Waygu Beef Brisket

[geothermal]

I'm gonna try smoking a couple of Waygu Beef Briskets for our Harley Owners Group Chapter in Oconomowoc, WI next Tuesday. I've been having good results with Choice cuts from SAMS Club but have never smoked Waygu before. Anything I should be aware of before I mess it up treating it the same as Choice? I got it at a pretty good price I think at $5.74/lb compared to Choice at $3.18/lb from SAMS. I'm assuming since they should be more marbled with fat they may take longer? These should be coming in around 15 lbs each. I'm picking them up this afternoon. I'm guessing I'll need to get them started around 2-3AM in order to be done by 5pm and rested long enough to serve at 6pm.

Any advice would be appreciated, 

Thanks

GEO

 

[bmaddox]

I would think they would take less time as the fat is more evenly disbursed and you don't have any large pockets of thick dense fat to render. I would start probing them around 180 degrees (or sooner) to check for tenderness. 

 

[bmaddox]

On a separate note, It is crazy that you can find Waygu for less than I can find ANY brisket, even the crappy stuff. You would think since Florida is a beef producing state I wouldn't have to pay high prices but I guess I can only dream.

 

[geothermal]

 
I would think they would take less time as the fat is more evenly disbursed and you don't have any large pockets of thick dense fat to render. I would start probing them around 180 degrees (or sooner) to check for tenderness. 

Thanks. Yes, I'm being told by several people on some smoking groups on Facebook, that the fattier Waygu will cook faster and that I should pull it when it gets up into the high 180's degrees and let it carry over as it rests.

Thanks again,

GEO

 

[geothermal]

I just realized I spelled Wagyu wrong. Here's a picture of the label on the box. I was surprised it is imported from Australia. Even more surprising is that the beef has been blessed for Muslim use, I guess similar to Kosher. One guy commented that it's "Allowed to be eaten according to Islamic Sharia law".The date stamp must be from an older box they had. I got the two Briskets from Pritzlaff Brothers Fine Meats in New Berlin, WI. They look and feel nice and fatty and limber. I'll be getting up early Tuesday morning to get these started. 

Any other suggestions are welcome. I don't want to mess these up.

Wagyu 003.JPG

• geothermal
• Jun 15, 2015

 

[bruno994]

They will cook faster, but the finishing temp still will be determined by how hot and fast or slow and low you cook them.  The hotter you cook, the higher the finish temp is, the lower you cook the lower the finish temp.  Majority of comp cooks using Waygu are cooking hot and fast, finishing right around 200 IT.  The only true test is the probe test...stick with it and you'll nail it. 

 

[geothermal]

 
They will cook faster, but the finishing temp still will be determined by how hot and fast or slow and low you cook them.  The hotter you cook, the higher the finish temp is, the lower you cook the lower the finish temp.  Majority of comp cooks using Waygu are cooking hot and fast, finishing right around 200 IT.  The only true test is the probe test...stick with it and you'll nail it. 

Thanks Bruno,

 So is 250* considered Hot & Fast and around 225 Low &Slow? I normally cook the choice briskets at 250* and wrap them when they hit IT of around 160* and pull them at 200*. I'm also reading that some guys remove most of the fat cap since the meat should be more marbled with fat.

 

[bruno994]

I cook at 250 and consider temps from there to 275, kind of a middle of the road temp.  Not slow and low like at 225 or below, but not hot and fast above when you get above 300.  Some do it for sleep, some do it because that is their pits sweet spot.  

As far as finishing temp, it's still determined by the probe test, no matter what the IT is.  I rarely probe for temps anymore on my briskets, from start to finish, no probe enters 90 % of the ones I cook because I know my timelines at 250 on my pit.  I know that after 4 hours of smoke, it's wrap time (which the brisket will typically be in and around the 160 IT mark by this time), then I'll need to start checking for tenderness around the 3 to 3 1/2 hour mark.  If my pit has fluctuated more on the high side of 250, then I probably will start checking around 3 hours after wrapping, if I have ran on the low side of 250 (which I will for comps because I like my ribs below 250), then it will probably be closer to the 3 1/2 mark.  

As far as removing fat, I do a heavy trim on the meat side surface and take all but a little of the fat of where the flat and point meet whether I'm cooking Select, Choice or Prime, so that really makes no difference.  As far as the fat cap, I'll trim the heavy stuff off, but always leave a nice layer on the bottom side.  Once cooked, it all just slides off or can be scraped off easily.  Depending on your cooker though, you might want to use the fat cap as a heat shield, especially with the high $ meat you are cooking.  Other than that, the fat cap does little to nothing to improve the end result of your product.    

