We all know how great Wagyu beef is, that amazing breed of cattle from Japan…but most of us (including me, for a long time!) consider it a vicarious thrill…it’s too damn expensive!
Or so we think…or so I thought…
I now say: The impression of insane Wagyu priciness is fostered by the Wagyu cuts that get all the attention! Look at the articles! Look at the restaurant menus! Everyone is talking about Wagyu tenderloin, Wagyu sirloin, Wagyu ribeye…
Of course those things are expensive!!!
A few years ago, I discovered that the less vaunted, less expensive cuts of Wagyu–are actually great values! To spend two times the price for a cut that’s inexpensive to begin with…and to get the quality upgrade that Wagyu brings…is not expensive at all! So I started thinking…
Maybe I can get a lot more people knowing the joys of Wagyu by creating a year-round Wagyu-of-the-Month Club that alternates expensive cuts with less-expensive cuts! This way, the price of twelve shipments is brought down; you get some of the glam, headlining stuff, but you also get great value cuts–meaning your overall bill is much, much lower for a thrill-packed year of Wagyu consumption.
It works so well because cuts that might not be ideally tender from less-exalted breeds of cattle…can be glorious from Wagyu cattle! And, if you choose to participate, I will even send you an outstanding recipe every month to bring your cut of Wagyu to perfection.
If you like, you can even enjoy greater value by selecting only five cuts in five months of the year. Or, if you’re hell-bent on luxury, you can select the very greatest cuts in five months of the year. Here’s what your options look like:
The Year-Round Wagyu-of-the-Month Club: $1,500 (plus S&H)
(12 monthly shipments)
The Wise Wagyu Shopper Club: $500 (plus S&H)
(5 shipments of great-value Wagyu)
The Primo Club: $800 (plus S&H)
(5 shipments of the greatest Wagyu on earth)
Choose your desired subscription at the shop!
The next step was finding the right butcher-partner…because it takes a genius butcher to look at the steer in a new way, to figure out which cuts…some of them new…are going to shine as Wagyu.
DeBragga Owners: Marc Sarrazin (L), George Faison (R)
And I found him. He is the incredible George Faison, one of the founders of D’Artagnan, and now the COO of DeBragga Meats, THE high-end butcher to New York’s steakhouses since the 20th century. Talking to George about meat is like talking to Einstein about physics; George’s understanding is so deep, so wide, so complete, that it takes your breath away. George is the master of flaps and caps…every secret part of the steer that results in deliciousness on your plate.
From the moment I pitched this idea he was into it. And now…George has selected the cuts, we have worked out the details…and we’re ready to present the David Rosengarten Wagyu-of-the-Month Club to you!
Just two important things to keep in mind as you browse and consider:
1) We are not trying to overwhelm you with cream cheese! Have you seen those photos of the fattiest Wagyu? They look like meat injected with cream cheese! The highest fat ranking in the Japanese rating system is 12…and it is insane! I learned to disdain the “cream cheese” about five years ago on a visit to Kobe, Japan. One of the most famous chefs there cooked me an absolutely delicious steak. When I asked him what the steak’s ranking was on the 12-point fat scale, he said “Seven! I never go above seven! Above seven, all you taste is fat!” George feels the same way. So our choices go no higher than seven…well, in one case, we reached up to eight! But you will see wonderful Wagyu fattiness in these meats, without over-fattiness.
2) George has amazing contacts around the Wagyu world: the top farms in America, in Australia, in Japan. He is very impressed with what our Midwestern ranchers are raising these days…in Texas, in Nebraska, in Idaho…and many of our cuts come from these ranches. But in the month-by-month descriptions below…I’ll let you know which month will bring Australian or Japanese cuts!
Without any further ado…the cuts, for a year of beefy bliss!
January: BRISKET
Mind-blowing five-lb. cut of Wagyu brisket, for braising heaven. All the fancy food is over now. It’s the first month of the New Year…and you’re looking for cozy relaxation at home…with comfort food in the kitchen! This 5-lb. hunk of Wagyu brisket will blow your mind. Braise it, cook it in the oven–all the best ways are simple ways. If you buy in, I will send you an amazing recipe for Texan-Jewish Braised Brisket, which leads to some of the greatest brisket sandwiches ever. The extra richness of the Wagyu breed puts this sandwich over the top!
February: TOP SIRLOIN
Eight amazing Wagyu steaks from one of the steer’s most under-rated sections. George Faison wouldn’t steer you wrong! People usually overlook the hip section of the animal, but there are hip treasures to be had…and the best hip muscle of all, says George, is called the top sirloin. These steaks should be seared in a cast-iron pan, until just past raw. After that, they respond best if you place them in a medium oven, bringing the meat’s temperature to about 130 degrees. At that point the meat is tender as can be, and wonderfully beefy. If you join the club, I’ll be sending you a recipe for a pan-sauce in which you can cloak these great steaks.
