Blow That Dough! -2021

[TrvlBug]

Signed the contract for A/C . In order for the A/C unit to fit in the current spaces, we need to replace our 10 year old furnaces with new, smaller ones. The upstairs one is located in a hall closet and we do not want to move it to the attic. The downstairs furnace started hiccuping last winter and we anticipate a $1K repair soon. $32K total which includes the electrician putting in the base for our soon to be purchased EV.

 

[RunningBum]

Is it possible to have too much fat? I am talking about Japanese Wagyu which is 50% fat, and not American Wagyu.

Before the end of the month I will find out. I had the Costco Wagyu tenderloin shipped to my sister, for a family meal when I visit there very soon.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Costco Japanese Wagyu:

From a trip to Japan a number of years ago:

 

[NW-Bound]

From a trip to Japan a number of years ago:

5000 Yen for 100g, that's $46 for 0.22 lbs, or $209/lb.

I cannot read the Japanese label, so do not know if it is Kobe or the more common Wagyu. The imported Japanese Wagyu grade A5 that Costco sells is $100/lb for ribeye, and $200/lb for filet.

From the following description, it does not appear that Kobe is necessarily better than a high-grade Wagyu, and only more limited.

To be labelled Kobe, cattle must meet the following seven standards upon slaughter:

• Bullock (steer) or virgin cow.
• Tajima-Gyu born within Hyogo Prefecture.
• Fed on a farm within Hyogo Prefecture.
• Meat processed within Hyogo Prefecture.
• Marbling rating (BMS) of 6 or higher on a 12 point scale.
• Meat quality rating of 4 or higher on a 5 point scale.
• An overall weight not exceeding 470 kg.

Because of these stringent standards, only between 3,000 and 4,000 head of cattle qualify as authentic Kobe cattle each year.

 

[albireo13]

My understanding is that marbling is intramuscular fat and it is not at all unhealthy. It's not the same thing as that thicker glob of fat you see in a rib eye or prime rib or edge of another cut that hasn't been trimmed that well.

I found my source for this, which says:

The fatty acid profile of beef is unique in that it varies based on where the fat is actually located. For example, the external fat on a cut of beef is mostly saturated fat. However, most of the external fat is removed during carcass fabrication at the facility, trimming at the grocery store or by the consumer during meal preparation, so very little external fat is generally consumed. On the other hand, intramuscular fat, or marbling, is rich in monounsaturated fats. In fact, monounsaturated fats, which are the same kind of fat found in avocados and olive oil, make up more than 50% of the fatty acid profile of intramuscular fat.

Now, my source is a document I got when I was a sponsored runner for "Team Beef". So it's not an unbiased source, but I think there is some truth to it. I'm not sure if the less than 50% that is not monounsaturated is enough to be unhealthy.

This may be true, I am not sure. However, it sure sounds like a public message from the beef industry! LOL

 

[pacergal]

Snake River Farms beef cap steak is delicious!

 

[RobbieB]

Yes. I would say best I've had so far. Just amazing and easy to portion control as the slab is fairly thin and easy to slice across the grain.

 

[RobbieB]

All this talk of great beef has made me place an order;

(2) 20 oz gold grade cap of ribeye
(5) 1 lb packs (two 8 oz patties) wagyu burger
(4) 6 oz tenderloins
And I got a jar each of their steak and pork rub.

Paid the $25 for 2 day air - WooHoo!

 

[NW-Bound]

^^^^ You will need to shop for some good red wine, with which to wash the beef down.

 

[RobbieB]

I'm more of a beer and booze guy, but I'm not buying Budweiser either -

Their wagyu burgers are a great deal and they really rock!

 

[NW-Bound]

^^^ I just took a look.

A 1/2-lb patty for $7 would not be bad at all, if I could drive to a local store to get it whenever I felt like having one.

 

[audreyh1]

All this talk of great beef has made me place an order;

(2) 20 oz gold grade cap of ribeye
(5) 1 lb packs (two 8 oz patties) wagyu burger
(4) 6 oz tenderloins
And I got a jar each of their steak and pork rub.

Paid the $25 for 2 day air - WooHoo!

That’s a great deal on the 2 day air!

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Their wagyu burgers are a great deal and they really rock!

Our Costco has Wagyu Burgers, they are very well priced.

 

[NW-Bound]

I have no problem at all with fat per se and enjoy eating fat. Animal fat can be incredibly healthy. But I don't like the idea of grain-finished beef. Not as good for you, and much harder on the cows. I try to get grass-fed as much as I can.

Uh, harder on the cows? What did I miss? I think the whole process ends up being very hard on the cows though YMMV.

Cows are supposed to eat grass, not grain. They get sick eating grain.

I have to chime in here, no they don't get sick eating grain, the key even for cows is a balanced diet.

I am not a vegetarian, but believe in treating livestock humanely. It is true that in nature, cows do not run across vast amount of corn on which to feed to their heart content. But if it is fed to them, do they enjoy it? It's the same as people do not run across free and unlimited Wagyu beef to eat as much as they like.

So, my question is: do cow enjoy corn? Do they die happily?

 

[Koolau]

^^^ I just took a look.

A 1/2-lb patty for $7 would not be bad at all, if I could drive to a local store to get it whenever I felt like having one.

Yeah, especially since I just bought a pound of Kroger's 80% lean burger gemish for just over $5! Makes $14/lb for wagyu burger sound pretty good. YMMV

 

[Koolau]

I am not a vegetarian, but believe in treating livestock humanely. It is true that in nature, cows do not run across vast amount of corn on which to feed to their heart content. But if it is fed to them, do they enjoy it? It's the same as people do not run across free and unlimited Wagyu beef to eat as much as they like.

