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Wagyu Kobe Beef...The Finest and Most Flavorful Beef in the World!

 

 

Wagyu Kobe Beef

Wagyu Kobe Cattle

The word Wagyu refers to all Japanese cattle ("Wa" means Japanese "gyu" means cattle). This breed that produces Wagyu Kobe Beef, which was named for the city where the Wagyu cattle were first bred 172 years ago. The original import of these cattle to the U.S. in 1976 consisted of two Tottori Black Wagyu and two Kumamoto Red Wagyu bulls. That was the only importation of Wagyu into the U.S. until 1993 when two male and three female Tajima cattle were imported and 1994 when 35 male and female cattle consisting of both red and black genetics reached the U.S. Wagyu were derived from native Asian cattle which were crossed with British and European breeds in the late 1800s. Although the breed was closed to outside bloodlines in 1910, regional isolation has produced a number of different lines with varying conformations:

Tajima - These were used to pull carts and ploughs so they developed larger forequarters and lighter hindquarters. They are generally smaller-framed with slower growth rates but produce excellent meat quality.

Tottori - These were pack animals in the grain industry so they are larger animals with straight, strong backlines and generally good growth rates but variable meat quality.

Shimane - These are large-framed cattle with average growth rates and meat quality.

Kochi - These red lines were strongly influenced by Korean lines.

Kumamoto - These red lines have a Simmental influence and were mostly bred in a region where there was an abundance of grassland. 

Wagyu is a horned breed and can be either black or red.  Black Wagyu animals are perceived to have the best quality meat.  Calves are vigorous and average 70 pounds when born.  Wagyu are renowned for their marbling, calving ease, early puberty and good fertility, docile temperament, and are hardy and adaptive to different environments.

It takes three years for the cattle to become ready to go to market. They start out in the pastures for twelve months then are put on high energy grain diets for another 500 days. Some methods also include massage techniques and the implementation of Sake, Beer, and even classical music into the daily feeding program. "("Cattle on 40 pints a day of beer"). This process gives the Waygu Kobe Beef a high quality meat with a great marbling effect and the meat has a creamy type flavor which is influenced by the taste of the fat as it dissolves' when the meat is cooked. The Waygu beef is graded depending on the amount of marbled fat within the meat, the higher the fat content, the higher the grade, and the more delicious the meat.

*Consumer Health Facts*

Biochemistry tests conducted by Washington State University on Wagyu fatty tissue indicate that the fat from this breed has a healthier fatty acid profile and an unsaturated-to-saturate fat ratio of 2- to-1 instead of the 1-to-1 ratio of regular beef. Because of the Wagyu cattle's genetic predisposition and special diet including beer and sake , wagyu yields a beef that contains a higher percentage of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids than typical beef. The increased marbling also improves the ratio of monounsaturated fats to saturated fats .

 

*Washington State University "Wagyu" Study*

"Japanese Meat Grading"

 

 

**Wagyu Kobe Beef Marbling Sample**

Extensive fat marbling in slices of high-grade Wagyu beef ***Extensive fat marbling in slices of high-grade Wagyu beef ***

Wagyu ( 和牛 wagyū ? ) refers to several breeds of cattle genetically predisposed to intense marbling and to producing a high percentage of oleaginous unsaturated fat . Also known as, the meat from Wagyu cattle is known worldwide for its marbling characteristics, increased eating quality through a naturally enhanced flavor, tenderness and juiciness, and thus a high market value. Grocery stores in the United States will sell cuts of American Wagyu for $40/lb to $150/lb (€64/kg to €240/kg).

Wagyu Beef

Wagyu Kobe Beef provides a unique natural and healthy eating experience for the consumer that promises a flavour and texture that is unique to the Western world. Rich in marbling and flavor, Wagyu Kobe Beef has been deemed good for your health by recent research. The unique advantage in Wagyu beef is that it contains a much higher proportion of the desirable monounsaturated fats (better for your cholesterol) than any other breed of cattle known in the world. Not only is Wagyu Kobe Beef a great source of essential vitamins and nutrients, it is also higher in unsaturated fats including Omega 6 and Omega 3 oils. These are needed to assist in immune resistance, vision, building cell membranes, blood clotting and blood pressure. Areas of benefit include protection against heart disease, arthritis, depression, Alzheimer's, high-blood pressure, and anti carcinogenic properties. The concept that 'all fat is bad' is being replaced by concepts that type, rather than amount is beneficial to the human body.

