Japanese A5 Wagyu Brisket (Burisuke)

In Texas, brisket meets smoke. In Japan, it meets the knife.

Brisket is one of the most celebrated cuts in American barbecue, traditionally smoked low and slow for hours. But Japanese butchers approach this same region of the animal differently, often separating individual muscles and slicing them thin for preparations like yakiniku, sukiyaki, and shabu-shabu.

Our Japanese A5 Wagyu Brisket brings the extraordinary richness of Japanese Wagyu to a cut traditionally known for its deep beef flavor and substantial connective tissue. Note this is the Burisuke (ブリスケ) which refers specifically to the deep pectoral muscle, corresponding most closely to the American brisket flat.

Smoke It or Slice It? Both.

Despite what some might assume, you can absolutely smoke an A5 Wagyu brisket, and the results can be extraordinary.

The exceptional intramuscular fat contributes richness and a luxurious mouthfeel, while the brisket's collagen still benefits from the patient, low-and-slow cooking that defines Texas barbecue. A properly smoked Japanese A5 brisket can deliver remarkable tenderness and flavor.

But there's another way to experience it.

Japanese butchery emphasizes precision and an understanding of individual muscles. Thinly sliced against the grain, suitable portions of this brisket can be enjoyed as yakiniku, sukiyaki, or shabu-shabu, where the richness of Japanese Wagyu takes center stage.

Neither approach is necessarily better. They're simply different traditions working with the same remarkable beef.

Product Details

• Origin: Japan

• Grade: Japanese A5 Wagyu

• Cut: Brisket

• Weight: Approximately 6.5 lbs

• Cooking Methods: Low-and-slow smoking, braising, yakiniku, sukiyaki, or shabu-shabu

• Preparation: For Japanese-style cooking, identify suitable sections and slice very thinly against the grain. For smoking, cook slowly until probe-tender, allowing adequate time for collagen to soften.

A Note on Japanese Butchery

Japanese brisket isn't necessarily the same as an American whole-packer brisket.

Japanese butchers divide the forequarter differently, and the resulting cuts may vary in shape, trimming, muscle composition, and fat distribution. Your brisket may not resemble the traditional American packer containing both the flat and point.

These differences also influence how the meat should be prepared. Depending on the specific portion, some sections may be better suited to smoking or braising, while others can be enjoyed thinly sliced.

Same tradition of exceptional beef. Two very different approaches to enjoying it.