It MUST be fake meat...
I never splurge on food stuffs, but decided Jan 13th to buy some FRONTIERE Natural Meats “WAGYU” beef burgers. You get four ~1/3 lb burgers… in a 1.32lb package. (BTW: The pack of burgers was unfrozen – ergo: raw.) When I opened them to cook them (that evening) I noticed no raw beefy smell… like one gets any time they open a packaged of red meat. Additionally, the color looked odd - kind of a pink-tone (like pork) rather than the familiar and standard red. Since I’ve never had wagyu, I figured the meat color may(?) be different from ‘regular’ cow beef.
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Cooking however, changed the rest of everything of “beef” reality as I knew it to be. I cooked the “meat” (2 patties without salt or seasoning) using a 3 pound cooking press to help keep the size AND cook it faster. I cook with gas (I’ve cooked for decades and am pretty good at it) and my stove was set to a 6/10 setting… so pretty hot. However, there was absolutely ZERO smell of cooking meat… there in fact was still no smell at all related to meat.
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The entire cooking time I stood over the “meat”, because a burger (they were not thick) should be done INSIDE within 4-6 minutes with NO press at that temperature. (I do not eat red meat, it must be no longer red when cut into for my liking)) I turned the “meat” several times and after 14 minutes took it off. I figured it MUST be done – but was sure taking a long time to get that way. The outside appeared done, but when I cut one burger in half the entire inside was still raw!!! The outside 1/10th inch had what appeared to be a ‘cooked finish’, the inside was just as raw as when I placed them in the pan. (WHAT?!) (HOW?!) (NOT POSSIBLE! - NO WAY!)
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So to recap: after 14 minutes on #6, flipped a few times [always using the 3lb press] I had raw burgers… and ones that continued to have no smell/aroma/scent. I was in shock. Rather than maybe carbonizing the burgers by heating them much longer in the pan, I decided to microwave them (I know, yuk) but it seemed the only option. I cooked them for several minutes on high, checking them as I went. When the insides appeared ‘brownish’, I took them out. Still no aroma!
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OMG! As I began eating one with anticipation, I found there was absolutely no flavor, no taste, no NOTHING. Was I attempting to not only cook fake meat, but eat it too? SOMETHING WAS DEFINITELY ODD with that “meat”. Was it ‘fabricated”… one of those “non-meat” meats? Was it plastic? Just what the (you know what) WAS it?! It definitely had zero characteristics of red meat – of any meat for that matter. It was disgusting and I immediately through it all out.
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$12 bucks down the drain for 4 pieces of an imitation “something” pawned off as WAGYU BEEF. HA! No damned way that was real food. If you elect to try that product (UPC: 8-10093-44218-8) I wish you well. As for myself – I’m never purchasing from that supplier again… and I rather doubt I will ever try anything wagyu in the future. Don’t trust it now.
PS: I must have tossed my receipt out out with everything, but this is a valid experience.