WAGYU BRISKET PRIMERDefining what Wagyu Brisket is and why it’s winning on the competition BBQ circuit.

Wagyu Brisket: Read the Full Post Here: http://bbqbeat.com/wagyu-brisket-primer-for-bbq-pitmasters/

WAGYU BRISKET: OVERVIEWWagyu Brisket. If you've been competing on any one of the various BBQ circuits for any amount of time, you've likely come across this mythical cut of beef and, if you're at all serious about winning with competition brisket, you've most likely given it a go. Though widely popular among serious competitive BBQ pitmasters, backyard cookers or those just starting out with competition BBQ often edge into Wagyu brisket little by little with varying degrees of success.

Wagyu Brisket: Read the Full Post Here: http://bbqbeat.com/wagyu-brisket-primer-for-bbq-pitmasters/

WAGYU BRISKET: WHAT IS WAGYU BEEF?

Traditionally, the term "Wagyu" simply means Japanese cow: 'Wa' meaning Japanese and 'gyu' meaning cow. Originally, these cows were used a work animals, bred and selected for their strength and endurance. Given their work load, cows used as draft animals were predisposed to having a lot of intramuscular fat (marbling), which they use as easily accessible energy.

Wagyu Brisket: Read the Full Post Here: http://bbqbeat.com/wagyu-brisket-primer-for-bbq-pitmasters/

WAGYU BRISKET: BREEDING SCIENCE

Wagyu breeding is highly regulated in Japan, where a system of DNA cataloging is used to track animals from birth to slaughter. This process is also used by the more specialized cattle producers in the US, such as Meyer All Natural Red Angus. Learn more about Wagyu breed and quality testing here. Also, be sure to watch the VIDEO on the next slide.

WAGYU BRISKET: BREED CATEGORIES

Japanese Wagyu are classified into the following categories: 

• Japanese Black• Japanese Brown - Kumamoto• Japanese Polled (not bred outside of Japan)• Japanese Shorthorn – Nihon Tankaku (not bred outside of Japan)

WAGYU BRISKET: AMERICAN WAGYU BEEF

Today, the export of Wagyu cattle from Japan is all but prohibited, as they are considered a national treasure. However, sometime in the late 80s and early 90s, roughly 40 full-blooded Wagyu cattle were imported to the US. Currently, only a few ranch operations breed 100 percent Wagyu beef cattle, and these herds are used to blend with other breeds of US cattle. Most of what is sold as American Wagyu is a cross between Japanese Wagyu and either American Angus or Hereford. This cross-breeding results in beef that has the size of Angus and the marbling of Wagyu .Wagyu Brisket: Read the Full Post Here: http

://bbqbeat.com/wagyu-brisket-primer-for-bbq-pitmasters/

WAGYU BRISKET: JAPANESE BLACK ( 黒毛和種 KUROGE WASHU)The Japanese Black was primarily used as the “workhorse” prior to the turn of the 20th Century. This breed was improved during the Meiji Era through crossbreeding with foreign breeds, and was certified as indigenous Japanese beef cattle in 1944. It is raised in most Prefectures of Japan, and more than 90% of Wagyu raised and fattened in Japan is of this breed. Fine strips of fat are found even in its lean meat (known as marbling). The flavor of the fat is exquisite, with a buttery, tender texture that dissolves in one’s mouth. Slaughter age is around 28-30month with an average Japanese grade of BMS 5.6Wagyu Brisket: Read the Full Post Here: http

://bbqbeat.com/wagyu-brisket-primer-for-bbq-pitmasters/

WAGYU BRISKET: JAPANESE BROWN ( 赤毛和種 AKAGE WASHU)Also known as “Akaushi (Aka =red ushi =cattle),” the Japanese Brown is raised primarily in Kumamoto and Kochi Prefectures. The Kumamoto line is the most common with several hundred thousand in existence. The Kochi line has less than two thousand in existence and is only found in Japan. They can be distinguish by the dark points on its nose and feet. It was certified as indigenous Japanese beef cattle in 1944. Among its characteristics is its low fat content, about 12% or less. Because it contains much lean meat, its tastiness and pleasantly firm texture is highly enjoyable. Its fat is also not very heavy but is of fine texture, and has been attracting a great deal of attention by way of its healthiness and mild taste. Slaughter age is around 25 months and this is attributed to the lower level of marbling averaging a Japanese Grade of BMS 3.2Read the full overview of all four Wagyu breed varieties here.

WAGYU BRISKET: US WAGYU BEEF PRODUCERSThe following provides a sampling of some of the better known American Wagyu Beef Producers.