Japan

Echoing France's desire to limit the use of the name " champagne " to sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region of France, in November 2006 Japan's Ministry of Agriculture decided to reject any beef labeled as "Wagyu" from cattle bred outside of Japan. The international Wagyu industry continues to refer to beef with Wagyu genetics as "Wagyu" regardless of its country of origin.

US

In 1976 the first Wagyu bulls, two Tottori Black and two Kumamoto Red, entered the United States. In 1993 two male and three Tajima cattle were imported and then in 1994 a mix of 36 Wagyu cattle were imported from Japan. With more than 10 Wagyu breeders and ranchers currently operating in the United States, Wagyu's domestic numbers have increased steadily ever since. The largest purebred group of the Wagyu breed of Akaushi cattle outside Japan is located in Texas. It was raised from a Japanese imported herd of 11 which was guarded by off-duty Texas Rangers to protect from interbreeding for over 12 years until the herd grew to over 5,000 cattle.

In Japan, Japanese full-blood Wagyu are typically raised confined in indoor barns to prevent movement and increase marbling while Wagyu cattle in the US are raised in pastures and finished in a feedyard. This breed has been named American Style Wagyu Kobe Beef and was originally produced for export to Japan but is now available world-wide. Designed to mimic the diet that Japanese cattle were receiving, Wagyu cattle in the United States are fed a mixture of corn , alfalfa , barley and wheat straw .

 

American / Japanese Beef Marbling Standards

"The Wagyu Kobe Beef" - also known as " Kobe Beef" is the ultimate Japanese Beef. Wagyu Cattle are raised with pride and care all over Japan, and they provide world class quality beef. Wagyu is strictly graded and sorted info five classes by professionals from the Japan Meat Grading Association from A 1 to A 5. A5 is the highest grade of Wagyu Kobe Beef.

One of the most important factors for grading beef quality is "marbling", which refers to the fine white layers of fat that run through lean beef and intensify flavor and tenderness. "The Wagyu" has excellent marbling that makes it the most flavorful and tender beef in the world! Furthermore, the fat in "The Wagyu Kobe Beef" melts at just 77F (25C), a lower temperature than any other beef. This explains why "The Wagyu Beef " melts in your mouth for the ultimate burst of flavor from every mouth watering bite.

Wagyu Kobe Beef US/Japanese Base Marbling Standard

BMS # 1 US/ Japanese Grade 1

BMS # 2 US/ Japanese Grade 2

BMS # 3 US/ Japanese Grade 3

BMS # 4 US/ Japanese Grade 3

BMS # 5 US/ Japanese Grade 4

BMS # 6 US/ Japanese Grade 4

BMS # 7 US/ Japanese Grade 4

BMS #8 US/ Japanese Grade 5

BMS # 9 US/ Japanese Grade 5

BMS # 10 US/ Japanese Grade 5

BMS # 11 US/ Japanese Grade 5

BMS # 12 US/ Japanese Grade 5

Wagyu Kobe beef,Kobe Beef, Kobi Beef, Kobe Steaks, Wagyu Beef

Wagyu Kobe beef Wagyu Kobe Beef

Wagyu Kobe beef refers to beef from the black Tajima-ushi breed of Wagyu cattle, raised according to strict tradition in Hyogo Prefecture , Japan. Wagyu Kobe beef is renowned for its flavor, tenderness, and fatty well- marbled texture . Wagyu Kobe beef can be prepared as steak, sukiyaki , shabu shabu , sashimi, teppanyaki, ground hamburger patties and more. Kobe beef is also called " Kobe -niku" ( " Kobe -niku", lit. Kobe meat ) , " Kobe -gyu" ( " Kobe -gyu" , lit Kobe cow ) or " Kobe -ushi" ( " Kobe -ushi", lit Kobe cow ) in Japanese.

