Too late.
How did you prep it?
Boiled, then stir fried.
I have seen it disappear only to reappear. My local Costco has the caps now.
So, you cook Wagyu and Kobe more because of greater marbling?
Unless the finished temperature exceeds 130-140F, you’re not melting very much fat, regardless of the breed or grade.
Huh? I don’t even understand that question.
Beef fat begins to render (or melt) at 45-50 C (or 113-122 F).
Most authorities agree it’s 130-140F, but hey… Try rendering all the fat out of a Wagyu A5 in a 122F bath and see what you get. Take as long as you want. It will soften at the animal’s body temperature, about 101F, but that’s not rendering.
IMO, the best way of thinking about this is that high-fat cuts like Prime ribeye caps can tolerate higher finished temperatures in terms o moistness and flavor. But the color will suffer if you finish it to the 132F in the link.
I’ll go to V. Miller as a staring point, but it seems like the real way of getting this is to go to a meat processing site. I’m interested to do this both to acquire this cut, and because I like the idea of making relationships with experts over this sort of stuff.
How can I learn what part of the neck I should point to as the part I want? How did you learn about this muscle and how to identify it? My source was a rather obscure video on Chinese cooking which I’m not sure I can even find again.
Yesterday I checked again. Now my Costco has the caps, and ribeyes WITH caps, but no ribeyes without. ???
Also, the caps were priced a dollar more a pound than the eye+caps. Go figure.
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It will look very marbled. As it’s part of the neck, don’t confuse marbling with tendons or connective tissue. Look towards the back or lower end of the neck, because the further up the neck moves towards the head the more the movement, which makes the meat tougher and chewier. You want to a piece of neck as close to the back (or furthest away from the head) nearest the chuck or shoulder. The texture of the piece of neck meat will be similar to ribeye.
Worse comes to worse, you’ll get a piece from what is now commonly called “Denver” steak. You could do a lot of worse, all things considered.
A chef at one of my former restaurants used to break down whole cows as a hobby. (Yes, a hobby) And he would bring in all sorts of sub-primal cuts for us to share during off hours.
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There isn’t a lot of distance between the chuck and the head. In fact, many cut charts don’t even include a neck designation. And you’re not likely to be able to judge marbling from a hanging half or quarter, much less the whole carcass. You’d be better off judging after it’s boned out.
It only makes sense that this particular cut would come from an area not heavily involved in supporting or moving the head. Call a Brazilian steakhouse and ask what’s the best cut from the Pescoco or the Peito.
I’d pay a lot more for the caps alone. I kind of can’t believe they can offer to sell the caps at about the same price as the eyes. Who is buying the eyes without the caps for the same price as the caps, or the same price as the eyes+caps? Doesn’t this mean there must be equal numbers of people out there preferring the eyes over the caps? If so, where is the thread about the eye being the best cut of beef?
Oh, there may be several cohorts. E.g., those who prefer their steak shaped or colored like the eye. Those who don’t like the textural variations of/in the cap. Those who like the smaller portion that comes without the deckle. Those for whom cutting into the rolled cap isn’t enjoyable. Those with uneducated palates. I suppose there are also people who actually prefer the eye’s flavor (My mom, who could get any cut she wanted every day from the plant, preferred plain 'ol rib steak over all).
My preference is more like yours, and so prefer the cap. But then I also prefer halibut cheeks over the fillet. It still galls me to pay more for the former.
Crisis averted. Seems like the caps will still be available.
I too love halibut cheeks. They taste slightly sweeter and i like the grainy texture. The city’s premier fish monger Sunh Fish carries them from time to time. They’re definitely no less expensive than the rest of the halibut though.
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I can’t believe they still Jaccard even a cut like ribeye cap.
Shame on Costco.
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Yeah, the cheeks used to be trash food. So did oysters and lobster.
One of the reasons why I don’t buy meat at Costco often
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It’s worse than that. They needle prime ribeye cap.
Any reason why they keep doing this? Especially with prime?
I’m late but all the times I’ve taken the cap off the roast(*), I’ve found it extremely forgiving as to cooking method.
I just salt it a couple hours ahead then grill or pan sear.
(*) i usually get the whole roast and if I’m going to pull the cap, I’ll start on the cap thick end and only go down to about bone 3 or 4.
