A5 Wagyu Petite New York Strip Sous-Vide

I've finally bit the bullet and ordered my first of two A5 Wagyu steaks from Crowdcow which is the premier source for everything beef and amazing meats. I've ordered from Crowdcow before and have always been so awesomely happy I had to buy some Wagyu from them. This particular Wagyu is from the Farm of Kagoshima Japan.

I wanted to get my feet wet first with a petite cut since I have never Sous-Vide-Processed A5 Wagyu Beef before. I have a 17 oz Ribeye in the freezer just waiting to be eaten from Crowdcow and from the same farm. 

Why did I want to Sous-Vide-Process Wagyu? Well, this Blog is dedicated to Sous-Vide-Processing. To the antagonists that oppose Sous-Vide-Processing of A5 Wagyu I gotta ask have you ever done it before? According to Co-Founder Joe Heitzeberg & CEO of CrowCow yes you can! "Think sous vide will make that fat melt away... nope. It won't."

More from Joe "Is it a good idea? Well, when I traveled to Japan and ate my body weight in A5 Wagyu with former Alinea Executive Chef Mike Bagale, I asked him about it, and he said that yes, he always sous vides A5 Wagyu." 

This is not my first experience with Crowdcow either. I purchased hamburger patties and tons of meats. Here's a link to one of their Ribeyes I cooked a while back. 

 A shout out to Crowdcow for their top-notch packaging. The meat arrives ice-cold and when I say ice-cold your freezer cannot get that cold. Packed with dry-ice!! Each protein is packed and vac sealed with what looks like 6 mil vac bags. Wow!

And this personal touch is really cool!!!

As most of you know, already I always dry-brine my proteins. I used precisely .60% of Kosher Salt. 

Give it a sprinkle on both sides! 

Vac-Sealed for about 12-hrs. 

After the elapsed time I began the SV-precessing by setting th IC to 133f. If you don't know how to SV Fatty Cuts give this a read. It's a tutorial I wrote on the processing of High-Fat-Proteins. 

This steak is so thin I only processed for 35 minutes. It was shocked for about 7 minutes in cold tap water before the next step. 

Steak removed from vac bag, dried very well and slightly peppered on both sides. No oil in the pan either. This A5 has so much fat it doesn't need any.

Seared on both sides for 30 Seconds. 

I am not trying to get all religious or anything like that, but this was heavenly. So with that, I had to do a Berakah. This was indeed a divine experience.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ‑יָ אֱ‑לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיָה בִּדְבָרוֹ- Baruck Atah Adonoi Elohainu Melech Haloam Shehakol Nihyah Bidvaro- 

How do I love thee let me count the ways? I am not kidding it was an experience. I can only imagine what the 17oz Ribeye will taste like. 


Review- It's tough to describe in words what Wagyu tastes like. The taste is extra special in every way. The flavor coats every nook and cranny and fills your mouth with savouriness and richness. A butteriness is the only word that comes close to characterizing the Wagyu. Wagyu epitomizes all that is rich and glorious and has to be eaten at least once in your life. 

I've read many times that you can only eat a small portion because of the richness, but I am here to tell you that it is nonsense..... maybe? This was a 4 oz portion.  

I can't wait to taste that 17oz Wagyu Ribeye. I'm gonna make sure my family is out, so I don't have to share. 

It's like no other steak I have ever eaten. I've eaten lots of prime Angus but Wagyu is an entirely different breed of cattle so don't expect a heavy beefy taste. The abundance of fat aka marbling ensures flavorsome richness which can only be described as mind altering. 

Undoubtedly a Mind-Blowing UMAMI-Laden masterpiece which has to be savored. Wagyu is so tender it melts in your mouth. So when I say savored I mean take your time and let every bit and chew coat your mouth. I tend to eat fast, but with Wagyu, I had to take my time to truly appreciate what it was I was eating.