So, my question is: do cow enjoy corn? Do they die happily?

If you've ever seen cattle "called" to a dinner of grain, I think you would agree they must enjoy it though I'm no expert - only an observer.

As far as when cows die, I too believe in limiting fear and suffering when the time comes. I think the better houses have this down to a science though nothing is perfect so YMMV.

 

[ivinsfan]

I am not a vegetarian, but believe in treating livestock humanely. It is true that in nature, cows do not run across vast amount of corn on which to feed to their heart content. But if it is fed to them, do they enjoy it? It's the same as people do not run across free and unlimited Wagyu beef to eat as much as they like.

So, my question is: do cow enjoy corn? Do they die happily?

You'd be surprised at the things cows like to eat...with the new trend in robot milkers there is a self feeding bin of "cow candy"...which a lot of time contains molasses, roasted corn and soybean on each robot...the robot will drop a small amount of candy in front of the cow.


The idea is to encourage them to come to the robot and not wait until their udders are tight. Cows wear readable collars and if they come to the robot too often they won't get a candy treat, IOW no soup for you...


As far as them dying happy, end of life is much more humane then it is for a lot of humans.




We had a cow that was hard working, high producing and had a great personality.


She calved in summer on pasture. At calving she suddenly presented with two medical issues each one of which could have been the end. We stood out in the pasture with the vet who said, First we'll fix this one and then we'll work on the other one, but it won't be easy.


She was an older cow and as she lay on the ground looking at me with her big brown eyes, I said, No we are not going to put her through all that, when chances are not that good.



And No it wasn't about the cost of the vet bill.

 

[Koolau]

You'd be surprised at the things cows like to eat...with the new trend in robot milkers there is a self feeding bin of "cow candy"...which a lot of time contains molasses, roasted corn and soybean on each robot...the robot will drop a small amount of candy in front of the cow.


The idea is to encourage them to come to the robot and not wait until their udders are tight. Cows wear readable collars and if they come to the robot too often they won't get a candy treat, IOW no soup for you...


As far as them dying happy, end of life is much more humane then it is for a lot of humans.




We had a cow that was hard working, high producing and had a great personality.


She calved in summer on pasture. At calving she suddenly presented with two medical issues each one of which could have been the end. We stood out in the pasture with the vet who said, First we'll fix this one and then we'll work on the other one, but it won't be easy.


She was an older cow and as she lay on the ground looking at me with her big brown eyes, I said, No we are not going to put her through all that, when chances are not that good.



And No it wasn't about the cost of the vet bill.

This confirms my thought that folks get attached to their live stock. It sound almost as if your cow was as much a pet as an economic investment. Good on you for helping her transition.

 

[pacergal]

Have not worn fragrance for many years (working in healthcare and they went to a fragrance free environment probably 15 years ago)
Went on line and ordered perfume from Chanel, $$$!
Way more than I paid many, many years ago

 

[jollystomper]

Tuesday I played in a golf tournament, and managed to break the shaft of my 3 wood. I though my swing would not bring me near that tree branch, but... At least I had only payed $27 for it.

So... today I bought a replacement. Decided to move up from the bargain Top Flite brand to Callaway, as I really like the Callaway driver I bought in June (plus, the store did not have lefty Top Flites in stock and I decided to be impatient ). 3 wood on sale for $179, blew that dough!

 

[RetiredHappy]

I want to report back on my earlier post about new Cleveland Launcher XL Halo irons. I have played 2 rounds, yesterday and today, and they are amazing. I couldn't hit the XL Halo hybrid and I came home and ordered the 4 iron. I am definitely on my way to dropping my handicap by at least a couple of points.

 

[explanade]

Grain diets are not good for cows.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/05/010511074623.htm


Now if you want to argue that it doesn't matter they are slaughtered in months anyways, you can.

But like foie gras and caged poultry, mass livestock farming does produce diseased animals.

I do eat beef, including probably grain-fed beef.

In any event, even $14/pound hamburger patties sound steep. I've paid $30 for burgers and the quality of the beef probably wasn't as good but it's a treat, prepared better than I ever could.

I'd rather just BTD on some fancy burgers once in awhile. I don't think I'd want to consume a lot of Waygu burgers in a short period of time.


Oh I just listened to an interview with Scott Gottlieb, who's promoting a book on the pandemic. But for some reason, the discussion went to how he cooks beef.

He talked about needing to cook steaks enough to avoid issues with bacteria but still cook medium rare. Then he talked about burgers, which may need to be cooked more because the grinding process or tenderization process pushed surface bacteria to the inside.

 

[ivinsfan]

Exp, sometime I'll tell about the 200 acres of hay we baled 3 times a year for over 30 years...hay is fiber so the diet isn't fiber deficient.. but let's get back on topic.

 

[ksr]

I keep buying new running shoes and my running times never improve.

Have you tried a pair of Nikes with carbon plates (like the Nexts)? A BTD purchase, but they really are fast.

 

[Sunset]

.................
He talked about needing to cook steaks enough to avoid issues with bacteria but still cook medium rare. Then he talked about burgers, which may need to be cooked more because the grinding process or tenderization process pushed surface bacteria to the inside.

Even with steaks or solid cuts of meat, if they have been tenderized by poking them with lots of holes, there could be bacteria deep inside.

My local Tony's grocery store often tenderizes the flank steak for folks by request, and they run it through a machine twice , its like a paper shredder, without actually shredding the meat.