March: CHUCK FLAP
One more braise before winter’s over: four chunks of melting chuck flap, as great for long-cooking as is short rib! My recipe for amazing long-cooked chuck flap (in the Korean manner!) will arrive with your March selection. The chuck flap is actually near the short rib, though it is slightly less fatty. That’s good when you have Wagyu on your hands! The meat is loaded with collagen, and the result will be stupendously unctuous!
April: SIGNATURE RIB EYE
Two wonderful 3/4 lb. rib-eye steaks for kicking off your grill season! Rib eye is usually among the fattiest of steaks…and this terrific Wagyu, at an #8 marbling score, is going to be extra-rich. That’s why George has cut ’em into not-too-thick slabs (thicker than this, and they’d be too rich to enjoy!) I recommend a southwestern-style rub (a recipe for which will come with your meat), and a quick sear over super-hot coals.
May: SIRLOIN FLAP
A magnificent 3/12-lb. hunk for your grill…with great marbling! This is another huge winner from the often-overlooked hip section. George sees it as a London-Broil type of piece; he says that it has a loose grain, reminiscent of skirt steak. Great chew for a large hunk!–especially when you give it an initial sear on the grill, then a little time in the oven so the meat becomes medium-rare. Let it rest a few minutes…and you will have one of the richest, beefiest cuts imaginable. For those looking for extra thrills, I will ship you with the meat a surprising new compound butter recipe.
June: TRI-TIP
Four wonderful steaks for grilling from southern California’s hottest cut. Probably no “new” cut of beef has gotten the attention that tri-tip has; when U.S. foodies discovered that the Santa Maria Valley in California specializes in tri-tip, the cut shot to popularity. Also called “triangle roast,” the tri-tip is the 2-lb.-ish chunk that sits at the bottom of the sirloin. The flavor is beefy-rich, despite the fact that it is relatively low in fat. Some prefer it as a whole roast, but George likes to cut it into steaks so a great marinade can get at it. When you receive your tri-tip, you will also receive my southwestern method of marinating the steaks, and a great salsa to go with them after grilling. Tri-tip is still most popular in California, which means it’s not so easy to get everywhere else.
July: SIGNATURE STRIP STEAK
Two jewel-like Wagyu steaks, 3/4 pound each, in the classic strip steak format. The true beef-lover’s favorite steakhouse steak is usually the strip steak, also called the NY strip steak, or the shell steak: it’s the longer half of the vaunted Porterhouse, and most aficionados prefer it to the filet mignon steak on the other side of the bone. Why? Well, the filet is more tender, to be sure…but the strip steak has the deeper, steakier flavor. Shoot it through with Wagyu fat, and you’ve got this: one of the best steaks ever for grilling, or high-heat overhead broiling. It is plump and buttery beyond belief. I do not mess around with strip, so there’ll be no recipe forthcoming on this one…other than my tips for perfectly cooking a strip steak!
August: WAGYU BURGERS
A burger orgy! Sixteen fat-and-glorious Wagyu burgers for you, family and friends. The best hamburgers are all about the most delicious fat…and this ground beef brims with the sweet, delicious, beefy fat of Wagyu cattle. You will be king of the summer grill with these boys on your spatula! Pre-formed burgers can be wonderful, if a genius butcher is shaping them…that’s George! You’ll get sixteen glorious Wagyu hamburgers,…four ounces each…a total of four pounds. If you’re in…I will send you a round-up of new burger ideas to cook and garnish to perfection!
September: JAPANESE RIBEYE STEAK
A connoisseur’s cut for an amazing appetizer at your Labor Day grill party. Sure, the Wagyu from Kobe may be Japan’s most famous Wagyu internationally…but connoisseurs in Japan worship Wagyu from Miyazaki prefecture even more. That’s exactly where this amazing ribeye steak comes from, Miyazaki. If there’s anything wrong with it…it may be too fatty, too rich! That’s why George has recommended one boneless piece, 3/4 of a lb., that you can grill to perfection for a rousing appetizer at your party. “Think of it as foie gras,” says George…with every diner getting a mouthful he or she will never forget. George has found that most people cannot eat more than that…but feel free to consume it all by your lonesome if you can handle it! Two people have an even better chance of surviving the experience! I’ll be adding a luscious Japanese dipping sauce later.
