Dear Wine Berserkers - I just posted a new offer last night to our email list and wanted to leave it here as well. Basically, its a Buy Three get One Free offer on our American-raised Wagyu category that includes both our Black Wagyu (90% of beef sold in Japan) and our Akaushi Wagyu (basically, the other 10% of beef sold in Japan). Both are sourced from single farms, one in the mid-west and the other in Texas, and all the steaks were hand selected by my meat Ninja at harvest.
Coupon code is AMWAGYU. Add any four items from the cut steaks in the American Wagyu category (disregard the steak flights that appear on this page, they’re being grabbed by the filter) Search: 57 results found for "American Wagyu" – Holy Grail Steak Co. and enter the coupon code at checkout. The price of the fourth steak will be removed! ALL ORDERS OVER $199 SHIP FEDEX 2-DAY FOR FREE.
…if you are interested, here is the copy from our email - basically a very brief primer on the genesis of the Wagyu in America and the two offerings of American-raised Wagyu we offer at Holy Grail.
Interest in the phenomenally-marbled Japanese Wagyu spiked in the 80’s as Japan opened its doors to the West and global tourism to the country skyrocketed. In the early 90, enterprising Americans saw an opportunity to translate these Japanese genetics to the west by crossbreeding pure Japanese genetics with cattle already acclimated to the US climate. They began to fly over top breeding stock directly from Japan on specially outfitted 737’s. The Japanese Government moved to name Wagyu Beef a “National Treasure” and quickly banned the export of ANY genetic material related to Wagyu including live cattle, seed, or embryos. But it was too late, the cow had left the barn.
One of the foundational exports upon which the most successful American-raised Wagyu programs are based came from legendary Hokkaido breeder, Mr. Shogo Takeda, founder of Takeda Farms and one of Japan’s most revered breeders. Initially cross-bred with a very tight line of American Angus genetics then continually over-layered with 100% Japanese Wagyu genetics from locally-sired Fullblood (100% Wagyu) bulls, the resulting program is fully acclimated to the environment of the American mid-west and a completely “reset” Wagyu gene pool – a textbook example of the Japanese concept of Kaizen, or Continuous Improvement. Still to this day overseen by Takeda-san, Holy Grail’s American-raised Black Wagyu steaks are the pinnacle expression of this program with only second and third generation Wagyu (known as F2’s and F3’s) making the cut. Of this small program of less than 1,000 head of cattle, Holy Grail hand-selects the top 1% for our program. These are the highest marbling American-raised Wagyu steaks (7-8BMS) in the US and will knock your socks off with their combination of Wagyu succulence and Angus beefiness.
Around the same time as Takeda-san’s epic delivery, another shipment arrived containing bulls and heifers from Japan’s second largest breed, the Japanese Brown Wagyu or Aka Ushi. Renowned for its incredible tenderness and bright cherry red color (earning them the nickname Kumamoto Reds), the Japanese Brown Wagyu is a result of cross-breeding Japanese Black Wagyu and Swiss Simmental cattle 100 years ago on the southern Island of Kyushu.
The idea was to combine Wagyu’s marbling with Simmental “fork-tenderness” and beefy flavor qualities. The resulting breed was a perfect fit for the hot, sub-tropical climate of Kumamoto and huge hit amongst Japanese consumers. A perfect fit as well for the hot climate in Texas, Holy Grail’s Akaushi steaks have a 5-6 BMS and are a perfect fit for those who looking for the ultimate in tenderness and succulence combined with the beefy quality of continental European cattle.
I just ordered four individual steaks and input AMWAGYU. It charged me for all four steaks. It might be my error but please cancel my order and refund my card.
Hi George - sorry, just saw this. Happy to refund your order; however, I am happy to fix the pricing for you as well? I am not sure why the coupon wouldn’t have worked but will look into it…in the meantime, please let me know if a price adjustment solves the issue.
I’m in, just placed an order and look forward to a hedonistic Saturday night dinner. The coupon worked fine. What wines pair best with this beef, a big young California cabernet like a Shafer HSS or something more restrained like a nice 96 Left Bank Bordeaux? Other? Thanks.
As for wine, its really all about what you enjoy…I am sure either of those would be great quite frankly. Any high quality red will pair nicely. I can get into the weeds on this a bit but I have to run to a meeting …will try to get back and geek out in a little bit…
HI David - they ship frozen and should arrive frozen (packaging below). We cut and immediately blast freeze to minus30 which avoids damage to the steaks. Thaw them in the fridge and they are as good as, if not better than, fresh. You could hold onto these in a good freezer for a year if you wanted to.
Received them today. I’m eating a New York now. Best New,York I’ve ever had for my preferences. I’m a ribeye guy. Based on the New York I expect the ribeye will dissolve in my mouth. Cooking method: fry pan, sear, turn it off, let it cook in the pan then rest. Mild dry steak spices.
Eating it with my first Renaissance cabernet, the 2001 Reserve. I’m a huge Clos Saron fan and also Renaissance riesling (dry as chalk). Verdict: great winemaking, fresh and strong acidity, strong dark fruit, the vineyard can only give so much in complexity, 92-93 points, a bargain. Next time with these steaks something softer and broader, you don’t need to cut through rough steak flavors.
I was just about to ask myself. The difference between the two is real, the Akaushi being about 5-6 BMS (vs 7-8 BMS) and I think a bit more tender - like cut it with a fork tender. Of course, the American-raised Black Wagyu is tender but hard to beat the Akaushi in that department. The flavor profiles are different as well, the Akaushi more earthy (think Pinot) vs the bigger beefier American Black (Syrah/Cabernet).
Also, I should note the picture above is not American but Japanese Wagyu.
Cameron
see below…American Black Strip on top, Akaushi Ribeye below…not exact cut match but you get the idea in terms of MBS
…will try to get back and geek out in a little bit…
