If you’re a meat eater, you may have heard of Wagyu beef—expensive meat from native Japanese beef cattle. Here’s everything you need to know about this unique meat, and why it’s so pricy.
What is Wagyu beef?
Wagyu beef is a special Japanese breed of beef cattle, according to Taste of Home editor, Alicia Rooker. The phrase is quite literal: “Wa” means Japanese and “gyu” means cow, per the American Wagyu Association. These animals have tie-dyed-like marbling, or intra-muscular fat cells, which makes their meat rich, juicy, tender and thus more expensive and in-demand. “Wagyu fat melts at a lower temperature than other steaks, resulting in a rich, buttery flavor,” Rooker says. “This fat is also unsaturated and high in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.”
These are the secrets to getting the best meats (and deals!) from the butcher.
Why is Wagyu beef so expensive?
There are four Wagyu breeds in Japan, including the Japanese Black (the kind the United States receives the most), Japanese Brown (Americans call this Red Wagyu) and Japanese Shorthorn. Japan heavily regulates all Wagyu beef production, and progeny testing is mandatory, Rooker says. This ensures people receive only the highest quality meat, adding to the price. Only 183 animals came to the United States between 1976 and 1997, before Japan stopped exporting these cattle.
Although the Japanese government banned further export of Wagyu cattle, there is still some production in the United States. More American ranchers are actually raising Wagyu breeds domestically, with cattle registration in America increasing 400 percent over the past five years, Vice reports. This increase is only a drop in the bucket of 94.8 million head of cattle that are in the United States as of January 2019, per the USDA. So although there’s more breeding in the United States, the product is still a smaller operation and thus an exclusive, pricy good.
Learn how one American Wagyu producer is making a difference.
What’s the difference between Wagyu and Kobe beef?
Asking the difference between Kobe beef and Wagyu is a trick question. There are different levels or strains of Wagyu, and Kobe beef comes from the Tajima-Gyu strain—and is more rare and expensive than Wagyu, Rooker says. Only 3,000 cattle actually qualify as authentic Kobe cattle each year, according to Rooker. Other strains include Fujiyoshi, Kedaka and Red Wagyu, per the Texas Wagyu Association.
(P.S. Rarity is also one of the reasons why truffles are so expensive.)
How do you cook Wagyu beef?
If you want to cook Wagyu, Rooker recommends a simple method. First, sprinkle the beef with a little salt and pepper. Then, sear it in a cast-iron pan, like this one, over high heat for three to four minutes. Enjoy with a salad or carb-based side.
If Wagyu, Kobe and other pricy cuts of meat are out of your budget, you can still enjoy an amazing steak dinner with these tricks to get cheap meat to taste expensive.
The post Here’s Why Wagyu Beef Is SO Expensive appeared first on Taste of Home.
Emily DiNuzzo