Kobe / Wagyu

[pooter]

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions here at eGullet, Mr. Cutlets. Much appreciated.

I'm wondering what your thoughts are on Wagyu/Kobe beef. Do you find it truly better than true USDA prime? Is it worth the extra price? Do you think we'll see much growth in Wagyu herds here in North America, or will it remain rather exclusive?

Lastly, do you have any Kobe beef secrets? Namely, where I might be able to bathe in it?

[CRUZMISL]

check out my thread.

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...ST&f=3&t=30160&

[pooter]

I've seen the thread, thanks. I'm interested in hearing Mr. Cutlet's opinions/answers, though.

[budrichard]

Interested in Mr Cutlet's Opinion. I have sampled American style Waygu from Mitsua in Chicago and felt that it was just high prime. A whole tenderloin from Lobel's offered the best dollar value and Lobel's says that has not been frozen and that's the way it arrived. The Lobel's had a definate dry aged flavor and was tender but if you don't like real dry ageing, the flavor may be just too much. From my undertsanding for the beef to be real Kobe, the animal must be finished and slaughtered in the prefecture of Kobe Japan. -Dick

[Mister_Cutlets]

Sorry for the delay, budrichard. I've eaten both "American Wagyu" and traditional Kobe steaks, and I have to say that neither knocked me out. Of course, if you're eating tenderloin you're not really getting the full measure of how good any breed is; it's the singly most insipid piece of the whole carcass, which is why so many people order it who have no love of meat in their hearts. But that's another story.

Wagyu cattle was developed on the world market as a way to try to reverse the general tendency of both American and European cattle to become leaner. The Wagyu animal has a robust, juicy, well-marbled character comparable to Black Angus and the various Angus cross-breeds that dominate the premium beef market. The Kobe treatment, however, takes it way over the top. I've had Kobe steak on numerous occasions and to me it tastes like equal parts beef, beer, and foie gras. I grew up eating grain- and grass-fed beef, and that is the taste I enjoy and associate with beef. The expense and perversity of the Kobe methods stike me as something for only the most effete, jaded libertines -- much like Japanese pornography, which leaves me similarly cold.

Wagyu cattle, to sum up, are a welcome addition to American husbandry, because they will help to bring back the prime meat we used to know; presumably they have all the other virtues cattlemen want from their animals: ease and frequency of calving, resistence to disease, etc. And their beef is terriffic. But it's not better than the best Black Angus, Limousin, Chianina, or other top breeds. And remember, the breed doesn't necessarily translate into the grade: there are a lot of Black Angus steers that end up as Standard, Cutter, Canner, and worse.

Yours,

Mr. Cutlets

[pooter]

Thanks kindaly, Mister Cutlets. You're all that I hoped for. :)