You Can Now Get This Legendary Japanese Beef At Costco
One of the priciest meats on the market, Japanese Wagyu beef is valued for its marbling pattern, which creates ultra-tender, buttery beef. Business Insider states that this high end, coveted meat can be made from four different types of cattle. These cows are bred to be very strong, causing fat cells to distribute throughout their muscles. Japan takes this beef very seriously, with strict regulations around how the meat is produced. This keeps the quality (and the price) of Wagyu beef high.
Recently, users on the Reddit message board r/Costco have been spotting the expensive meat in a very unexpected location — their local wholesale grocery store. Reddit user basedmoon posted a photograph to the message board stating that they spotted A5 Wagyu steaks in a Costco in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In the photo, the beef comes packaged in a set of two New York strip steaks, at $99.99 per pound.
In the comments on the post, other Reddit users were quick to ask whether or not they thought there was really a market for the expensive meat, as most people presumably become Costco members for the wholesale deals. Commenters weighed in, stating that these expensive items could still be a good deal compared to what the products would be sold for at their regular grocery stores, and they are normally considered a splurge item the store is hoping will drive up the price of the other items shoppers add to their baskets.
You can buy Wagyu beef on the Costco website
The Wagyu beef steaks were spotted in another Costco as well, though Reddit user MischviousM0nkey declined to give the details of where the premium beef was being sold. The meat was again packaged in a set of two New York strip steaks for $99.99 per pound, the same price as the product was advertised for in Ann Arbor. MicheviousM0nkey claimed they had never seen any Wagyu beef in a Costco store before.
While it appears that this high-end steak is the only Wagyu product currently for sale in select Costco locations, it's been possible to order some cuts of Wagyu beef on the Costco website for quite some time. On their site, prices for the meat range from $250 for two pounds of thinly sliced Wagyu beef to $2,499.99 for 36.5 pounds of assorted cuts.
The New York strip steaks also appear for sale on the Costco website, but you have to buy four of the steaks, weighing three pounds total for $449.99. If you're trying to snag this in-store Wagyu steak deal, we recommend calling your local Costco to check if they have the specialty item, as it is not necessarily being sold at every location.