You just spend a lot of cash buying the most expensive steak in the world, and now you are wondering how to cook the Wagyu beef at home. You are not alone; steak enthusiasts often feel incomplete without trying to cook this immaculate piece of beef at home once in their lives.
Learning to cook steak can be overwhelming because you can end up with a bad steak if you select the wrong cut and type of beef or if you leave the meat too long on the grill. Get any of these wrong, and you will need a steak sauce to cover for the failings. But with Wagyu steak, you need not worry about any of this, it is pretty easy to cook and a forgiving one at that.
Before we explore the various cooking methods, let’s briefly discuss what Wagyu beef is, and what makes it unique.
More...
What Is Wagyu Beef?
Wagyu is any of the four breeds of cattle in Japan. The four breeds are Japanese shorthorn, Japanese polled, Japanese black, and Japanese brown.
Japanese black presents about 90% of all fattened cattle in Japan, while the Japanese brown, also known as Japanese red is a leaner breed, commonly known for its light and a mild taste.
The Japanese shorthorn is also a lean breed, it is rich in glutamic and inosinic acid, while the Japanese polled is known for its meaty taste and gamier texture.
The most common breed used for Wagyu beef is the Japanese black cattle.
Read more —
Why is Wagyu Beef Expensive?
Wagyu beef is expensive because of the time and effort it requires to produce such kind of beef. It is different from other beef types because of the top-notch management system it undergoes, which includes housing, feeding, medication, etc. carried out by the Wagyu breeders. They create special feed rations from wheat bran, soybean, barley, corn, rice straw, forage, grasses, and sometimes sake or beer.
It is often said that the breeders even massage their cattle in order to relieve muscle tension that arises as a result of cramped spaces.
The breeding methods and the management system from the breeders result in a high marbling beef. Wagyu fat melts quickly in lower temperatures compared to fat from other cattle. It produces a rich and buttery flavor unique only to the Wagyu beef.
In the United States, the Aberdeen Angus cattle are bred with the Japanese Wagyu cattle. The crossbred is named the American Style Kobe Beef. It is the most expensive and the best variety of Wagyu beef.
What to Know Before Cooking a Wagyu Beef
If you have ever cooked meat on a grill, you probably know how to make steak. Wagyu steaks are no different.
In many meat cuts, you need to create a marinade. Cuts like top round steak, flank steak, and skirt steak, will require marinating for a few hours to a day. This is done to break up the fibers in the meat, making the cuts tender and soft.
However, for Wagyu steak, you do not need to marinate. You don’t need to overly season it. If you love grilled steaks, you can do that with Wagyu steaks, but it’s overkill.
In today’s cooking lesson, you only need a carbon-steel or cast-iron pan, a little butter, some basic seasoning, a small space on a stove and a warm oven.
Seasoning Before Cooking
You need freshly ground black pepper for this recipe, which will protect the meat flavor, and prevent it from being masked by other flavors. You can also personalize the steak by adding small amounts of spices when seasoning the steaks.
For instance, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of garlic or onion powder. A pinch of paprika or cumin would work as well.
Avoid herbs, both dried and fresh, because they will end up as burnt bits after the cooking process is over.
1. Pan-seared Wagyu Delmonico Recipe
Ingredients needed for this recipe:
2. Directions
How to Cook Wagyu Beef in the Oven?
The Wagyu Delmonico steak recipe is the most recommended method for cooking Wagyu beef. But if you like oven-roasted Wagyu steak, the cooking process below will come in handy.
This method is also advisable if you have Wagyu steaks that are too thick to cook while pan searing.
Directions:
How to Grill Wagyu Steak?
Charcoal grilling is the best method to cook this type of steak. But if you like to try out new things, follow the steps below.
Directions:
Final Thoughts
If you are a grill enthusiast, knowing how to cook Wagyu beef properly is a must. With the directions above, you will realize the cooking process is not very different from cooking other common steaks, and you will never have to manage a bad steak again.
Share your Wagyu beef cooking experience with us in the comment box below.