 

[geothermal]

 
I cook at 250 and consider temps from there to 275, kind of a middle of the road temp.  Not slow and low like at 225 or below, but not hot and fast above when you get above 300.  Some do it for sleep, some do it because that is their pits sweet spot.  

As far as finishing temp, it's still determined by the probe test, no matter what the IT is.  I rarely probe for temps anymore on my briskets, from start to finish, no probe enters 90 % of the ones I cook because I know my timelines at 250 on my pit.  I know that after 4 hours of smoke, it's wrap time (which the brisket will typically be in and around the 160 IT mark by this time), then I'll need to start checking for tenderness around the 3 to 3 1/2 hour mark.  If my pit has fluctuated more on the high side of 250, then I probably will start checking around 3 hours after wrapping, if I have ran on the low side of 250 (which I will for comps because I like my ribs below 250), then it will probably be closer to the 3 1/2 mark.  

As far as removing fat, I do a heavy trim on the meat side surface and take all but a little of the fat of where the flat and point meet whether I'm cooking Select, Choice or Prime, so that really makes no difference.  As far as the fat cap, I'll trim the heavy stuff off, but always leave a nice layer on the bottom side.  Once cooked, it all just slides off or can be scraped off easily.  Depending on your cooker though, you might want to use the fat cap as a heat shield, especially with the high $ meat you are cooking.  Other than that, the fat cap does little to nothing to improve the end result of your product.    

Do you wrap in foil or butcher paper or what? Thanks again

 

[bruno994]

I wrap in foil, with about a cup of either beef broth or I save my au jus from previous brisket cooks and use it.  I have used butchers paper before and it does well, just like the foil better.

 

[geothermal]

Well the Chapter loved the Wagyu Brisket and I also think it turned our great. Thanks everyone for the great advice. Below are some pictures from the smoke. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures from the actual event because I was too busy carving both briskets and ribs. But the brisket had a nice 1/4" smoke ring, was very juicy and tender and not overcooked like I was afraid of. I say that

because it finished in 8 hrs and sat in the cooler for  about 4 more hours. I started them at 5am. Should have waited til 8am. 

There wasn't 1 ounce of meat left. About 80+ people showed up and I think they could have eaten another whole brisket.

I trimmed off a lot of the fat cap. I removed the Point (laying on top) on the left one so I could make burnt ends which were a big hit.

June Meeting BBQ 028.JPG

• geothermal
• Jun 17, 2015

Also made 3 pork butts for pulled pork.

June Meeting BBQ 029.JPG

• geothermal
• Jun 17, 2015

And 2 spare ribs.

June Meeting BBQ 030.JPG

• geothermal
• Jun 17, 2015

Pork Butts smoking away in my little Brinkman Gas smoker.

June Meeting BBQ 031.JPG

• geothermal
• Jun 17, 2015

Briskets and some trimmings from the spare ribs smoking in my RF tractor smoker.

June Meeting BBQ 032.JPG

• geothermal
• Jun 17, 2015

3 Pigs in a blanket.

June Meeting BBQ 033.JPG

• geothermal
• Jun 17, 2015

One of the briskets just before wrapping. Took this one off when it hit 160*, then back in til it hit just about 190*

The one I cut of the point of course cooked a lot faster and crept up to 200 on me before I got it off. But still was awesome.

June Meeting BBQ 034.JPG

• geothermal
• Jun 17, 2015

Warming up the Tractor Smoker at 4:00am. 

Party 006.JPG

• geothermal
• Jun 17, 2015

 

[bruno994]

All looks great!  Congrats on the smoking success.  What was your take on the Waygu meat?  Was it dramatically better than standard Select or Choice briskets?  I have cooked many Prime and there is no doubt the difference between Prime and below, but have never cooked a Waygu.

 

[geothermal]

 
All looks great!  Congrats on the smoking success.  What was your take on the Waygu meat?  Was it dramatically better than standard Select or Choice briskets?  I have cooked many Prime and there is no doubt the difference between Prime and below, but have never cooked a Waygu.

Thanks Bruno! To be honest, I barely got a taste of it, except a cube or 2 of burnt end and some crumbs I scraped off the bottom of the Nesco that I had on a Pretzel Bun. But those few bites were extremely tasty, mostly due to the fact that they inherited all the juices left over. But I did have several people comment and ask how I got such flavor into the meat. They also asked me why I didn't enter the Hog & Steer Competition at the Dealership just last Saturday. I definitely think there's a difference between Wagyu and Choice. I've never tried a Select or Prime before. Would like to try that next, or if I have a opportunity to do a Prime and Wagyu sid by side, that would be an interesting experiment. 

