Am I crazy to do this with wagyu?

[73saint]

Right around the time the covid hit, I got a really good deal on a a-9 wagyu brisket from the Butcher Shoppe in Pcola. It is 17.5 lbs and still in my freezer. I have cooked so many briskets, that I am starting to grow tired of them and all week I have considered grinding the whole thing into burger. I may even dry age it in an Umai bag and grind it all up after about 45 days for some really primo dry aged waygu brisket burgers.


Am I totally nuts here? Maybe I should just keep it in the freezer until I'm really craving brisket, but I don't think I wanna do that.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

Hmmmm...decisions, decisions.
My vote is for burgers.
Mmmmmm!

 

[73saint]

Hmmmm...decisions, decisions.
My vote is for burgers.
Mmmmmm!

me too, I'm glad to hear you say that.

 

[indaswamp]

My vote is pastrami! Primo pastrami!! I just put on in the cure not 10 minutes ago....

 

[buckshot billy]

If you’re tired of plain BBQ brisket, I’d think a different preparation using a whole cut or portion might be a better use for such a premium piece of beef?

I recall seeing a recipe in Bon Appetit magazine showing grilled razor thin brisket with a sort of peanut/cilantro/chile “salsa” with Thai/Vietnamese flavours that looked really nice.

I’ve also had good success using briskets (or portions of them) for just braised pot roasts with wine, mushrooms and pearl onions or done with adobo, chiles and spices in a Dutch oven and shredded into tacos.

I guess ultimately, you can buy wagyu ground beef and it’s likely composed of the various tougher parts anyhow so really what is the difference there? And I’ll bet wagyu burgers would indeed be unbelievable ... just figured I’d throw a couple ideas around anyhow, just for the sake of yapping.

I also know what you mean by being a little bored with just a straight BBQd packer, it’s a beautiful thing but even with variations in preparation it kinda lands in the same flavour ballpark... I don’t get enough brisket to be bored of it myself but I can see if you were real experienced in it that it could get monotonous.

 

[73saint]

Great feedback thanks guys!!

 

[normanaj]

At 17.5lbs I'd seperate the point and flat and do two totally different things you've never done before.

 

[Bearcarver]

me too, I'm glad to hear you say that.

I'd save it until you have a Brisket Craving, since it's "Wagyu".
If you make burger out of it, wouldn't it be the same if you used a cheap "Select" Brisket, and threw a couple pounds of Beef Fat in with it???

My 2 Piasters,
Bear

 

[sawhorseray]

Quit eating it for a month or so, then see how you feel. I agree with the Bear, any beef can be burgers, the fat to lean ratio is all that matters once it's ground up. RAY

 

[Chasdev]

Brisket alone makes pretty poor hamburger meat, I know, I tried it and did not recognize the flavor as being burger meat.
You need to mix in some chuck and some fatty bits from steaks and chucks.
Brisket fat tastes gamey compared to chuck and steak fats and after you discard the hard rock fat there's not enough left to make burgers anyway unless you like the lean version blends.

 

[chilerelleno]

Go for the tasty burgers.
Its getting eaten one way or another.

I usually regret going to the Butcher Shoppe, I always come out broke.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Another idea is using the flat and curing it for beef bacon.

Ryan

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

If you’re tired of plain BBQ brisket, I’d think a different preparation using a whole cut or portion might be a better use for such a premium piece of beef?

I recall seeing a recipe in Bon Appetit magazine showing grilled razor thin brisket with a sort of peanut/cilantro/chile “salsa” with Thai/Vietnamese flavours that looked really nice.

I’ve also had good success using briskets (or portions of them) for just braised pot roasts with wine, mushrooms and pearl onions or done with adobo, chiles and spices in a Dutch oven and shredded into tacos.

I guess ultimately, you can buy wagyu ground beef and it’s likely composed of the various tougher parts anyhow so really what is the difference there? And I’ll bet wagyu burgers would indeed be unbelievable ... just figured I’d throw a couple ideas around anyhow, just for the sake of yapping.

I also know what you mean by being a little bored with just a straight BBQd packer, it’s a beautiful thing but even with variations in preparation it kinda lands in the same flavour ballpark... I don’t get enough brisket to be bored of it myself but I can see if you were real experienced in it that it could get monotonous.

Whoa! That all sounds delicious.

 

[sawhorseray]

I’ve also had good success using briskets (or portions of them) for just braised pot roasts with wine, mushrooms and pearl onions

That is a great idea! I have a 13 pounder in the garage freezer, my wife doesn't eat beef cuts (burgers yes) and we've been locked down for six months with no company and none coming anytime soon. I was thinking of separating it and doing the flat in a crockpot and saving the point for the smoker later on. RAY

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

me too, I'm glad to hear you say that.

As you can see, you're getting some great ideas besides burgers.
But man, burgers sound good to me since the last good burger I had was over six months ago.
And Waygu would just make it over the top.

 

[chopsaw]

Am I totally nuts here?

No you're not . Like said it's getting eaten so get the most bang for your buck .
Ground brisket all by itself makes a great burger . I don't think I would grind it all since it is waygu .
I saved a piece of the flat off one a couple weeks ago . Did it in the instant pot for tacos . It was fantastic .
Trim it up like you were going to smoke it . Get enough clean trim to grind .
The pot roast idea is a good one .
Do a couple pounds of pastrami .
Plenty of weight there to do different things .

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

That is a great idea! I have a 13 pounder in the garage freezer, my wife doesn't eat beef cuts (burgers yes) and we've been locked down for six months with no company and none coming anytime soon. I was thinking of separating it and doing the flat in a crockpot and saving the point for the smoker later on. RAY

Ray, back in the day when the work schedule conflicted with cooking I'd do flats in the crock pot on a bed of onions with a little bit IPA for the braising liquid. That was always some good eats.

 

[SecondHandSmoker]

I better clarify. I used a nice Indian Pale Ale; not Isopropyl Alcohol.

 

[gmc2003]

Wait one cotton picking minute. Send it to me and I'll send you some freshly ground beef for your burgers. I'll even pay shipping both ways.

Chris

 

[buckshot billy]

Wait one cotton picking minute. Send it to me and I'll send you some freshly ground beef for your burgers. I'll even pay shipping both ways.

Chris

That was my knee-jerk comment that I didn’t post hahaha.