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post #31 of 38
1/27/10 at 11:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lefty View Post
I think next time I'll cook for a minute longer. I like rare, but the unmelted fat in the middle wasn't that tasty.

lefty

I think that might be a characteristic of the American wagyu (just guessing).

Quote:
Originally Posted by romafan View Post
Dumb question: I know all the extra marbling adds taste, but as far as texture goes, does it kind of 'melt' (serving to make the meat softer/more buttery/etc.) or does it makes it 'chewier'?

it makes the meat "melt" and the fat itself has flavor...like you guessed, it makes the texture becomes soft and buttery...and the fat tastes a little sweet in some cases.
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post #32 of 38
1/28/10 at 12:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragon View Post
unless you get the kind I buy, pictured above.

I think you`re right that rare wagyu "can" be unappealing though. Sometimes it seems cooking more makes it taste better. On the other hand, there are places that serve it completely raw (like sashimi pieces, but maybe thinner slices than fish sashimi) and it tastes great. I am not sure if it`s just a matter of slicing raw beef, or if there is any other preparation involved before serving though.

The raw pieces are still good raw because they are usually thin. Maybe not super thin, but definitely thinner than a steak, so they aren't hard to break down the fats. Whenever we get a new sirloin in, we all split a couple pieces of it raw. It is absolutely delicious. A touch of salt and just pure beef flavor.
IMO, rare wagyu is just not very appealling at all. The flavor is incredible, but the chewy texture is just too much for me. Then again, I have never eaten large pieces, I think the biggest single piece I ever had was 3 oz, so the chewiness isn't all that terrible.
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post #33 of 38
1/28/10 at 12:08pm
I was never served rare (or even medium rare) wagyu in Japan. In Kobe, every time we go for a Kobe beef dinner, it's invariably served medium (or more done). My in-law family tells me that's how it is meant to be eaten for optimal taste and texture - and my father in law likes his NY Strip rare when in NYC.
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post #34 of 38
1/28/10 at 12:17pm
Thread Starter 
Next time - longer heat for a medium. What I loved about that guy was that he implored me not to add any sauce to it.

Good shop.

lefty
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post #35 of 38
1/28/10 at 6:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ssnyc View Post
$30...worth every penny (to me).

I hope it was cheap then. The marbling on this is weak
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post #36 of 38
1/28/10 at 9:50pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by pebblegrain View Post
I hope it was cheap then. The marbling on this is weak

Just talked to my wife in Tokyo. She went to the Grand Hyatt and had the Kobe - $160 with no sides. Weak marbling aside, $30 seems like a deal.

lefty
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post #37 of 38
1/29/10 at 6:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwilkinson View Post
The raw pieces are still good raw because they are usually thin. Maybe not super thin, but definitely thinner than a steak, so they aren't hard to break down the fats. Whenever we get a new sirloin in, we all split a couple pieces of it raw. It is absolutely delicious. A touch of salt and just pure beef flavor.
IMO, rare wagyu is just not very appealling at all. The flavor is incredible, but the chewy texture is just too much for me. Then again, I have never eaten large pieces, I think the biggest single piece I ever had was 3 oz, so the chewiness isn't all that terrible.

Got some interesting info from the butcher...

Apparently A5 is the highest grade, but he says it doesn`t really translate to the best quality or best tasting beef. It is more a scale to grade the marble, so A5 would have the most marbling. An A3 steak could actually taste better than A5, as marbling is not everything in a good piece of beef. I guess that explains why I see A4 selling for a higher price than A5 sometimes.

Another thing that was interesting is that different wagyu have different melting points. The wagyu I buy has an extremely low melting point (even room temperature it begins to melt) so rare is the best. On the other hand, he suggested that your A5, while it has a lot of marbling, probably has a high melting point, therefore you have to cook to at least medium to reach the melting point and get best results.
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post #38 of 38
1/29/10 at 7:11am
Just a humble opinion, but beef fat doesn't actually taste good until it's been cooked to a certain temp (maybe 120?). In any case, an extremely well-marbled piece of wagyu might not taste all that good cooked medium-rare. You'd need a method to get the whole thing to temperature quickly, before burning too much of the fat off and drying it out. How about a low-temp poach, then a quick sear at high heat? Any case, next time I have some time off, I'll try to find some local wagyu and conduct an experiment. (p.s. thank you dragon for some beef pron!)
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