Consider this the Maserati of meat.
Luxurious, extravagant and a work of art in its own right.
This is the Snake River Farms American Kobe Gold Grade Eye of Ribeye Roast.
At nearly $400 for a 6 1/2- to 7-pounder, it’s meat that makes an entrance. Especially on an important holiday.
I actually had a chance to try a sample of the roast recently. I don’t think I’ve ever cooked a cut of meat worth this much. My kitchen almost felt unworthy.
What accounts for its sky-high price tag? First, it’s American Kobe, which is Japanese Wagyu crossed with American Angus. Second, it’s gold grade, meaning it’s more marbled than than any other roast the Idaho-based company sells. Third, it’s aged, hand-trimmed and limited in quantity.
Those who like to gnaw on prime rib bones may regret this ribeye roast is boneless. It comes already tied with butcher’s twine to help keep its shape. It’s not a uniform shape, though, as the ends are narrower than the middle, which makes it a little more challenging to cook, especially if you are trying to achieve a medium-rare throughout.
We cooked ours in our Big Green Egg. After letting it rest for a few minutes, the end slices verged more on medium, while the interior was nicely medium-rare.
But because this is American Wagyu, even the more done slices were still incredibly juicy and tender. That’s because of the high fat content throughout the meat. Indeed, if you look closely at the photo above, you can even see the intramuscular globules of fat throughout the cooked meat. When you take a bite of this roast, fabulous fatty juice fairly squirts throughout your entire mouth.
It goes without saying that this is an exceedingly rich cut of meat. In fact, even those used to gorging on a giant slab of prime rib will find themselves probably opting for a much smaller slice. For me, half of that slice shown above was enough to render me quite full.
Use this as an excuse to open up that spendy bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon you’ve been saving, too, as meat this lavish calls for a robust red with a good amount of tannins to balance it out.
The roast will serve 8 to 12, if not more.
It’s a splurge. But it’s still cheaper than an Italian sports car.
CONTEST: One lucky Food Gal reader will win a free Snake River Farms American Kobe Gold Grade Ribeye Roast in time for the holidays. Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST Dec. 13. The winner will be announced Dec. 15.
How to win?
Tell me about a splurge you made that was well worth the price — and why. Best answer wins the prize.
Here’s my own response:
“I distinctly remember it happened during an El Nino year. With our current three years-plus drought in California, it’s hard to even fathom a time when it rained that hard and that frequently. But that year, it did. And I regularly got sopping wet. I had an umbrella that didn’t quite do the job well enough. I had a bright green Gore-tex parka that was hardly business-looking. I also had an old, flimsy raincoat, bought eons ago that wasn’t even water repellent anymore. My husband suggested we go shopping for a Burberry raincoat, despite my entreaties that it was too expensive. But he figured if you were going to get one trench coat, you ought to get the trench coat. We drove to the Burberry outlet store — in the rain, of course. The outlet happened to be having a sale. As I combed the racks, seeing hardly anything left in my size, a saleswoman came by to ask what I was looking for. She fell silent in thought for a moment, then said, “Let me look in the back.” And off she went behind closed doors. She emerged a few minutes later carrying a classic black trench coat — lined and waterproof. “We had a few more come in that I just didn’t have time to put out yet,” she said, as she helped me slip it on. It fit perfectly. It was the ideal look of business professional crossed with secret agent. Even at outlet prices, it was the most expensive coat I’d ever bought. But that year, as the storms arrived day after day, I wore it pretty much straight through January to June. That was at least a decade ago. It’s since kept me warm and dry on jaunts throughout various countries. And sure enough, it still looks as good as the day I bought it. I’ve since been back to that Burberry outlet, but have yet to see another trench coat for as low of a price. Which surely means this coat was just meant to be.”