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Wagyu Cheeseburgers

jfm0830
jfm0830 Posts: 987
edited June 2015 in EggHead Forum
Work and family needs have conspired to keep me away from my Eggs for far too long lately. In fact the last two timesI I have eaten food cooked on the Egg, it was cooed by others. First at my Egg dealer's Customer Appreciation Day 2 weeks ago and last Saturday's NewEGGlandfest in Brentwood, NH. Now before I start feeling too sorry for myself, both times some of that food was cooked by Eric Mitchell, author of the new Smoke It LIKE A PRO (on the Big Green Egg) cookbook. My personal drought was due to end Saturday night when I got back. I had a recipe called Korean Burgers that I planned to make for supper.

I had been telling the folks at my butcher shop about the Big Green Egg and NewEGGlandfest, plus they had seen some pictures of the food I made using their meat. Well they evidently listened and 3 of them were there and I bumped into them. This chance meeting resulted in a conversation about Wagyu beef. I found out they carried Wagyu beef and where this was sort of a Bucket List item for me, I decided to switch plans and make a burger with Wagyu beef. After all if I was going to do a hamburger, why not do THE hamburger. I decided to keep things simple and use only salt & pepper for seasonings and some good American cheese for the only topping. Onto the pictures:




This first picture is out at the Egg which has been pre-heated to 425. The bowl contains the salt & pepper I was using for seasoning, pre-mixed together. Notice the color of the patties: They are almost salmon pink, rather than the typical red of regular ground beef. This is due to the high amount of marbling present in the Wagyu beef. The other difference was the texture of the meat, which was softer and smoother and didn't feel like the typical ground beef mixture.





Step 1 was to toast the buns. At 425 the first one was ready to come off as soon as the last one went on.





The three 1/3pound Wagyu patties are on the grill. They were prone to flareups due to all of the fat, but the flames went out as soon as the lid went down.





After 4 minutes it was time to flip the burgers. i had oiled the grill grate well, fearing the worst from this soft, delicate meat and I had very little stickage.





The patties were topped with cheese for their last 90 seconds on the grill.





The burgers were rested for 10 minutes and it was time to eat.





mmmmm. Comments below.





Cutting to the chase: These burgers were Excellent! There were several surprises though, because they certainly didn't turn out to be what I was expecting. This wasn't a bad thing, just different.
  • These were the most moist burgers I have ever had, this surprised me a bit though. The recipe I used for cooking Wagyu burgers called for you to take the burgers up to 160 degrees, which is higher than I sometimes do. Every bite was juicy almost out to the edges.
  • The consistency was different than any ground beef I have ever had. It was smooth and creamy and didn't seem like a typical burger made of strands of meat pressed together. It was like an extremely soft and creamy single piece of meat. I wasn't expecting this but noticed it at the first bite.
  • The meat had an intense flavor, but it was not what I was expecting. I expected a more intense flavor of grilled ground beef. This is a bit hard to put into words that make sense: This was an intense flavor, but it didn't taste like typical grilled ground beef flavor. I can't describe what it reminded me of.
  • These three items combined add up to this: If you had blindfolded me and gave me a piece of this burger I never would have guessed ground beef. Grilled meat, grilled beef perhaps, but certainly not ground beef of any kind. 
Grilling some Wagyu beef was a bit of a Bucket List item for me. It was certainly a fun experiment, resulting in some tasty food. Fortunately while it was very good, Fortunately, I am not feeling now that I have tried it, I must have it going forward. I will probably make it again from time to time for a true burger lover for some special occasion.

Jim
Website: www.grillinsmokin.net
3 LBGE & More Eggcessories than I care to think about.

Comments

  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
    Great post...
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    Great post and pics!  I'm gonna try that for sure!
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
    edited June 2015
    Looks great, Jim and I see you made my favorite tots, so extra points to you.

    Glad to hear your drought is over. I was in a bit of one for quite a while, but like you, I think mine has ended.

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
    Always enjoy your posts. Thanks for sharing. 
  • TexanOfTheNorth
    TexanOfTheNorth Posts: 3,951
    Great looking burgers and post Jim! I always appreciate the time and effort you put into providing so much detail and insight.
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, "spa-Peggy" is kind of like spaghetti. I'm not sure what Peggy does different, if anything. But it's the one dish she's kind of made her own.
    ____________________
    Aurora, Ontario, Canada
  • Sameday
    Sameday Posts: 43
    Looks good.  I am a big fan of the tater tots.

    I like to make a short rib burger which gives you a different taste and texture from a regular burger.
  • byrne092
    byrne092 Posts: 746
    @jfm0830 Burgers look great. Really appreciate the information regarding the burgers, you actually just answered the question I had on another post! 
    XL, Medium BGE & Blackstone I XAR-Woo2 & Rig-BO Flameboss 500

    St. Louis, MO
  • Toxarch
    Toxarch Posts: 1,900
    Looks good!
    Just be aware that almost all American Wagyu is a Wagyu and Black Angus cross. There's not a lot of pure strain Wagyu in the US.
    Aledo, Texas
    Large BGE
    KJ Jr.

    Exodus 12:9 KJV
    Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

  • Dyal_SC
    Dyal_SC Posts: 6,023
    Great post!  Looks delicious!
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    Excellent post - although I have to admit that once I saw the tater tots I kinda quit reading or caring about the burger...

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • DieselkW
    DieselkW Posts: 894
    Sometimes I get something so good in my mouth I'm reluctant to swallow it, sounds like you experienced that.
    I ground up some prime (grade) prime rib once and got a burger that I didn't want to finish eating, but I couldn't help but finish eating it.

    I've never felt wealthy enough to buy Wagyu - maybe someday soon, you've inspired me.

    Indianapolis, IN

    BBQ is a celebration of culture in America. It is the closest thing we have to the wines and cheeses of Europe. 

    Drive a few hundred miles in any direction, and the experience changes dramatically. 



  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    Dude! Seriously, the pics are making my mouth water.

    Foghorn said:
    Excellent post - although I have to admit that once I saw the tater tots I kinda quit reading or caring about the burger...

    Yes, the tots are clearly hand made from high altitude Peruvian 'taters, carefully cultivated in the manner of ancient Inca shamans with a daily bath of alpaca milk. =)
  • jfm0830
    jfm0830 Posts: 987
    edited June 2015
    Thanks to everyone for looking and your kind words, 

    I must admit I felt guilty serving anything frozen with that quality burger. But like many of you it seems, tater tots are a not so guilty pleasure.

    Jim
    Website: www.grillinsmokin.net
    3 LBGE & More Eggcessories than I care to think about.
  • NDG
    NDG Posts: 2,431
    looks awesome.  I got my dad some Snake River Farms KOBE burgers for Fathers Day . . . I assume they are similar?
    Columbus, OH

    “There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as if everything is” 
  • jfm0830
    jfm0830 Posts: 987
    edited June 2015
    NDG said:
    looks awesome.  I got my dad some Snake River Farms KOBE burgers for Fathers Day . . . I assume they are similar?
    If they are truly Kobe beef burgers then they would have originated from 1 of 4 breeds of Kobe beef cattle raised in Japan. Only Japanese beef can be called Kobe beef. These would be even better (and more expensive). If it is beef from America, then it is probably Wagyu, which is this breed of Japanese beef cattle imported to America and raised here. They also may have been cross breed with an American breed like long horn. Many places are intentionally sloppy and call Wagyu beef, Kobe or American Kobe and clarify it in the fine print elsewhere. If it is Kobe or good Wagyu, your dad is in for a treat.
    Website: www.grillinsmokin.net
    3 LBGE & More Eggcessories than I care to think about.