Archive for the ‘Wagyu Cattle’ Category

Is Kobe Beef a Healthy Choice?

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

Kobe Beef Marbeling

When you feel like treating yourself or you want to enjoy some special meal with the family, don’t you always end up having a steak meal?  But don’t you feel bad after having one too, because you devoured on red meat and that’s loads of calories adding up to your weight? What would you do if you could enjoy a steak meal and be guilt-free at the same time?  Eat more, right? Then you can do just that by giving Kobe beef steak a try.

Kobe meat is from wagyu cattle breed which were originally raised in Kobe, Japan.  This is why their beef was also called according to their place of origin.  These days though, wagyu cattle are also bred in other countries like the US and Australia, and they produce equally great-tasting wagyu beef. 

Wagyu meat is especially flavorful because of its high-density marbling.  However, this is also the reason why its preparation is quite meticulous.  Overcook it and you will end up with a tough, tasteless, and bland meat which has just cost you a fortune.  Overcooking causes the fats to melt and change the quality of the meat, and since wagyu meat is quite fatty, you can imagine how significant the change is.

Now, just because wagyu meat is fatty doesn’t mean it’s bad for your health.  Actually, the great thing about this type of meat is it is high in unsaturated fat, which is good for your health.  Now, you can eat steak without having to feel guilty. Neat, right?

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What is Kobe Meat and What’s So Unique About It?

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

Wagyu Beef

Kobe beef is indeed expensive and quite hard to find.  No wonder it is a legendary delicacy.  It is very distinct for its intensive white marbling of fat and rich buttery taste.  Well, it is also distinct for its price which could range between 100 and 300 dollars per pound!

 Now, you may be wondering what’s so special about this meat and why it is so costly.  Let’s start with the basics.  The meat we call Kobe actually comes from the wagyu breed of cattle from Kobe, Japan (thus the name).  However, this breed of cattle has also been raised in the US and other parts of the world to meet the demands better so it is now often called wagyu beef or kobe-style.  The cattle breed which produces this meat is predisposed genetically to create intense marbling.  It also has the highest unsaturated fat among all the breeds of cattle in the whole world.

 Now, after knowing about its origin, how does wagyu meat taste like?

Actually, when it’s cooked the wrong way, it would taste lousy and bland.  People who tried cooking it at home for the first time often ended up with a disappointing flavorless meal.  However, if you cook it right, then you are surely up for a sumptuous, velvety, and even sweet tasting meal which lingers in the mouth for quite sometime. If you plan to cook wagyu at home, make sure that you use preheated cast iron on open flames.  It’s ideal to cook it this way.

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Did You Know that Your Wagyu Beef Come From Brushed Cattle?

Friday, March 19th, 2010

 

Wagyu Cattle Brushed with Sake

Yes, the legendary Wagyu Beef from Kobe Japan are actually from brushed cattle.  As if it’s not enough that they are being fed with beer to increase their appetite during summer, their raisers brush their coat too.  And guess with what?  With no other than the infamously delicious Japanese sake! 

 Many beef producers in Japan believe that the softness of the skin and even the very hair coat of their animals are directly related to the quality of meat they produce.  The shinier their coat, the more tender their meat becomes.  It is said that brushing the hair coat of the cattle with sake dramatically improves their appearance and softness, therefore, it is absolutely of economic importance.  The concept may sound absurd, but unless you can resist the sumptuous taste of Kobe Beef, you better embrace the idea.  After all, you don’t have to do the brushing.

 Now, another interesting thing about this pricey beef is how it played a significant part in the history of Japan.  There was a time in the past when the Japanese were always engaged into battle.  During this time, Japanese soldiers were often fed with beef as part of their gearing up process.  The beef was believed to strengthen them, and as if to testify on its truthfulness, the soldiers always came home victorious.  However, village elders believed that eating beef should be done outside the house because doing otherwise will be a desecration of the house and an utter sacrilege to their ancestors.  As a result, men had to eat beef outside on plow shears.

Posted in History, Kobe Beef, Wagyu Cattle, wagyu beef | 1 Comment »

Do Kobe Cows Drink Beer?

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

wagyu_cattle_drinking_beer

The wagyu cattle which originated in Kobe Japan are the source of the very famous and delicious wagyu beef.  Costing more than 100 bucks a pound, something truly special must be going on with the source of this beef right? 

