What is the difference between Snake River Farms American Wagyu Black and Gold® beef?
What is the difference between Black and Gold® beef?
One question we hear a lot is: What is the difference between SRF Black® and SRF Gold® beef? The short answer is marbling. Our SRF Gold cuts include much more marbling than our SRF Black cuts. But even our Black steaks and other cuts have marbling superior to USDA Prime beef.
Here’s your primer on American Wagyu beef, domestic and international meat grading systems and what it means to choose SRF Black or Gold cuts.
What is American Wagyu Beef?
The word “wagyu” in Japanese simply translates as “Japanese cow.” Japanese Wagyu beef comes from 100% pure-bred cattle in Japan, which have been illegal to export since 1997.
Cows and steers imported to the U.S. before that date were crossbred with traditional American breeds to create American Wagyu beef. This beef combines a robust, beef-forward flavor with the buttery texture associated with Japanese Wagyu, based on superior marbling — the very characteristic that gives SRF Gold® its edge over SRF Black®.
How is Beef Graded Domestically?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) separates domestic beef into eight grades, with the top three most commonly available:
- Prime – Abundant marbling, highest quality.
- Choice – Moderate marbling, excellent flavor and tenderness.
- Select – Leaner, uniform quality, found in most grocery stores.
At Snake River Farms, we exceed USDA standards. To measure the higher levels of marbling and quality in our American Wagyu, we use the 12-point Beef Marbling Score (BMS) — a globally recognized system for evaluating intramuscular fat.
American Wagyu Beef: A Cut Above
All Snake River Farms American Wagyu beef surpasses USDA Prime in marbling and flavor. Our SRF Black® and SRF Gold® grades correspond to the BMS scale:
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SRF Black® American Wagyu Beef – These choices garner a BMS of 6 to 8 with significantly more marbling than USDA Prime graded beef. Expect SRF American Wagyu Black brisket and other cuts to deliver rich, robust flavor and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness.
- SRF Gold® American Wagyu Beef – With a BMS of 9 or higher, these select cuts contain the highest level of marbling we sell. SRF Gold steaks and other choices will exceed your expectations for flavor, juiciness and tenderness.