Thanks again for the advice. 

 

[bruno994]

From my experience, the Waygu will have a bit more beefier flavor than the others (never cooked one, but have tried several other teams finished product), even a bit more than the Prime.  This is one of the reasons that the guys out there selling injections do so well, beefing up the flavor of a Choice or a Prime to keep up with all the teams cooking Waygus on the circuit.  As far as mouth feel, you will never get a Select or a Choice to match that of a Prime or Waygu.  You can get them tender and juicy, but will never have the mouth feel (or chew as some refer to it) that a higher grade can achieve.  

Congrats again!

 

[geothermal]

 
From my experience, the Waygu will have a bit more beefier flavor than the others (never cooked one, but have tried several other teams finished product), even a bit more than the Prime.  This is one of the reasons that the guys out there selling injections do so well, beefing up the flavor of a Choice or a Prime to keep up with all the teams cooking Waygus on the circuit.  As far as mouth feel, you will never get a Select or a Choice to match that of a Prime or Waygu.  You can get them tender and juicy, but will never have the mouth feel (or chew as some refer to it) that a higher grade can achieve.  

Congrats again!

Thanks,

 I see you're in Texas. Are you a full time competitor and do you travel a lot? How many people do you have on your team?

 

[bruno994]

It's just me that competes, the family shows up on Saturday mornings to taste test and help clean up.  I did 20 from the Fall of 2013 until the winter of 2015, but have taken most of the last 6 months off as my daughter just graduated and seems like we had something going on every week.  Hopefully I can get it kicked back off this Fall once we get her situated at Texas A & M.  

By the way, pretty cool tractor smoker you got too!

 

[geothermal]

 
It's just me that competes, the family shows up on Saturday mornings to taste test and help clean up.  I did 20 from the Fall of 2013 until the winter of 2015, but have taken most of the last 6 months off as my daughter just graduated and seems like we had something going on every week.  Hopefully I can get it kicked back off this Fall once we get her situated at Texas A & M.  

By the way, pretty cool tractor smoker you got too!

Thanks and congratulations on the Daughter graduating.

 

[aggie94]

GEO that's a great price for Wagyu brisket, I've never even seen one before. I'm also impressed by how much meat you were able to smoke for that event!  Bruno congratulations to your daughter, I'm sure you're very proud of her, as you can tell I'm partial to A&M.  My son just graduated last month too but he couldn't get a full admission into A&M and wasn't willing to do Blinn Team.  He'll be going to Baylor, still trying to get use to seeing all that green and gold around the house.

 

[geothermal]

 
GEO that's a great price for Wagyu brisket, I've never even seen one before. I'm also impressed by how much meat you were able to smoke for that event!  Bruno congratulations to your daughter, I'm sure you're very proud of her, as you can tell I'm partial to A&M.  My son just graduated last month too but he couldn't get a full admission into A&M and wasn't willing to do Blinn Team.  He'll be going to Baylor, still trying to get use to seeing all that green and gold around the house.

Thanks Aggie!

 

[jarjarchef]

I just realized I spelled Wagyu wrong. Here's a picture of the label on the box. I was surprised it is imported from Australia. Even more surprising is that the beef has been blessed for Muslim use, I guess similar to Kosher. One guy commented that it's "Allowed to be eaten according to Islamic Sharia law".The date stamp must be from an older box they had. I got the two Briskets from Pritzlaff Brothers Fine Meats in New Berlin, WI. They look and feel nice and fatty and limber. I'll be getting up early Tuesday morning to get these started. 
Any other suggestions are welcome. I don't want to mess these up.

Wagyu 003.JPG

• geothermal
• Jun 15, 2015

To be tagged as Halal it has to be slaughtered a very spacific way. And if you ask they should be able to provide the certificate for you varifying the how, who, when and where for the Halal certification.
I too am very shocked you were able to get it at such a low price. It's not the highest grade of Wagyu, but still......

The high level answer about the Australian part. Many years ago a Japanese cattle rancher and an Australian cattle rancher did some business and the Wagyu/Kobe breed was cross breed with cattle in Australia. My understanding is as long as it is more than 50% Wagyu they can sell it that way. It is no where the same as the Japanese Wagyu, and they don't export the highest grade out of Japan. So we get the lower grades in the States, but it is still very good.