 So, how would you react if you knew that the wagyu cattle drink beer? 

 Beer?  Yes, you got that right. Beer.  These cattle drink your favorite beverage too, and they like it alright.  However, before you imagine cows in the middle of the farm on a drinking binge, stop your wild imagining right there.  There is actually a logical reason why beer is fed to them. 

 Basically, the beer works as an appetizer for the cows.  During the summer when their own fat cover, humidity, and temperature interact, the appetite of these animals gets depressed.  They don’t seem to find any pleasure eating, and when they eat, they don’t eat as much as they have to in order to produce high-quality meat.  When they are fed with beer, their appetite significantly improves.  Now, whether it’s the alcohol getting into their head that’s making them eat more or what remains a mystery.  One thing for sure though, beer plays a part in making Kobe beef what it is—ridiculously delicious.

 Another thing that may pique your interest is this:  these Kobe cattle get some massage too!  Massaging is performed to release their muscle stiffness as well as relieve their stress.  Their raisers believe that calm and content cattle produce premium quality meat.  Interesting, you say?

Posted in General, Kobe Beef, Wagyu Cattle, wagyu beef | 1 Comment »

Got Beef with “Kobe Style”?

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

The culture and taste of the world has long since lost its traditional boundaries into diverse parts of the world. Why not share the same great taste and quality with those who do not have the privilege. This mind set has lead many entrepreneurs to share the benefits of eating and use it along the trading laws of comparative advantage. One such type of taste has been due the great Japanese meat known as the Wagyu beef form the Wagyu cattle of Japan.

Wagyu Steaks - Pillow Steak

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However with the globalization of this century there have been a number of goods that have been exchanged and traded all around the world. One such delicacy that the American food streets have gained is known as the Wagyu beef that is the “kobe styled beef” bearing more or less the same taste of the infamous Kobe beef itself.

The Wagyu beef has been prepared especially to serve the local Americans through cross breeding the Angus cattle and the Wagyu cattle as to get the same wonderful marble texture and taste giving the same dark red colored Wagyu steaks to the natives. Since the introduction of the Wagyu beef on most hotels menus the market for this delicious cuisine has really sky rocketed. If you are thinking why and how this happened you should get to a local restraint and order for a thin stripped Wagyu steak.

For those who are unfortunate to get and eat this delicious and expensive steak there are some reasons for its growing popularity. For instance Wagyu beef is known to have a deliciously melting and elegant texture. If you plan to prepare a Wagyu steak, opt for rare or medium rare and you are sure to find a buttery golden covering that rests on a delicious and tender thin strips of meat that rest on your stove.

The heavy marble texture is known to be another perfect ingredient to adding the Wagyu steak to be juicy and tender. You can make your steak the traditional American way on your bar-b-q stand holding a thick raw piece or like the Japanese. The Japanese make what they call as the shabu shabu thin slices of tender loving comfort for your mouth by giving a hot water bath too and rice as a side dish to make you fill your lust.

The best way to cook your Wagyu steak

As a best practice a Wagyu steak or roast should be cooked either rare or medium rare or the juices tend to flush out and lose their aroma from the Wagyu beef. The flesh is already too tender and trying to make it more soft and seared with flames tend to make it lose its goodness.

Over cooking or too high temperatures will get the Wagyu beef to lose its buttery goodness and become tough and chewy otherwise. Other parts of the Wagyu meat including ribs, roasts and sausages would work out well with standard recipes but make sure you keep an eye on them while cooking as they usually take less time than expected.

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The Origins of Wagyu Beef Steaks

Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Kobe Beef Marbling

Kobe Beef Marbling

Wagyu Beef is one of the highest quality beef that is genetically predisposed to intense marbling and produces a high percentage of unsaturated fat. It is known throughout the world because of its marbled texture and high quality which certainly makes it easy to cook and enhances the flavor. Try one of the Wagyu steaks and you too would admit the juicy and tender texture which has been the sole reason for its great market value because of its excellent quality. Many areas around Japan are famous for the cattle rearing quality and they bear the names of their areas. They are the famous Kobe, Mishima and Omi beef.

wagyu_beef_marbling

Wagyu Beef Marbling

The beef contains high percentage of Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils which are highly beneficial for human health. The increased marbling also improves the ratio of monounsaturated fats to saturated fats making it healthy meal for those who wish to dwell in its taste. The Wagyu beef had originally initiated as one of the traditional types of meat in Japan but that is not the only abode for this special type of meat.

