A lot of rumors were circulated a few years aback about this extra-special beef from Japan where the cattle are massaged daily and fed a steady diet of beer. Since then, we’ve seen kobe and kobe-style beef on the market and have had a chance to try it for ourselves. What do you think about this beef?
Let’s get a few of our facts straight. Kobe beef comes from a particular breed called wagyu cattle, which are raised and slaughtered in the Kobe region of Japan. They were originally introduced to the region as work animals to aid in rice farming, but eventually became beef cattle as the consumption of beef in Japan increased. The isolated nature of the Kobe region led to minor changes in genetics and handling practices over the years, ultimately resulting in cattle with superior meat.
Are the cattle really fed beer? Yes, but a big reason for this is to stimulate appetite during the warm summer months. Massaging their muscles and brushing their coats with sake are also believed to ensure especially tender meat. (This information is according to the Japanese Travel Bureau)
Whether or not you believe these practices make any difference, the proof is in the beef. If any meat could be described as “pretty,” this is it. The bright white fat marbled throughout makes a stark contrast to the deep and vibrant red of the muscle. The texture is soft and tender, and both the meat and the fat are highly flavorful.
There’s no denying this is high-quality stuff and we’ve certainly enjoyed the kobe beef dishes we’ve had. We’d stop short of saying it’s actually superior to all others, though. Kobe beef seems to be one in a category of excellent meats.
What do you think?
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(Image: Flickr members Yogma and VirtualErn licensed under Creative Commons)
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this stuff is definitely worth it. a good kobe beef steak only needs a butter knife- it just slides right through!
I will take a grass-fed ribeye any day. I think Kobe is overrated for sure.
What is the point of grinding Kobe beef into burgers? Doesn't it just become fatty ground beef, aka 70/30?
Kobe beef is great if eaten the Japanese way. in small little cubes or thin slices but as a steak or a burger, a waste. It's like a good fatty cheese, a little goes a long way.
On the other hand....a good aged sirloin on the other hand....give it to me whole!
Kobe or no, those burgers above look awesome.
I order Wagyu beef from domestic sources, Nebraska if you want specifics, and have found little to no difference from Kobe beef aside from the price.
@mymmy: You have said almost exactly what I was going to post.
Having anything more than a coupe of mouthfuls of wagyu in one sitting is a waste.
When I lived in japan we had Kobe beef once or twice for special celebratory occasions, it was the best, especially since it was served pan fried in small piece as a few people have mentioned already. Totally worth it.
Did you know that the best Kobe beef isn't even sold on the market? It's reserved for the emperor.
Kobe beef sliced thin in shabu shabu is great...melts in your mouth great. However as anything else like burgers or steak it's probably too rich.
I live in Texas and eating steak is considered a religious experience, so I have thought a lot about this and tried a bunch of different options.
Waygu beef is delicious, obviously the meat has to be prepared correctly, not overcooked, blah, blah, blah. I also like Waygu in a more japanese style presentation in small portions rather than in a huge steak because the meat is so rich.
I generally look for Waygu and not "Kobe" beef because I think you get higher quality meat if you are not just trading on the Kobe name.
Someone commented on grass fed cattle. If I am using ground beef in something then I only use grassfed - less ecoli, it is substantially leaner, etc. But if you are eating a steak or a piece of beef served rare or med-rare then I really think high quality mixed grain/grassfed cattle taste substantially better. I never buy purely grassfed steaks, the meat is way way to lean and lacks marbling.
wagyu can be quite delicious if you like "juicy" aka well-marbled beef. the hamburgers are hard to beat. one of the most memorable steaks I have eaten was a simple wagyu flat iron.
Question: on several menus (e.g. my local shabu-shabu place) I've seen "Kobe-style beef" listed. Does anyone know what that means? I assumed it meant the cows got spa treatments and thus were well marbled, but maybe it's about breeding?
The key to Wagyu is to cook it properly.
This will sound sacrilegious to most, but Waygu must be cooked through if it is eaten as a steak. The heavy marbling must be rendered out. Serving Wagyu rare or blue will result in a much tougher steak with most of the moisture locked up in the fat that has not rendered out.
Obviously if ground into steak tartare this is not so important ;)
I LOVE Kobe beef burgers. Love them. I go out once a month just for them.
I used to work in HR in a beef processing plant that did Wagyu beef, as well as other types. As part of the kickoff of processing the Wagyu, all of us in Administration were treated to a dinner of Wagyu steaks. We all--and those were serious beef lovers--agreed the Wagyu was overrated and overpriced.
There is so much that goes into making Kobe (and the other high quality Japanese beef - Matsuzaka, Omi and more) what it is that it's really not fair to lump it in with Kobe-style beef produced in other parts of the world.
Hold up here folks. Are we talking about Kobe beef or Kobe-style beef here?
Real Kobe beef is incredibly hard to get hold of outside of Japan. This is because Japanese farmers only ever have a few pure-bred Wagyu cattle at one time and they bring them up slowly on high quality feed and without much movement in a stress-free environment (including slaughter which takes place in small abattoirs). This ensures that the flavour is full, round, sweet (in a meaty sense) and distinct while the meat is pale rosy pink, heavy with pure white fat.
Kobe-style beef is raised in places like the US and Australia and uses animals that are only part Wagyu, raised in large herds on a high-energy diet (packing meat and fat on fast) and are slaughtered at large-scale processing plants which gets the meat to the plate super quick. There is no way they can have the flavour of real Kobe - they only appear similar because they have just enough Wagyu in their breeding to exhibit more marbling than prime grade beef.
It's like comparing generic brand processed cheese with an aged cheddar - the same name, but worlds apart in flavour!
Not to pick too many nits, but Wagyu is not a particular breed. It is in fact the collective name for Japanese cattle; 'wa' meaning Japanese, and 'gyu' cow. Additionally, Kobe is not a region, but is the capital of Hyogo prefecture, where its namesake beef--a product of the Tajima strain of Japanese Black--must be raised by particular methods and to strict graded standards.
@Jonathanrhall: The melting point of the monounsaturated fats in the truly transcendent wagyu breeds, which in most cases outnumber saturated fats by two to one, is extraordinarily low--lower than body temperature in fact. If you have the means--and good fortune--to acquire a cut from the rib section of any of Japan's big three beef brands (Kobe, Yonezawa and Matsusaka), then I cannot imagine a better preparation than two inch cubes bathed Sous-Vide to about 110f followed by a quick sear on an ultra hot skillet. The tiniest sprinkling of salt might not be a bad idea...
I would agree wholeheartedly with amazonww and mymmy that any more than a couple of mouthfuls borders on gluttony.
I was under the impression that during the time when "Kobe" beef became popular here in the U.S. about 6-7 years ago, we were still banning Japanese beef in this country.
Even as last as May of this year, we weren't importing Japanese beef over foot-and-mouth concerns.
I shop at Mitsuwa in Los Angeles where they have USA raised Kobe style beef and they have affordable prices on the stuff. It's tasty stuff.