Kobe Beef -- is it really that different?By JOE O'CONNELL,
cbbqa Past President All beef lovers have heard about the legendary Kobe Beef, but few have tried it and even fewer know what makes Kobe Beef authentic. Wagyu Breed of cattleWagyu is a breed of cattle, like the Hereford, Holstein and Angus. (For more about cattle breeds, see the OSU website on breeds of livestock.) To be more specific, the word Wagyu refers to all Japanese beef cattle. Wa means Japanese and gyu means cattle. Many different breeds of cattle were imported into Japan before 1887, including the Brown Swiss, Shorthorn, Devon, Simmental, Ayrshire, Korean, Holstein and Angus breeds. These were cross-bred in Japan to become today's Wagyu breed. There are two breeds of Wagyu cattle, which are further divided into several different strains. The two breeds are the Black Wagyu (which includes the Tottori, Tajima, Shimane, and Okayama strains) and the Red Wagyu (Kochi and Kumamoto strains). The Tattori Black Wagyu is the strain which is most closely identified with Kobe Beef. In order to protect its domestic beef industry, the Japanese government imposed strict laws that prohibited the export of any living Japanese Wagyu cattle. However, in 1976, four Wagyu animals were imported into the U.S.: two Tottori Black Wagyu and two Kumamoto Red Wagyu bulls. Then in 1993, two male and three female Tajima cattle were imported, and 35 male and female cattle (consisting of both red and black Wagyu) were imported in 1994. How a Wagyu becomes a KobeCommonly misunderstood is how Wagyu beef becomes Kobe beef. Kobe is the name of a county (called a Prefecture) in Japan. To be called Kobe beef, the Wagyu cattle must have been fed in confinement for an extended period of time while in the Prefecture of Kobe. Until recently, that meant that Kobe Beef was bred and raised in Kobe, Japan. But not anymore. Most Kobe Beef today is bred and raised in California and Australia. For example, Harris Ranch in California is contracted with beef producers in Kobe to breed and raise their cattle in California, where land and grain is relatively inexpensive. The cattle is raised and fed under the exacting specifications for Kobe Beef. When the cattle is almost ready for slaughter, it is shipped to Kobe, Japan, where its feeding is completed, and the cattle is slaughtered. Because the traditional Kobe Beef is now being raised in California and elsewhere, some merchants are now welling "Kobe-style" Wagyu Beef, at a fraction of the price. For example, Enzo's Meat & Poultry in Oakland, California sells Kobe-style Wagyu Beef for less than $20.00 per pound. How Kobe Beef is differentIn most of the world, the quality of beef is measured by the amount of marbled fat in the ribeye muscle. Typically, each beef-producing nation uses an inspection system to ensure that the beef is healthy and to grade the quality of the beef. In my nations, government veterinarians inspect each animal immediately before slaughter to ensure that it is healthy and then inspect the carcass, head and internal organs immediately after slaughter. Then they grade by the carcass by measuring the amount of marbled fat in the ribeye muscle. The meat from the entire carcass receives the quality grade based on the finely marbled fat in the ribeye: the more marbled fat, then the higher the grade. In the United States and Canada, the highest quality of beef (USDA Prime and Canada Prime) has between 6% and 8% fat within the ribeye muscle. By contrast, the highest quality of beef in Japan (Japanese Grade A5, where the 5 refers to the degree of marbling) is between 20% and 25% fat. A common myth is that Kobe Beef has over 50% marbled fat, and Kobe Beef does look like the marbling is 80% or more, but it is actually much less than it looks. Cost of Kobe BeefThroughout the world, Kobe Beef if much more expensive than any other cut. At top Japanese markets, Kobe Beef sells for more than US$500 per Kg. At Bristol Farms in Manhattan Beach, Kobe Beef sells for about $100 per pound. Freezing and Kobe BeefKobe Beef is often (perhaps even usually) sold frozen. However, while other beef and meats suffer from being frozen, the quality of Kobe Beef is not affected by freezing. Kobe Beef does not suffer because it has such a high percentage of marbled fat that the flavor and texture are not changed by freezing. In fact, freezing Kobe Beef is more like freezing ice cream (because of its high fat content) than like freezing other meat. Like foie gras or butter, not like prime tenderloinThe tenderloin of Kobe Beef has a texture that is more like pate or butter than USDA or Canada Prime tenderloin. Kobe Beef has almost 10 times more marbled fat, so it must be prepared differently. Here is how Tanith Tyrr describes the taste in her Wagyu/Kobe Beef FAQ:
Kobe Beef steaks cannot be grilled over hot coals like other steaks, because the marbled flat will melt and flare-up. Instead, it should be seared quickly, like tuna or foie gras, so that it is blackened on the surface but extremely rare inside.
Tyrr uses the ice cream analogy to compare cooking Kobe Beef with cooking Baked Alaska: "you need to sear the outside, but if you let it sit under the heat too long, it will melt the ice cream inside, and you will have an unappetizing mess." Id. Related information:
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