Today the Wagyu cattle is bred in not only in Japanese terrains but also in the US and Australian regions.

Japanese breeds – The Japanese originally used the Wagyu cattle for domestic purposes.  Be it a means of transport for goods and people or helping local farmers to cultivate the rice fields. They were considered to be the best due to their strength and energetic bodies and were banned for eating for quite some time. Farmers were accustomed to give them massages to relieve from muscle cramps and also fed them with beer to keep their hunger induced. These types of breeding practices were unknowingly the ingredients to the fatty delicious Wagyu beef and Wagyu steaks that we love.

Japanese breeds are available brown, polled, shortmound and reds with each bearing the name of their origin while the most renowned and famous beef is known to come from the black beasts in Kobe.

American breeds – The Americans too loved the natural juiciness and tender texture of the fatty Wagyu beef. However, they could not stand the light color of the meat for which they brought some Wagyu cattle and crossbred them with the Angus cattle to maintain the unsaturated marble look and keep the meat red. They called it the American style Kobe beef and went on marketing it in their local and more surprisingly back to the Japanese markets. However after some time this operation too had ceased as the Americans were known to slaughter these cattle at half the age of when the Japanese did.

Australian Breeds – The Australian Wagyu breeders are known to be one of the greatest breeders of Wagyu cattle. They have even surpassed the Japanese and the Americans and have become the largest exporters of the Wagyu beef to Honk Kong, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore, France and the United Kingdom.

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Kobe beef & More Japanese Cuisines

Sunday, November 8th, 2009
 

People love the different Japanese cuisines that   are cooked and served in the traditional style. And especially recipe cooked in Kobe beef are mouth watering and added exotic flavors to the mouth that you have never tasted before.

This is one of the top grade beef that is produced in Japan and it is raised from the finest Waygu cattle which have four breeds and they are known as:

  • Japanese Black.
  • Japanese Brown.
  • Japanese Polled.
  • Japanese Shorthorn.

Japanese Black

Kobe beef comes from the finest and top most breed the Japanese Black and is fed on water, barley, bran and grass. It is ranked by the Japanese association of beef ranking and is the best Waygu beef that is given so much value due to its uniqueness that it is considered a national Treasure by the Japanese government.

The Kobe beef in US is crossbred with the American cattle and is much cheaper than the original Japanese Kobe Beef. The different famous Japanese cuisines are:

  •  Sukiyaki:

 Sukiyaki Cuisine

This is a very popular meal that is served in Japan and it is a one pot meal. This dish is made from thin sliced beef that is slowly cooked in Sukiyaki sauce and with vegetables and other spices. This is a grilled dish and has the flavor that will make your mouth water. The best thing about Japanese food is that it is usually cooked at the table where they serve you and you cane easily see the hygienically way it is made.  It is cooked while you eat and that is the reason that the flavor is more enhanced.

  • Shabu Shabu:

shabu-shabu

 This dish is some what similar to Sukiyaki and is also cooked at the table where you eat.

  • Teppanyaki Japanese Barbecue:

Teppanyaki 

This dish is grilled in an iron pan and like all Japanese dishes cooking and eating can be done at the same time. This is also the reason that these Japanese dishes are so tasty .You can even enjoy cooking this dish at home and serve it with vegetables and dip the grilled meat in the different sauces and eat.

  • Kobe Steak.

Kobe Steak

Waygu beef is thinly sliced into steaks that are cooked with different spice sand eaten with very delicious sauces and they are very tender and their cooking time is also very less as they are tender and thin sliced. There meat is very beneficial and helps us to stay healthy and fit.

The Japanese serve thin slices of beef in a variety of dishes. Most of the dishes are cooked boiling or broiling the beef and the beef is adequately marbled so that it can taste good and if it is not marbled with the correct cuts it may shrivel up and not be good to eat.  The beef is sliced thinly which is very hard to do outside Japan. The Japanese Beef is famous throughout the world and is known for its quality and the fact that it helps to keep us healthy and resolves many of our health problems. It is also good fro heart patients and increases the immunity in our body to resist diseases.

Posted in Health Benefits, Kobe Beef Cuisine, Kobe Beef Recipes, Wagyu Cattle | 2 Comments »