Wagyu is Like Revenge...A Dish Best Served Cold

I recently had my first Wagyu experience and was very surprised by it. For those of you unfamiliar with this special beef, let me take a moment to explain. Wagyu is a Japanese cow that produces meat with an immense amount of marbling. In the beef world more marbling = more expensive and more flavor. Wagyu cows are given special treatments such as massages and some say they mix sake or beer into their feed. Waygu are fed a special diet much to superior to that of your typical brown Bessy.

Anyway, the point is Wagyu are supposed to be the most wonderful tasting steaks in the world and therefore are extremely expensive and somewhat hard to get a hold of. If your interest is sparked I suggest ordering some steaks online as it is unlikely your local supermarket is in possession of such finery.

Yesterday I had my first ever taste of the much hyped Wagyu steak. I was slightly disappointed the first time I tasted it. I was expecting steak heaven: juicy, tender, buttery, melt in your mouth sort of thing. Instead I thought the texture was lacking (a bit mushy) and flavor was lackluster. I was however, willing to give Wagyu another chance. The next Wagyu I tried was cooked to a much cooler temperature and it was fabulous. It was not quite the steak nirvana I've been dreaming of, but it was definitely one of the greatest beef experiences of my life.

I suppose the realization that rarer is better when it comes to Wagyu is not surprising. Most great beef cuts benefit from less cooking (i.e. prime rib). Which is why I liken Wagyu to revenge...a dish best served cold.