Wagyu

[annachan]

I've had imported wagyu at a few places lately. I've had it raw and cooked. I tend to prefer it raw or cooked rare. I was at a top restaurant in San Francisco where the chef prefers to cook it medium. The server said that the chef likes to caramelized the fat or else (when cooked more rare) the meat would be gummy. Now, I did not find that to be the case when I had it rare. Also, the medium wagyu came out really chewy and greasy.

So, I'm just wondering how wagyu is cooked in Japan. What's the proper way to treat this fine piece of meat?

[Hiroyuki]

nakji posted some nice photos of the beef dishes she had during a trip to Hida here.

[nakji]

I liked the beef done in sukiyaki best - I made it the other night at home, too. It's not cheap, but it tastes great. In Japan, you can buy the beef thinly cut for just this purpose. What kind of cuts of meat have you got access to?

[torakris]

For me it depends on the cut, paper thin slices are best as sukiyaki (like nakji mentioned), thicker steak like pieces are best seared (preferably over a flame) and served rare to medium with a bit of salt.

[Culinista]

At wagyu specialty restaurants, it is most common to see it cooked medium. The goal is to achieve a melting fat texture, like foie gras.

Check out the elaborate preparations at Ukai-tei in Tokyo. Steakhouse Ron in Osaka has several grades of wagyu, and each one must be cooked somewhat differently.

Edit: Many times the chef will start with a thick piece and then cut it gradually into smaller pieces, painstakingly searing every new cut edge. The pieces are sometimes set under a dome on a teppan grill for a bit of convention cooking, then the minute searing continues. It is a very skill-intensive job.

Edited October 13, 2008 by Culinista (log)

[annachan]

At wagyu specialty restaurants, it is most common to see it cooked medium. The goal is to achieve a melting fat texture, like foie gras.

I guess the place I went to just didn't do a good job cooking it. It came out medium but was really chewy and the fat was completely melted so the grease was gushing out when I chew the beef. Somehow, I didn't think that was the way it's supposed to be.

There is a place locally were I can get Wagyu beef. However, no price was listed on the website and I have no idea how much it would cost. And I'm so afraid that I would ruin such an expensive piece of meat. Maybe I should just save my pennies and take a trip to Japan and taste it the way it should be done.

[budrichard]

"Many times the chef will start with a thick piece and then cut it gradually into smaller pieces, painstakingly searing every new cut edge. The pieces are sometimes set under a dome on a teppan grill for a bit of convention cooking, then the minute searing continues. It is a very skill-intensive job."

For top grade (A5 I believe), this is the only way to go as each surface gets seared bringing out the full enjoyment.

BTW, just because its Wagyu does not automatically guarantee flavorfull and tender beef. The are two Grading systems that I know of in use. http://www.nikuya.ca/products/JapaneseMeatGrading.pdf

One grades from 1-12 and the other is a combination system that yields an A5 type designation.

Beef is an agricultural product and as such one cannot guarantee each animal will be perfection and A5 is rare and costly but if you ever get to try it properly prepared, it's worth the treat.-Dick

[AdrianB]

In Tokyo (Park Hyatt's Japanese restaurant) I had wonderful grilled Kobe beef served thinly sliced (white fat, distributed like a snowflake, light pink meat) raw which you place on a personal mini-charcol grill (shichirin?) briefly to sear before consuming.

It was undoubtedly at least 9+ if not more and the most memorable beef of my entire trip!

What cut of Kobe beef is usually used in this way? Is it tenderloin/fillet or more of a sirloin?