Kobe Beef Recipes and Cooking Instructions Coming Soon!

Original kobe beef

Kobe beef in Japan is registered trademark by Kobe beef distribution promotion conference. It must fulfill all the conditions as follows:

  • Tajima cattle born in Hyogo Prefecture
  • Fed by farm in Hyogo Prefecture
  • Bullock or Virgin cow, meant to purify the beef
  • Processed at slaughterhouse in Kobe , Nishinomiya , Sanda , Kakogawa and Himeji in Hyogo Prefecture.
  • Marbling ratio called BMS is level 6 and above.
  • Meat Quality Score is A or B
  • Gross weight of beef is 470 kg or below.

In accordance with popular belief, the Wagyu Kobe cattle are fed sake and beer, and they are massaged and brushed for setting fur, and fed on grain fodder. A Kobe beef distribution promotion conference plans to make a pamphlet in foreign languages detailing Kobe beef due to the ambiguation of what actually constitutes Kobe beef , and the fact many tourists who visit Japan receive incorrect information.

" Wagyu Kobe -style" beef

Main article: Wagyu Kobe Beef

The massive increase in popularity of Wagyu Kobe beef in the United States has led to the creation of " Wagyu Kobe -style" beef , taken from domestically-raised Wagyu crossbred with Angus cattle , in order to meet the demand. Farms in America and Britain have attempted to replicate the Kobe traditions, providing their Wagyu herds beer and daily massages. U.S meat producers claim that any differences between their less expensive " Wagyu Kobe -style" beef and true Wagyu Kobe beef are largely cosmetic. This has been brought into question, however, because the cattle are fed American and/or British grass and grain, which is different from the more expensive Japanese feed.

After all beef imports into the USA from Japan were banned on September 10 , 2001 , due to the discovery of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as Mad-Cow Disease (MCD), many retailers began to heavily market the U.S. raised beef as " Wagyu Kobe -style Beef". The ban on the import of Wagyu Kobe Beef to the United States ended on December 12 , 2005 .

Reference Links

  1. " About revised rule of Tajima cattle born in Hyogo, Kobe niku and Kobe beef " (in Japanese). Retrieved on 2007 - 05-24 .
  2. " registered trademark for Kobe beef , Kobe niku, Kobe gyu, Tajima beef and Tajima gyu " (in Japanese). Retrieved on - 07-21 .
  3. " About Kobe beef " (in Japanese). Retrieved on 2008 - 07-16 .
  4. " Japanese Meat Grading ". Retrieved on 2008 - 07-16 .
  5. Mail magazine entitled Kobe Merumaga Club June 2 2002 issue by Kobe City Office
  6. News Week Japanese edition September 19 2007 issue
  7. Yomiuri Shimbun ( 2008 - 07-19 ). " Kobe beef - Correct information for foreign countries " (in Japanese). Retrieved on 2008 - 07-20 .
  8. "Cattle on 40 pints a day of beer" ". Retrieved on 2008 - 01-10 .
  9. "American Kobe -style beef replaces the real thing" ". Retrieved on 2007 - 07-18 .
  10. TED Case Study: Kobe Beef By Meghan Staley, December 16, 2004
  11. APHIS:The Importation of Boneless Beef from Japan
  12. US Embassy, Japan: Agriculture Secretary on Beef Trade Resumption

External links

Additional References

  1. wikapedia.com,"Wagyu", 2007.
  2. Condon, John. " Good Fats Boost Wagyu Opportunities ", Australian Wagyu Update, 2005-03. Retrieved on 2006 - 12-07 .  
  3. Houghton, Des. " Japanese claim Wagyu Name ", The Courier Mail , 2006-11-10. Retrieved on 2006 - 12-07 .  
  4. Roberts, Michelle. " Japanese cow herd protected, coddled for 12 years to make Kobe beef ", Deseret News (Salt Lake City), July 17, 2007. Retrieved on 2007 - 09-15 .  
  5. http://www.wagyu.org/JapanLabeling01.doc

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