Meatery Wagyu Ribeye Steaks Review

A couple of months ago, Nicholas Fiorentino of The Meatery reached out to us here at Angry BBQ if we would be interested in checking out and reviewing some Wagyu ribeye steaks. There was no way I nor Michael Haas were going to pass up that opportunity, so we each received a box all the way from San Diego, California with two ribeyes to try. 

I’ll dig into The Meatery’s history, the specifics of the Wagyu ribeyes we received, discuss what Wagyu beef is, and the thoughts that I and Michael have after cooking these steaks up. We’ll even discuss our cooking methods for these steaks! So let’s dive into this Meatery review of Wagyu ribeyes! 

A History Of The Meatery Butcher Shop

If you haven’t heard of The Meatery, two things. First, before I received an email from Nick, neither had I. The Meatery’s retail location is in San Diego, and I live outside of Charlotte, North Carolina—not exactly the most geographically connected areas. Heck, Michael lives in Canada. 

Secondly, if you’re into high-end meat, you need to know about The Meatery. Nick and his family started the store during the pandemic to offer the same quality meat that you would find at the best restaurants directly to customers for home use. If you browse the San Diego store or the online store, you’ll find some of the best premium meats on the market. That’s Japanese Wagyu, Australian Wagyu, and American Wagyu beef for the absolute best steaks, brisket, burgers, ribs, and roasts you could ever want. However, if you want something a little more affordable for non-special occasions, The Meatery also carries high-quality Angus steaks and burgers as well. 

If you’re a big fan of pork, Nick and his crew have you covered as well. They’ve sourced Iberico pork from Spain for some incredible ribs and pork steaks. The Meatery even has some heritage breed pork chips available as well.

There are more types of meat for sale as well, so if you’re a meat lover, make sure you check out The Meatery website or store if you’re ever in the San Diego area. Just tell them that Angry BBQ sent you!

One thing we do want to mention about getting these ribeyes shipped is that they were sent across the country in my case and to a different country in the case of Michael. Yet there were no issues at all with the meat. Even Michael’s ribeyes made it through customs and to his house still frozen! 

What Is Wagyu?

Now here’s the question that some of you may be asking as you read through the beginning of this article. What is Wagyu beef and why should I care? 

For starters, true Wagyu beef comes from Japanese cattle. Each Japanese cow (the actual translation of Wagyu is Japanese cow,) has more intramuscular fat than any other cow out there. That incredible marbling gives Wagyu its distinctive tenderness and incredible flavor

American Wagyu is typically a cross-breed of Japanese cattle and Angus cattle raised in the USA. It combines the beefy flavor of Angus with the marbling of Wagyu beef. It’s not quite as marbled as a pure-bred Wagyu cow, but it’s still an incredibly rich and tender cut of beef that you won’t find in even the best traditional Angus beef.

Australian Wagyu is a bit different than American Wagyu with three different levels of Wagyu. There’s the cross-bred version that is quite similar to American Wagyu, there’s purebred that meets the genetic standard of at least 93.75% Wagyu, and then full-blood Wagyu. 

Essentially, you’ll find Wagyu beef that’s a hybrid in the US or Australia all the way up to full-blooded Wagyu raised in Japan today. While you will have different taste and textural experiences depending on what you purchase, as long as you’re getting true Wagyu (even hybrid that’s at least 50/50 Wagyu,) you’re going to have a special experience.

So what did The Meatery send to myself and Michael? 

Ordering Meat Online and Having It Shipped To Your House

As I mention earlier, Mike is in Saskatchewan, Canada and I live by Charlotte, North Carolina. We are not very close to San Diego, California. Mike and I were somewhat nervous what it would be like having high end Wagyu shipped from one side of the continent to the other and what condition the beef would be in once it arrived to our door.

Needless to say, Meatery packages the meat so well and uses expedited shipping that this was not a concern. Even though the Wagyu had to go through Canadian Customs before it was delivered to Michael, it arrived in a very cold state. It wasn’t completely frozen but it was still very cold and safe to eat.

Watch Michael’s unboxing of his Wagyu Steaks from Meatery.

American And Australian Wagyu Ribeyes

A ribeye steak is arguably the greatest steak. So what happens if you take a beloved cut of steak and add the Wagyu experience to it? I recently had the chance to find out. Nick and his team at The Meatery sent me a Masami Wagyu ribeye and a Stone Axe Wagyu Full Blood ribeye. Both ribeyes came frozen and were vacuum sealed to ensure these would cook up amazingly.

The Masami Wagyu ribeye is the American Wagyu, a hybrid between two different breeds of cows: Angus and Wagyu cattle. It had a noticeable amount of marbling compared to traditional ribeyes you’re likely to find in a grocery store or supermarket.

The Stone Axe ribeye is from a full-blooded Wagyu cow in Australia. Even though the American Wagyu ribeye had a noticeable amount of marbling, the Australian full-blood Wagyu blew it out of the water. 

Both steaks were close to a full pound. The American Wagyu ribeye was a bit thicker than the Australian ribeye which was a little longer. Regardless of the differences visually, it was still obvious that cooking these steaks was going to result in an incredible experience. 

So how do you cook a Wagyu ribeye? Both Michael and I reverse-seared our ribeyes by starting them on a pellet grill. He seared his steaks on a charcoal grill while I used the Sidekick attachment on my Camp Chef Apex. 

