Can't easily get a proper cut of meat. (beef, pork, cooked)

[Don in Austin]

My wife took an American "Wagyu" brisket out of the freezer. Unfortunately she is of limited mobility so bought it curbside. Well, #1 the term "Wagyu" means nothing in the United States. It was not marbled at all. !00% of the external fat had been removed so it could not self-baste fat side up like a brisket is supposed to be cooked. We took it to a meal at my stepson's and it was so tough and dry nobody could eat it. It was not overcooked and, in any case, a proper brisket cooked too long tends to become overly tender and mushy. Fortunately she had lamb and pork that was edible. We gave it already sliced up to my tenant who was going to simmer it with canned tomatoes for a few hours to try to make it edible.

It is very hard to find a rib roast not overly trimmed of its fat. A rib roast put in the oven at an initial high heat where the external fat crisps up is heavenly IMHO.

A while back she bought a lamb a leg of lamb de-boned and tied with string -- all external fat removed. Edible but disappointing.

I will have to go to a butcher from now on and refuse anything that is defatted excessively. Supermarkets are by and large a lost cause, Costco not usually too good either.

Besides "Wagyu" that is not from Japan another fraud is "angus" beef. Angus is not necessarily USDA prime or even close. Can be "USDA choice," can be USDA "select," can be ungraded.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Wagyu is a breed of cattle. Nothing to do with where it was raised or how it was raised. Wagyu might be what is used to raise Kobe beef in Japan, but all by itself, it is a fairly ordinary cow and it is not Kobe beef, which is a method of raising beef, not a breed of cattle.

You have to shop until you find the store that sells meat the way you like it. American consumers do not like to pay for fat, so quite often the fat is trimmed quite close to appeal to the average shopper.

I buy brisket at Costco because they sell prime grade brisket that turns out wonderfully. Although, I haven't seen prime grade brisket the for awhile and my BBQ friends are complaining that they haven't been able to buy the prime grade brisket recently. Brisket at Costco yesterday looked good and the price was attractive, but it was choice grade.

I buy primal cuts, colloquially called bagged and bloody, from the restaurant supply store and then I cut my own the way I like it. That comes with the fat not trimmed and I can trim it the way I want it.

"Certified Angus" not just "Angus" will be choice grade or better and slightly longer aged at least a few days. It's usually acceptable although perhaps a bit mild in flavor. Angus is a breed of cattle, not a method of raising cattle and "certified Angus" beef does not necessarily come from Angus cattle, but it is a marketing program that does have some requirements about how the beef is handled.

[Humble and Kind]

The external fat does very little as far as making the meat moist, it's the marbling and breaking down connective tissue that makes it juicy. It's a common misconception, I used to believe that also.
A properly cooked brisket will not be dry, tough, or mushy. I've cooked select to prime brisket and they all come out just fine. In fact, prime brisket is not worth the extra money imho.

You might consider short ribs or oxtail as both are very easy to cook and they are tender and juicy when cooked correctly.

Just my $.02, keep the change.

[harry chickpea]

Both above posts are spot on. I'll admit to a chuckle on the misunderstanding of breeds. Farmers around here often sought out cattle that were mixes, but had enough of one breed to be called "black angus" - which fetched more at the sale barn.

People don't like to hear it, but a lot of the superior beef that was available in the past was because the cattle spent a lot of time in feed lots, where they got little exercise. Ask any old-time Chicagoan about feed lots and be prepared for an education punctuated with profanity.