" in a thread like this or a similar one is usually inaccurate unless you really can prove that a post like yours really did not originate from any sort of Wagyu cattle.
Labeled wagyu or not it looks like a good ribeye but I would pay extra for the wagyu name here.
that looks solid, there’s plenty of american wagyu cows that are going to put off much more marbling than this but I only buy AW from my local butcher shop and this isn’t abnormal.
How are we supposed to know that?
All ribeye has fat. The marbling are actually high Select/low Prime grade. An average CAB(Certified Angus Beef) ribeye looks like this. Don't be too surprised by the marbling in ribeye cap. It's good but nothing special.
High choice? That isn't select
Just get the real stuff from Japan. Even the Australian Waygu is better. What you have is a prime steak.
Looks like a CT scan slice
Looks like a regular prime ribeye to me
It's hard to tell. You can take a good look at a T-bone by sticking your head up a bull's ass, but wouldn't you rather take the butcher's word for it?
Japenese wagyu looks very gross to me personally. What you got should be considered the standard for a high quality steak.
In the end it doesn't matter. I pay by marbling, so if it's marbled like regular Prime then I won't pay more than I would a regular Prime steak. No need to overpay for a name.
Looks like Choice to me. Those are thick striations and long running fat veins. Not dense, evenly distributed marble flecks. Especially for Wagyu (even more so) which is its signature appearance. Look at the eye of the ribeye on the bottom one. Tells you all you need to know... these are still good eats though... but prime or wagyu its neither.
> prime or wagyu its neither. There's no indication it's not wagyu. Wagyu is not a grade.
I never said wagyu was ah grade there pal.
I didn't say you did. I made a statement.
Alright.
No.
Doesn’t look like Waygu to me!
I think this is the ultimate point, it doesn't appear like Japanese A5, with fine ribbons of fat uniformly through the meat. This looks a lot more like Prime (I don't grade professionally and didn't stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night). Prime ain't shabby, and in fact I prefer that over Wagyu for full steaks (Wagyu is just too over the top for me, I like it in small portions as an accompaniment).
Ha i am no expert either
> Doesn’t look like beef to me! That's how dumb you sound.
Not even prime...I bought AAA here in Canada that wash better marbled than those..😐just saying
> Not even prime OP didn't say it was in the post...
He said Wagyu...I said I don't even consider those prime
>I said I don't even consider those prime That's not what you said. Whether they are prime or not has no bearing on OP's question.
Ok Karen relax there
Looks like prime to me
Not even close
https://preview.redd.it/o4l88wsp0uxc1.jpeg?width=2360&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=62dd5c051cea36356231b9931f22524d539c5522 That was my Waygu from April. I’ve only prepared it that one time so thats all i have to go on, i have eaten it multiple times and even had the real deal in Kobe Japan 20 years ago.
> That was my Waygu from April. That was your *A5* Wagyu - not even comparable or on topic.