Thompson River Ranch states on their website that they strive for a 75-100% Wagyu breed production.

Lone Mountain Ranch Co. out of Golden, New Mexico raises and sells full blooded Wagyu cattle. They have an impressive breakdown of the Wagyu bulls they use for breeding as well as a grading system they are developing.

Snake River Farms out of Boise, ID maintains their proprietary herd of purebred Wagyu cattle outside American Falls, ID. From this herd, they send out bulls to their partner ranches to be bred with English base cows to supply the calves for the Snake River Farms American Wagyu Beef program. You can find their main sales website here, and their parent corporation, AgriBeef website here.

Note – this is not by any means an exhaustive list. For a full listing of American Wagyu beef producers, visit the American Wagyu Association. Note, there are quality Wagyu Briskets coming out of Australia as well.Wagyu Brisket: Read the Full Post Here: http

://bbqbeat.com/wagyu-brisket-primer-for-bbq-pitmasters/

WAGYU BRISKET: WAGYU VS. PRIME

In short, the key benefit you’re getting when you move up to Wagyu brisket from CAB or even Prime briskets is an increase in marbling. But it’s really more than that. The consistency of the intramuscular fat found in Wagyu beef appears to be of a finer quality – rendering a more “luxurious” end product, if you will. (Yeah, I know. A BBQ Blog using the word luxurious. I’ll put a dollar in the jar now.)

I’ve talked to many different competitive BBQ pitmasters who cook Wagyu briskets, and they all tell me that they just can’t quite coax the same results out of a CAB or even a prime brisket as what they get from the Wagyu.

Wagyu Brisket: Read the Full Post Here: http://bbqbeat.com/wagyu-brisket-primer-for-bbq-pitmasters/

WAGYU BRISKET: BEEF MARBLING STANDARDGrades of Wagyu Brisket: the Beef Marbling Standard (BMS)

Typically, you will find one grade of Wagyu brisket set at a BMS of 6-8. Then, you’ll see a second tier option or premium option set at a BMS of 9+. For Snake River Farms, the lower tier of Wagyu brisket is their “Black Label” and the upper tier is their “Gold Label.”

Wagyu Brisket: Read the Full Post Here: http://bbqbeat.com/wagyu-brisket-primer-for-bbq-pitmasters/

WAGYU BRISKET: PREP AND COOKINGFirst, unless you’re made of money – I can’t see cooking Wagyu Brisket at home unless it’s for a very special occasion or maybe you got a killer deal on one. So let’s talk about competition cooking.

I’ve attended a few competition BBQ classes, and without giving away specifics – each and every one has used both rubs and injections when cooking Wagyu brisket. The one thing I’ve heard and read in a few of the various online BBQ forums is that Wagyu briskets tend to cook a little bit longer than their less marbled counterparts, as you want to be sure and get the extra fat rendered. Some have reported finishing temperatures as high as 213 to 217 F!

Trim and prep your Wagyu Brisket just as you would any other brisket. Rub, Inject, etc just the same. What will change is the cooking time and finished temp. Check for “feel” rather than temp for your finished product.

WAGYU BRISKET: TAKE A CLASS TO LEARNAgain, it might be worth your time to take a class from someone who has a proven track record winning with Wagyu brisket. Three local choices here in the Central Florida area are:

Swamp Boys Q School – Rub Bagby, Pitmaster

Sweet Smoke Q’s Competition Class  – Jim Elser, Pitmaster

Hot Wachula’s Competition Class – Matt Barber, Pitmaster

Wagyu Brisket: Read the Full Post Here: http://bbqbeat.com/wagyu-brisket-primer-for-bbq-pitmasters/

WAGYU BRISKET: WHERE TO BUYWe’ve covered most of the basics concerning why you might want to up your competition by moving to Wagyu brisket. As such, I wanted to share a few places where you can find Wagyu brisket online. As always, if you know of others to check out, please leave a comment below as a resource.

• Snake River Farms (find on Amazon here or the SRF site here.)• Hunstpoint.com• Mr. Brisket (Email or call as he has more options than what’s on the site)• Premier Proteins – call and they’ll ship to you• Paradise Meats – They sell  the Wagyu (American Style – more than 75%

Wagyu, less than 25% Angus) or the Akaushi (Japanese Style – 100% bloodline) – both raised in the USA. Ratings are 6 to 7 BMS and 8 to 9 BMS.Wagyu Brisket: Read the Full Post Here: http

://bbqbeat.com/wagyu-brisket-primer-for-bbq-pitmasters/