October: FLAT IRON STEAKS
We can thank the University of Nebraska for this great new cut; you can be thanked by friends and family as you cook on your grill six of them portioned from Wagyu beef. I grew up with my Mom making me “chicken steaks”–wonderfully beefy-buttery little steaks, that were compromised only by a piece of gristle down the middle. Ain’t science grand? About 15 years ago they figured out a way to present this steak with the gristle left behind! And the result–the flat iron steak–is a huge success at restaurants around the country. This is your chance to get not only a flat iron, but a Wagyu flat iron, into your house. Six of them, at 6 ounces each. Named because it looks like “an old-fashioned metal flat iron,” the steak is great either sautéed in a very hot pan (a good choice as the weather gets colder and the patio is closed up), or seared over a very hot fire. Later, I will send you a very Italian-restaurant kind of recipe for pan-sizzled flat iron steaks.
November: CHUCK EYE ROLL FOR STEW
Greet the colder weather with this supernal, well-marbled stewing meat. Every cook knows that the best stewing meat comes from the upper animal (less exercise)–as in the shoulder chuck. This cut goes a few better. George tells me that it is actually between the ribeye and the neck, in a prime corridor of beefiness. And it’s Wagyu! You could use the more expensive Wagyu short rib for stew dishes…but they may be TOO fatty! This is perfect stewing meat at a perfect price. Great marbling, says George, and great flavor. Look forward to stifado…my Greek beef stew recipe, enhanced by fresh marjoram.
December: AUSTRALIAN TENDERLOIN OF BEEF
Nothing says “holiday” like sumptuous tenderloin of beef coming out of the oven! George has splurged on this one…selecting one of the very best ranches in Australia to produce this 3 lb. beefy blob of Wagyu deliciousness. This is one of the premier cuts that gave Wagyu its reputation for over-the-top prices! I fully expect you to roast this in your oven, and please at least 8 other guests. But I’m also going to send you a recipe for my very special German (I found it in Germany) poached beef tenderloin with white peppercorn cream sauce. Insane!
The Year-Round Wagyu-of-the-Month Club: 12 monthly shipments $1,500 (plus S&H)
A year-round Wagyu-of-the-Month Club that alternates expensive cuts with less-expensive cuts! This way, the price of twelve shipments is brought down to $125 a month; you get some of the glam, headlining stuff, but you also get great value cuts–meaning your overall bill is much, much lower for a thrill-packed year of Wagyu consumption.
| Month | Wagyu Cut | Provenance | Detail |
| Jan | BRISKET | American | 5 LB Whole Brisket |
| Feb | TOP SIRLOIN | American | Eight 8oz steaks |
| Mar | CHUCK FLAP | American | Four 10oz pieces |
| Apr | SIGNATURE RIB EYE | American | Two 12oz pieces |
| May | SIRLOIN FLAP | American | One 3.25Lb. Piece |
| Jun | TRI TIP | American | Four 12oz pieces |
| Jul | SIGNATURE STRIP | American | Two 12oz center cut pieces |
| Aug | BURGER | American | Sixteen 4oz Burgers |
| Sept | JAPANESE RIB EYE | Japan | One 12 oz Rib Eye |
| Oct | FLAT IRON | American | Six 6oz steaks |
| Nov | CHUCK EYE ROLL | American | 5Lb Chuck Eye Roll |
| Dec | AUSTRALIAN TENDERLOIN | Australia | 3Lb Aussie Tender |
The Wise Wagyu Shopper Club: $500 (plus S&H)
(5 shipments of great-value Wagyu)
Less vaunted, less expensive cuts of Wagyu–are actually great values! To spend two times the price for a cut that’s inexpensive to begin with…and to get the quality upgrade that Wagyu brings…is not expensive at all! For only $100 a month get shipments of great-value Wagyu.
| Month | Wagyu Cut | Provenance | Detail |
| Jan | BRISKET | American | 5 LB Whole Brisket |
| Apr | SIGNATURE RIB EYE | American | Two 12oz pieces |
| Jun | TRI TIP | American | Four 12oz pieces |
| Aug | BURGER | American | Sixteen 4oz Burgers |
| Nov | CHUCK EYE ROLL | American | 5Lb Chuck Eye Roll |
The Primo Club: $800 (plus S&H)
(5 shipments of the greatest Wagyu on earth)
The Wagyu cuts that get all the attention! Look at the articles! Look at the restaurant menus! Everyone is talking about Wagyu tenderloin, Wagyu strip steak, Wagyu ribeye…..Now you get five shipments of the most revered Wagyu cuts for only $160 a month!
| Month | Wagyu Cut | Provenance | Detail |
| Feb | TOP SIRLOIN | American | Eight 8oz steaks |
| May | SIRLOIN FLAP | American | One 3.25Lb. Piece |
| Jul | SIGNATURE STRIP | American | Two 12oz center cut pieces |
| Sept | JAPANESE RIB EYE | Japan | One 12 oz Rib Eye |
| Dec | AUSTRALIAN TENDERLOIN | Australia | 3Lb Aussie Tender |
To join any of these mouth watering clubs, visit our shop!