What Is Reverse Searing?

Simply put, it’s a method of cooking thicker steaks that results in a good sear on the exterior and your desired doneness inside. Rather than searing the exterior first and then finishing in an oven or with other versions of indirect heat, you start the steaks cooking in indirect heat before searing them hot and fast at the end. In this case, we smoked our steaks on a pellet grill. 

How We Cooked Our Wagyu Ribeyes

When you’re cooking this quality of steak, you don’t need to mess around with seasonings.  Salt and black pepper are about all you need. You want the flavor of the meat to shine through, and the salt and pepper do that by just adding a pop of flavor.

I smoked mine at 225°F until they reached around 120°F before pulling them off to rest for 10 minutes. I used my Inkbird IBT-26S thermometer to monitor the internal temperatures so I didn’t have to constantly use an instant-read thermometer to check. I then preheated my Sidekick’s griddle until it got nice and hot and seared the steaks to get a good crust. Michael preheated his charcoal grill to get it hot before searing his steaks to get beautiful grill marks. 

Once you take the steaks off and let them rest for a few moments, slice them thinly against the grain. You’ll have such an incredibly tender and juicy bite.

This method allowed us to regulate the internal temperature for our desired doneness while still getting the desired exterior. We didn’t have to worry about overcooking the interior or the exterior. Plus it adds just a little hint of wood smoke flavor which is always a positive in our books.

Speaking of flavor, at this point, you’re ready to find out our thoughts on just how good these steaks are, right? So let’s slice them open and try them out. 

Just How Good Is Meatery Wagyu?

This was my first time ever trying Wagyu, so I was excited. I had heard everything you probably have: almost buttery in flavor and incredibly tender. Well, if these two ribeyes, one from the US and one from Australia, are any indicator, it’s absolutely true. Michael said that it was “like eating a very buttery steak” and “it literally melts in your mouth.”

I’ve truly never experienced eating beef like these ribeyes. The Australian Wagyu had an almost sweet taste to it while the American had a bit more of a beefy flavor, but both were incredibly tender and buttery. Both ribeyes were almost a pound each prior to cooking. Yet my family of five nearly polished them off that night. 

These ribeyes are incredibly rich and it would be a monumental task for one person to eat a whole steak in one sitting. Yet the flavor and texture are so unlike anything I’ve ever eaten, I just kept reaching for slices. Heck, even when we reheated the leftovers for lunch the next day, it was still better than just about every single steak I’ve ever eaten. 

If you have the opportunity (and the funds,) you need to try these Wagyu ribeyes at least once. You do need to be aware that since these ribeyes aren’t your normal grocery store ribeyes, you aren’t going to be paying normal supermarket prices.

Wagyu, due to its heritage and desirable characteristics that you can’t find in any other breed of cow, is substantially more expensive. These are not steaks you’re going to eat on a weekly basis (unless you’re a global superstar athlete or Jeff Bezos.) These are special occasion  steaks, but man, they will absolutely deliver on a special occasion. 

I’m just going to warn you (and so will Michael if you talk to him.) Once you’ve had a Wagyu ribeye, it’s going to be hard to have a regular ribeye out of the grocery store cooler. We’ve officially become steak snobs now that we’ve eaten these ribeyes. If you’ve ever encountered a wine snob in the store when you’ve been looking for a bottle, that’s what’s going to happen after having one of these ribeyes. We are (and you will be) the wine snobs of beef. 

Oh well. The unforgettable taste of these Wagyu ribeyes is completely worth it.

Final Thoughts

Mike Haas Thoughts

Mike Haas Here: I preferred the Australian Wagyu. The marbling was on another level and this steak had a very different texture then regular ribeye beef. It’s a cliché to say it, but it literally melts in your mouth. The marbling is so intense and fine throughout the meat, that the steak is extremely juicy and tender. This is a very different experience. The American Wagyu was great but the Australian Wagyu took the crown.

First off, hats off the Nick and the crew at The Meatery. They know what they’re doing when it comes to selecting the best quality meat and getting it into customers’ hands. I know that my family enjoyed our steaks and so did Michael. My wife preferred the Australian Wagyu  partially because it’s such a different experience taste and texture-wise from any other  steak she’s had. I enjoyed it as well, but I preferred the American Wagyu because it had a bit more of a beefy flavor.

However, we both agreed that these two Wagyu ribeyes are the best steaks we’ve ever had. Save a little bit of money or keep an eagle eye on the site for any possible sales, do whatever you have to do. If you’re a big fan of steaks, you really should check out these Wagye ribeyes  or any other Wagyu steak from The Meatery. 

And if these ribeyes are any indicator of the quality of meat you can get from The Meatery, you should take the time to take a look at all of their offerings. They also have plenty of information about the meat and even ways in which to properly prepare it. Try our compound herb butter or our chimichurri recipe for some added flavor for your steaks.

If you’ve got any questions about the differences between steaks, we’ve got you covered.  Sirloin vs Ribeye? Check. Porterhouse vs T-bone steak? Check. Heck, if you’ve wondered about specific cuts of steak like a Tomahawk, New York strip steak, or picanha steak, we’re here to help. Once you’ve got your questions answered, chances are you can find those  steaks at The Meatery too.